"It's a full moon tomorrow night," Severus blurted out.
"Yes, it is." Harry agreed. "Have you finished reading that chapter, Mr Snape?"
Severus looked down at the book in front of him before clenching his jaw and looking back up.
"What are you going to do?" Severus demanded with a stubborn look in his black eyes.
"Once you finish that chapter. We shall try casting the spell," Harry replied, mildly.
Severus gave him such a glare that Harry chuckled. The teen looked taken aback from that reaction.
"That would be between Mr Lupin and I," Harry stated.
"You haven't told the Headmaster," Severus uttered in understanding.
"You would be correct."
"You're lying to the Headmaster," Severus blurted out.
"Omitting," Harry countered. "There is a difference."
"He'll know," Severus grumbled. "He always knows."
"The Headmaster can have selected sight in regards to some matters," Harry said carefully.
Severus muttered something.
"What was that, Mr Snape?" Harry questioned.
"You would have been a Slytherin," Severus said reluctantly.
Harry laughed at that statement and Severus gave him a smile.
"I suppose we'll never find out," Harry said with a wink. "Unless you feel up to the challenge of stealing the sorting hat."
Severus snorted and Harry gave him a grin. Something seemed to relax between them as Severus pulled out his wand. They moved onto working on the spells that Severus had just read.
xXx
Remus hesitated outside of Professor Swift classroom, feeling like crap. He would rather curl up in a bed then face his 'furry problem' as Sirius called it. He knocked on the door before him instead.
"Enter."
Remus took a deep breath and let it out before pushing the door open. The first thing he noted was the fact that the desks and chairs had been removed. The second, was the fact that there was no cage and he felt fear in the pit of his stomach.
"Shut the door," Swift ordered from where he stood before the only desk in the room. "Strip down to your pants."
"What?" Remus gasped.
"Unless you want to rip through the clothes you are wearing," Swift remarked, without looking up. "The choice is yours."
Remus pulled at his tie and slowly undressed as he took in his teacher. Swift had yet to look up from his desk as he peered through wire rimmed glasses while he was focused on something that Remus couldn't see.
"You want me to change here," Remus blurted out.
Swift looked up from his desk and pierced him with a stare over the top of his glasses. Remus shrunk back from that look and thought that he could almost feel something whine in the back of his mind.
"Yes," Swift said simply.
"I...I can't control it," Remus stuttered. "If I change here...I could kill you."
"I am aware of that, Mr Lupin."
Remus closed his mouth sharply as he stood in just his pants. He shivered from the cold and Swift flicked his wand and the room grew warmer. Swift took his glasses off and placed them on the table and picked something else up.
"Come here," Swift ordered, his voice gentler than normal.
Remus paced forward to stand before his teacher. Each moment of time increased his fear and trepidation. It reminded him keenly of the risk that his friends and him had placed everyone in and he was sure that's why Swift was doing this. An unknown threat was something that he could forget while the risk before him left a bad taste in the back of his throat. He tried to avoid Swift's knowing green eyes.
"Turn around," Swift instructed.
It took everything in Remus to turn around and he almost jumped a mile in the air when Swift placed something around his neck. He tried not to look down while Swift fiddled with something at the back of his neck. He seemed hyper aware of the man behind him. He almost jumped again when Swift placed his hand on his shoulder briefly.
"You can turn around now," Swift told him. "We have a lot of work to do. Take your shoes off."
Remus turned slowly and used the desk as balance as he pulled his shoes off. Swift had stepped back behind his desk as he flicked through a book.
"How long have you been a werewolf?" Swift questioned.
"Since I was a child," Remus answered as he placed his shoes and socks with the rest of his clothing. "Did you ward this room?"
"Yes," Swift answered. "But I doubt that you'll try to leave."
"How can you be sure?"
Swift pinned him with a look that made him hold back any other questions that he had. His fear came back again in full force and Swift softened his stare. Remus looked down to distract himself. His hand came up and touched on the necklace and noticed the pendent. It looked like a flat disk of gold with runes craved into the surface. It was only about the size of a sickle as he ran his thumb over it feeling the slightly raised surface of the deigns.
"I want you to wear that at all times," Swift told him. "An illusion spell will not conflict with the spell work that I'll be casting."
"What is it?" Remus questioned.
"You will see," Swift answered as he sat on the desk. "Is the room warm enough?"
"Yes, sir."
"I suppose once you have fur that you shouldn't feel the cold."
Remus looked down at the floor at those words as he was reminded of what he was.
"Here," Swift said and Remus looked back up.
Swift held out a potion vial and Remus frowned but closed the distance between them. He took the potion from Swift's fingers and looked at the odd pale purple colour.
"Something that should help with the transformation," Swift stated then looked at his watch.
Remus uncorked the vial and took a sniff but it had no smell. He frowned at that fact since near the full moon, Remus could smell everything, even that dirty sock that Sirius had forgotten in his trunk. Swift then picked up a bottle of water and held it out.
"You'll need this after," Swift advised. "Be quick."
Remus quickly took the potion then almost spat it back out as it burned down his throat. He grabbed the water and chugged down half the bottle. It was as if he'd knocked back chilli water. He splattered as his eyes watered and felt like he'd had five shots of coffee. He wiped away the tears to see Swift smirking at him but with amusement in his eyes. Remus just finished the bottle of water off.
"Ready?" Swift inquired.
"No," Remus gasped out.
"Well, the moon rising won't wait for you, Mr Lupin."
"I know that!" Remus snapped then paled. "Sorry."
Swift just chuckled as he placed his hands behind him on the desk as he quirked a smile. The man was more than slightly odd. Then Remus felt the moon and he dropped the vial and bottle of water to the floor as he scrambled back. He tried to get as much distance between himself and his teacher. Swift just watched him mildly without moving.
Remus tried to yell at the man to cast some type of spell but it was too late. He felt the change take hold as he dropped to his knees. He braced himself for the pain but the potion prevented it. He felt bones, muscles and tendons shift and change uncomfortably. Fur burst over his skin and he pushed at his pants as his body changed. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he felt something come over his mind and he whined in the back of his throat. His fingernails scrapped along the stones before they changed into claws.
He let out a howl before opening his eyes with a growl deep in his throat. He focused on the human and bounded forward in rage. Remus yelled out in his mind before the werewolf pulled up short. Swift sat on the desk casually as the werewolf backed up with its tail tucked between his legs in fear. Remus was stuck numb as he looked at his teacher through the eyes of the werewolf. Fear bolted through him as he huddled down. He'd never encountered anything like the thing before him and yet he knew that it was his teacher.
Swift stood as he pulled his wand from its holster and stepped towards him. Remus backed up as that fear spread.
"Shh," Swift cooed as he held his wand down. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just calm down."
Remus backed up until he hit the wall then growled in warning. He'd never faced anything like the man before him. The darkness that he could feel had fear running through him and he wanted to get away but he was confirmed to the room.
"I'm going to cast a spell," Swift warned. "If you try to bite me, Mr Lupin. Then you will spend the next hour asleep."
Remus growled in response.
"interioribus meis capere animalis," Swift intoned.
Remus felt something shift within him and he relaxed his tight muscles. He then sneezed loudly and Swift chuckled and stepped back. Remus stood up and shook his coat out before stretching then paused. He was in control and he looked over as Swift walked back to his desk.
"If that has worked correctly," Swift called over to him and Remus toed closer. "Then you should have more control over the curse within you."
"Woof," Remus replied then paused. "Woof."
"I will take that as agreement," Swift continued. "This could be thought of as a band aid effect. You are still a werewolf with all the draw backs that entails. Including the transmission of the werewolf curse. You will still be required to isolate yourself in the cage that Albus has provided and not to run wild with your friends. Am I understood?"
"Woof."
"I will provide that potion," Swift continued. "As long as you agree to those terms."
"Woof."
Swift pulled his wand again and a bed appeared in the room. Remus started as he felt the magic in that spell. He could still feel the darkness around his teacher but not as keenly.
"I will leave you for the night," Swift told him. "There is food and water over here near my desk. Once the moon has set. The spell on the door will let you out. Good night, Mr Lupin."
Swift then walked towards the bare stone wall of the classroom and tapped it with his wand. The stones rolled away to reveal a doorway and Swift walked through. The wall rolled back into place and Remus was left alone in the classroom. He glanced around then with a huff he settled on the bed. For the first full moon of his life, since he'd become a werewolf, he placed his head down and fell asleep. Without the rage and worry that he would do something that he would never be able to live with.
xXx
"Can you hear anything?" Sirius hissed.
"No," James hissed back.
The dark haired teen was crouched before Swift's classroom door with his ear pressed to the wood. They had heard and seen nothing since Remus had walked into the classroom.
"Silencing charms?" Sirius suggested and James stood.
Peter stood further down the corridor as he kept a look out.
"What do you think that he is doing to him?" James asked, not for the first time.
"Maybe Remus transformed and killed him," Sirius mused.
"He can be an ass," James muttered. "But that's no reason to want him to be killed."
Sirius grumbled under his breath and James was sure he was thinking of the time with Snape.
"Should we wait for him?" Sirius asked and James shook his head.
"He could have Remus locked up in there," James answered.
"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "It was more fun when we could all run around the forest."
"Come on," James said as he clapped a hand to Sirius's shoulder. "Let's grab Peter and head up to the tower."
Sirius nodded but grumbled under his breath. He had always been the voice of mischief in the group.
xXx
"Okay," Harry called fifteen minutes before the scheduled end of his class. "That's it. Get out."
Students packed up around him while Harry sat on the front of his desk as he watched them. Six students had been watching him all class and it was starting to get on his nerves. The four maunders with Lily had been giving him looks when they thought that he wasn't watching while Severus had been a little more discrete. He expected as much after what he'd done for Remus. Harry stood from his desk and made his way around it as the students finished packing up. Harry picked up a book that he'd received that morning.
"Sir?"
Harry looked up and into the eyes of Remus Lupin. He placed his book back on the table.
"Mr Lupin?" Harry questioned.
"Can I talk to you?" Remus asked nervously.
"You may," Harry agreed and glanced over to the doorway where the boy's friends stood. "I believe that I dismissed you."
The three quickly hurried away and Harry waved his hand and the door closed behind them. He silently cast silencing charms around them as well. Harry looked back at Remus and was struck by the intense look to his eyes.
"Well," Harry said gruffly. "What do you want?"
"I want to thank you," Remus said softly. "For the pendent and the potions and...well everything."
"There is no need for that," Harry retorted. "I had the means to help you and make this school safer for others."
"From me."
"From a werewolf, Mr Lupin." Harry refuted. "You were merely a passenger in your own mind. Your disregard for the safety of this school is another issue. The curse you have is not one that anyone would wish upon another and yet you ran that risk every night that you were not contained."
"I'm sorry," Remus uttered as he looked down at the floor before looking back up. "Why was the werewolf afraid of you?"
Harry paused at that question as Remus looked at him steadily.
"For you aren't the only one cursed, Mr Lupin." Harry replied, after a long minute of contemplation.
"You're a werewolf," Remus blurted out in shock then blushed when he realised how stupid what he'd said was.
"No," Harry laughed. "There are more dark curses than just being a werewolf."
"You have a dark curse?"
Harry cocked his head slightly to the side at that question and wasn't sure how to answer. That was a study that was still on going. No one knew why out of all the people that had held the Deathly Hallows that the curse had only attached itself to him. Harry had narrowed it down to his bloodline but could never prove it.
"I don't know," Harry admitted and Remus looked taken aback. "Did you believe that I have the answer to every question, Mr Lupin?"
"No," Remus said with a blush. "Just most of them."
"Age and wisdom," Harry stated. "You should be getting to your next class." Remus gave him a calculating look. "I imagine that this conversation will stay between us, Remus?"
"The Headmaster doesn't know-"
"Nor does he need to," Harry cut in. "Not everything concerns the Headmaster of a school."
Remus pulled back at those words and Harry gave him a level stare. Slowly Remus nodded his head in agreement.
"Yes, sir." Remus whispered.
"Well, off you go." Harry said as he waved his hand. "Collect your friends in the hallway on the way. They get in enough trouble with the other teachers in this school."
"Yes, sir."
Harry waved his hand to open the door and bring down his silencing charms. Remus hurried out of the room without a backwards glance. Harry walked over and shut the door behind the teen before he sat down in his chair and opened the book on his desk but his thoughts wouldn't settle. Conversations involving or indirectly involving, in this case, anything to do with the Deathly Hallows always unsettled him.