XXIX
Teddy's Secret Revealed
Late that night, Harry began his rounds of patrolling the Castle, looking for students out of bed. Like Ron, however, he had a soft spot for younger students found in or near the kitchens. After sending Harper of Ravenclaw and Perry the Hufflepuff back to bed with only minus two points for each and a few extra pastries, and a strict warning that he knew would be ignored, he too accepted éclairs from Winky and carried them all the way up the fourth floor before he realized that they were melting in his hand.
"Must get a Pensieve," he muttered, "before my heads bursts!"
"Are you going to eat that, Potty?" Peeves asked, sneaking up on Harry from behind. "You know, Peevesey remembers a time when you used to sneak around with that cloak, like Wolfboy does now. Did you know he's in the Library?"
Harry gave his wand a good shake, then spoke into the tip. "Teddy, why are you in the Library and not in bed?" He asked it.
"How'd you know?" Harry's wand buzzed in reply.
"Uncle knows everything, Teddy. Bed, now!" He replied, "And two points from Gryffindor!"
"Yes, sir," Teddy's voice sighed through the wand.
"Thanks, Peeves," Harry nodded. "That was very odd - for you?"
"Even Peeves knows what's about to happen," the Poltergeist replied sadly. "Making trouble might be fun, but this is bad. Very bad. With no children, no school, there's no fun for old Peevesey, is there?" He addressed himself in the third person, as he followed Harry up the stairs. Then his face turned serious, which was even stranger. "There's going to be another war, isn't there?"
"No," Harry answered. "Yes," He then fudged a bit, "But it's already been going on. We've just covered it up. There's going to be a battle, though. One battle - but no extended war, not like with Voldemort. Either they go down, or we do." Harry paused. "Peeves, whatever this Black Wolf is, I'm pretty sure it can harm you and the other Ghosts. But if you're on the same Plane as it is, we could use all the help we can get."
"You can count on us, Harry," Sir Nicholas added, as he came through the wall. "Teddy is back in the Tower, you know."
"Have the others keep a close eye on the children," Harry suggested, "Ask the Baron, the Friar, and the Grey Lady, if you would. Don't let any of them outside the Castle walls. Any chance we can get Podmore and his friends in on this one?"
"I'm sure the Headless Hunt would relish the chance to hunt a Gytrash," Sir Nicholas nodded, his head wobbling. "Conceited as they are," he added.
Harry nodded in return, then took his leaves of the Ghosts.
He soon found himself heading down the corridor that led to the Staff apartments, and without really thinking about it, found himself staring a the thin line of light coming from under Neville Longbottom's door.
He moved on, but as he passed the last door on the right near the stairs, he stopped.
Behind it, someone was crying.
A lady.
Harry turned around, went back down the hall, and knocked softly on the door that spilled that tiny bit of light onto the cold stone floor.
"Harry?" Neville whispered, gesturing for him to come in. Harry noticed that Neville was still dressed, and looking a bit rumpled. It was evident that he'd only napped a bit, in his clothes, and was hitting the coffee in preparation of his own rounds later.
"Neville, I have to ask you something," Harry almost mumbled, as he eased the door shut and cast a Muffliato Charm about the room. "And it's not going to be an easy answer."
"I have to talk to you, too," Neville replied.
"You first," Harry suggested, and Neville poured them coffee. "You gonna eat that?" He asked. Harry glanced at the last sticky pastry, then gave it to Neville.
"How to say it?" Neville wondered. "She can't take it anymore, Harry," he finally blurted. "I began to notice it after the War, but it wasn't that bad. I think this whole mess with Colin Creevey and Greyback, though, is just too much for her." Neville looked away. "She's falling apart, Harry."
"Minerva?" Harry whispered solemnly.
Neville nodded.
"Harry, I can't relieve her," Neville confessed. "I just can't do it! Not after all we've been through together! Minerva's been here forever, it seems! Hell, I can't even bring myself to call her by her first name, even though she's said to, now that ‘we're colleagues, Neville...' She'll always be ‘Professor McGonagall' to me."
"She never took the Headmaster's quarters, in the tower," Harry wondered aloud. "I should have known something was wrong then, and when they all ganged up on me to plan my future careers. But she's Minerva McGonagall, dammit! We can't just go and tell her to shove off and head for the Society for Distressed Witches' Retirement Home!"
"I hear her crying, sometimes, at night," Neville added. "When I'm patrolling." He then shook his head. "Where's Greyback, anyway?" He asked, changing the subject, somewhat to Harry's relief.
"Confined in the Shrieking Shack, with Hagrid. Last time I saw them, they were headed there with a cask of ale, and Fluffy. Hagrid said he was going to have a chat with our favorite werewolf."
"Any ideas how to proceed?" Neville asked, rolling his eyes.
"I've contacted Percy," Harry nodded. "He's assigning a team to contact the parents of all the Magical Children in Britain, and Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are handling matters on the Continent. The North & South American Academies have been alerted, too, as well as those in the Orient and Australia. I'm pretty sure South Africa will be ready, too. Kingsley is going to contact the Muggle Prime Minister in the morning, and an American Auror by the name of ‘Mr. Cody' is contacting their President. Most all Muggle schools will be out for Holiday by the Solstice, and all departments at the Ministry are going to be on patrol and full alert."
"What about the Regulation of Magical Creatures people, or whatever they're called now?" Neville asked.
Harry rubbed his eyes and sipped at his coffee. "All known werewolves are going to be contacted in the next few days, Muggle or not. Thanks to Rita Skeeter, word's getting out that Teddy may hold the cure for this, so I think the turnout for our side is going to be quite high. The next few editions of the Prophet are going to be...interesting."
"So long as the wolves don't turn on us," Neville shivered.
"A lot of them want a cure, Neville," Harry reassured him. "Some of them are even willing to die for it. And look what Teddy did for Jack. Poor kid."
"Sanity in a bottle," Neville repeated, "Their Animous Derivative. Absolutely unbelievable about the Black Family, though, isn't it?
Harry shook his head. "It's just like them to withhold the key to controlling werewolves, if the Circe legends are true," he grumbled. "But history is often written by the victors, they say, and I can't help but wonder if the ancient Blacks controlled - or exacerbated - the problem?"
"Moot point, now," Neville countered.
"True," Harry agreed, as he got up to go. "I have more rounds. You're on at three, right? Draco relieves me, and then you relieve Ron."
Neville nodded. "It still gives me the willies when I run into Malfoy at night, though," Neville admitted with a grin, as Harry paused in the doorway.
"Neville," Harry asked, his eyes hard as Neville noticed the lines around them and the beginnings of gray at his temples as the firelight flickered over Harry's drawn face.
"Yes?"
"Neville, are you ready to take command of Hogwarts, as Headmaster?" Harry then asked flatly, "If need be?"
Neville turned his back, staring into the fire. "Shouldn't that be your place?"
"Maybe, but I don't want it. I have a family to take care of. Neville?" Harry replied.
"It's going to get ugly, isn't it?" Neville asked.
"Yes."
"Harry?"
"Yes?"
"Yes..."
***
On his way back to his own apartment, Harry changed course and headed up again. He arrived in Gryffindor Tower, and in true Auror form, quietly made his way to the First Year Boys' Dorm.
He was greeted by a low warning growl, the sound of a sniff, then a soft whine. Argos' tail thumped softly on the bed. Apparently, the fact that his pet was really a wizard in disguise didn't seem to bother Teddy.
"Must be a canine thing," Harry wondered, as he bumped his toe on something. He shined his wandlight down, and saw a box from Brazil, South America that was addressed to ‘Teddy R. Lupin, c/o Harry Potter - C.O.D.' Harry sighed again.
"Protect him," Harry then whispered, as he turned to go, leaving only the soft sounds of sleeping boys behind him.
***
"Are you mad?!" Draco Malfoy exclaimed, his face a study in shock as he relieved Harry for his part of the nightly rounds with Neville.
"You don't think that having Greyback address the student body and parents tomorrow is a good idea?" Harry asked.
"They'll riot and skin him alive," Draco grinned. "Then again, could be a good idea, yes," he added.
"They have to know, and getting it from the source is the best way," Harry offered. "We're lucky, actually, that Greyback wants to cooperate."
"He just wants to get his paws on the children," Draco countered, grimacing.
"He's already got Teddy and Jack in his corner," Harry reminded him.
"Fresh mouth on that one, Teddy," Draco reminded Harry, "I'd have a good talk with him, were I you," he suggested.
"But he's right, Draco," Harry shook his head. "We need Greyback."
Draco made an indelicate sound. "True," he admitted.
***
That next morning, the front page of the Daily Prophet ran a half-page picture of Teddy Lupin and Jack Abbott, with Fenrir Greyback between them. The cleaned-up werewolf had an arm about the shoulders of each boy, and Teddy was holding a small vial of Potion and pointing at Greyback with a grin on his face. Greyback was looking splendid in his custom-tailored suit, and his hair was perfect. The headline read:
"The Cure for the Common Werewolf?"
*
by Rita Skeeter
*
Teddy R. Lupin, First Year Gryffindor student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, war orphan of Remus J. Lupin & Nymphadora Tonks, Godson of Harry James Potter, Meta-Wolf, and Heir to the House of Black, claims to have found what medical science has been seeking since the very first werewolf was identified.
According to family members, who were more than cooperative and very excited to have this reporter publish the story, Teddy has always been a very playful and domestic puppy - during his time of the month. No one seemed to be able to explain this unheard-of phenomenon until Rubeus Hagrid, Gamekeeper at Hogwarts, divulged the following:
"The key ter controllin' any beast is yeh gots ter know ‘ow ter CALM him! Why, if Teddy got outta line, a good smack with a rolled up newspaper is all it took! An' we had Fluffy to help keep him in line, too!"
Other sources also claim that Teddy was housebroken and leash-trained by the time he was one year old - in wolf form.
Teddy, however, is not your garden-variety werewolf.
His father, Remus, was a converted werewolf, and his mother was a Metamorphmagus Witch. This unique combination of genetics seems to have produced a hybrid child, the likes of which this world has never before seen.
In addition to being the first known domesticated werewolf, Teddy's unique blood cells have also been used to cure the rare - but fatal - disease ‘Bloodburn', found only in Magical Pureblood children. This reporter was also treated to a demonstration of Teddy's ability to transform, much like an Animagus, into a wolf of any color at any time. I thought he looked quite a bit like a sled dog.
Pictured with Teddy, on the right, is First Year Gryffindor Jack L. Abbott (no relation to Hannah). Jack, a resident of Hogsmeade Village, was infected last year while out raiding an apple orchard with friends, and abandoned by his obviously unfit parents. Jack, however, is the first ‘typical' werewolf to have been cured by Teddy Lupin. According to Jack and Teddy, werewolves are quite intelligent and can communicate with one another, as well as with other beasts.
"I used to be pretty wild and scared," Jack admitted, "But once I went out that first night with Teddy and Fluffy and Hagrid," Jack tells this reporter, "It all just sort of came to me. I wasn't afraid of people anymore, and I didn't want to bite anyone. We killed and ate a deer this one, time, and..."
Added Teddy, "Chasing cats is fun, but you'd think that Professor McGonagall would have told us it was her!"
Readers should also take notice that Percy Weasley is handling Jack's case, in the matter of finding a permanent home for him. You can read more about the juvenile werewolf abandonment problem on page 5.
As for the boys' unlikely new adult friend, pictured above, this urbane gentleman - who was more than happy to talk with this reporter on end, for hours - is none other than the infamous Fenrir Greyback, aka Francis Greyson.
Abandoned by his family and rejected by Hogwarts School when he was a child, Greyback turned to the Dark Arts and embraced what he calls "the werewolf community" and became a follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
After serving several years in Azkaban Prison, it was revealed that Greyback's advice was instrumental in helping Harry Potter and Andromeda Black-Tonks raise Teddy Lupin. Mrs. Hermione Granger-Weasley also tells me that Greyback has helped to speed up publication of her new study on juvenile werewolves. More about this on page 6, where you can preorder your copy!
But by now, readers must be wondering why Greyback is at Hogwarts now, and what news he has for us? In a move that has shocked not only this reporter, but the Magical Community at large, Harry Potter has announced that Greyback will be addressing parents and students at Hogwarts tomorrow about the growing problem of werewolf attacks, and steps that will be taken by the Ministry to protect our children during the next full moon on December 21st.
(Story continued on page 4)
*
It took a day for Percy Weasley to arrange, but by the next day, almost every parent of a Magical child in the British Isles was arriving via the Hogwarts Express, broomstick, floo, or apparation to the village of Hogsmeade. The crowds in the Great Hall kept growing, but then again, so did the Great Hall to accommodate them all. Parents sat with their children at their respective House tables, while those with children too young to be attending sat along benches that had appeared along the back and side walls.
"You could have told all the kiddies that Mum'n'Dad were coming," Ron commented, watching the Gryffindor table stretch itself to accommodate the influx of Weasleys.
"Draco and I decided to surprise them," Harry smirked.
"Sort of ruins the surprise for the little ones, doesn't it?" Dean wondered.
"Better that than their other prospective surprise," Neville added, "Although most of them weren't too thrilled to find out Greyback is here. Kingsley said the Ministry's been swamped with calls ever since that story broke!"
Harry just shrugged.
"I see the Malfoys are here with Gran Andromeda," Ron noticed, glancing at the Slytherin tables, where Narcissa and Andromeda were fussing over a seemingly healthy Scorpius.
"Just wait until our guest speaker arrives," Hermione fretted, as they all took their places at the High Table to watch.
Professor McGonagall sat in the center golden seat, her eyes distant, but said nothing at all.
***
The Great Hall went quiet when Greyback entered, flanked by Hagrid and Harry, as well as Argos. The whispers and murmuring began, but Harry called for order and a few pictures were taken by Dennis Creevey. Rita Skeeter, using a quill approved by Hermione, was madly taking notes.
"You've all been invited by the Ministry to come here today, because as you all know, there is a growing problem with werewolf attacks upon our children. What you all don't know is why."
"And I suppose this maniac is going to tell us?" Someone in the crowd shouted. "What the hell is HE doing here, anyway?"
"Yeah, we've trusted Potter so far on just about everything," someone else called out, "But this is going too far!"
"An' if any of yehs want yer own kids kept safe, yeh'll listen ter him," Hagrid retorted in threatening tone. "We've gottwo werewolf students this year, an' we're expectin' a whole lot more in years to come!" He stifled a grin.
All around the hall, parents and children exchanged looks. Looking around, it wasn't hard for Jack and Teddy to spot those children already infected. Most of them were either looking away, or sitting lower and trying to make themselves smaller.
At the Gryffindor table, the boys all exchanged a look. "This could go really wrong, really fast," Lee fretted.
"I know," Teddy replied.
"Wha's this all about, Draco?" Marcus Flint asked, at the Slytherin table.
"Yes, Draco," Pansy Parkinson added, "What's this about not having any normal children left, if something isn't done? Why aren't we just offing the lot of them, and being done with it?"
Goyle gave her a look. "You wouldn't be saying that if you knew a kid that was infected," he hissed. "Patrick could be next, you know!"
"Who is it?" Pansy demanded of him, but Goyle just looked away.
"Shut up, Pansy," Draco snapped at her, "And just listen, for once!"
"As you all know," Greyback began, "There is a serious problem with werewolves attacking children. Magical or Muggle - it makes no difference. I'm here today, at Harry Potter's request, to tell you all why. That, and to advise you on what steps the Aurors are planning to take to protect your children."
"How about locking you back up, where ya belong?" Someone else yelled.
"One more outburst, and I'll lock you up," Harry promised. "Our projection for next Term, as it stands now, is that Hogwarts will receive 47 new students next fall. Of those, 11 will be werewolves. Of the incoming children the year after, 28 of the 45 will be. Anyone see the pattern yet?"
"And if something isn't done," Greyback continued, "There will certainly be fatalities. Many of you know that I am responsible for the death of five-year-old Ian Montgomery some years ago during the War. I can't bear to see that happen again. I know that none of you have any reason to believe me, but Harry's office can provide you with proof that I, as well, am a parent who has lost a child. I know that there can be no greater pain, save perhaps one - a child who survives conversion, and then is rejected by his family. This is also a pain that I know.
"Very few people know of the existence of a place up north called the ‘Gardenstown Home for Underage Werewolves'. When I was a child, after I'd been bitten, I was sent there by my family. It's not a very nice place to grow up, I can assure you, as many other adult werewolves who grew up there can verify as well. When a child is infected, and you abandon him or her, those children are still sent there. To the best of my knowledge, and from what I've gathered on my own recon missions, not much has changed since my days there.
"It was the care, or rather, the lack thereof, that I received there that made me the person that I was - before and during the War. I can assure you that today, thanks to Harry Potter and Teddy Lupin, that I am no longer that person.
"I have come here today to tell you the plans of the Werewolf Community, such as it is, and what we plan to do about it."
"Mr. Greyback, one question?" Rita piped up, when he paused for a drink of water.
Greyback nodded to her.
"Were there ever any deaths at Gardenstown?" Rita asked, and Hermione nodded to her.
"My friend, André," Greyback answered, a slight hitch in his voice. "He gave up; lost the will to live. One especially bad transformation killed him." Greyback paused for another sip. "And no one on staff there offered to help him.
"He was an innocent, frightened child - and your people stood by and watched while he suffered and died. While almost all of our children suffer and die." Greyback bowed his head. "And now you wonder why my kind takes it revenge on your children."
"But as far as reproducing," Rita began, but a glare from Hermione silenced her. The flyswatter in Hermione's hand probably helped, too.
"Do any of you fault Remus Lupin, former DADA teacher here, and hero of the Final Battle, for having a son?" Greyback retorted.
"Yes!" A woman's voice then called out, and everyone turned towards the Gryffindor table to see Fiona Finnigan standing up.
Ciaran slid down in his seat and leaned into his father, Seamus.
"I think it just went really bad," Freddie muttered.
"Fer God's sake, woman, sit yer arse down an' shuddap!" Seamus snapped at her.
"No! I will not sit here and listen to this madman talk about having...puppies! More of THEM, when one of THEM has already turned OUR son into one, too!" Fiona shouted.
There were murmurings and finger-pointing. Teddy felt their eyes on him.
"Mam!" Ciaran protested, "No one turned me in'tuh anythin'! I did it meself, an' I kin do it whenever I wanna!"
Cries of "Who did it?" and things like "Which one of them?" and "...Lupin's roomie," then began to fill the Great Hall. Arguments began breaking out, and it seemed that control was about to be lost.
"SILENCE!" The voice of Minerva McGonagall then filled the room, and all heads turned to see her standing on the High Table with her wand aimed at her throat in a Sonorus Charm. "I WILL HAVE ORDER IN MY SCHOOL!" She then glared at Fiona. "How DARE you?" She hissed, dropping into what resembled an attack posture as Harry and Neville moved in to intercept, just in case. For the life of them, it looked as if Minerva McGonagall were about to strike down Fiona.
"My son is a yellow woof!" Fiona protested. "Don't tell me he's not, I saw it with me own eyes!"
"Let's head this off, now," Teddy suggested to his pack, as the First Years all got up to head to the front.
Fiona grabbed at Ciaran, but the usually shy boy threw her hand off and turned his back to follow his friends, leaving his mother standing there with all eyes on her.
"Mr. Lupin?" McGonagall asked dangerously, "I take it that you have something to add?"
"I do, Ma'am," Teddy confirmed. "There are two werewolves this term - me and Jack. There are also three ‘pseudo-werewolves' - Freddie Weasley, Ciaran Finnigan, and Lee Jordan."
More murmurings from the crowd.
"Tha's my boy!" Lee Jordan Sr. clapped.
"Hip hip!" George Weasley added helpfully.
"Teddy," Harry shook his head in warning, but Greyback gave the boy a nod.
"I'm sorry, Uncle, but someone's tried to kill me more than once already, and the Black Wolf is out there still wanting to! These people need to know, so more kids don't end up like Jack!"
"Teddy," Greyback offered him the center spotlight.
Teddy's hair shifted from red to black, indicating that he was angry.
"When I came here, no one wanted anything to do with me ‘cause I was a werewolf. An' they spotted it right off. Don' think your kids are a secret if they're infected. You can tell," Teddy began. "But it didn't take long for me to make friends. Ciaran, my friend now, was scared to death of me. But you know what my friends did? When they saw what me and Jack had to go through every month, they modified a Potion so they could take a shortcut to the Animagus transformation! Yeah, it was an accident, and it scared us all when they turned into wolves on that next full moon. But you know what? They were all just as sane as me!"
Teddy then looked all around the crowd. "My dad spent almost all his life alone an' hurting, until his friends changed that for him! They did the same thing, only it took them years to learn it. And my mum an' dad died in the War, so that your kids could grow up in a safer world. I didn't bite my friends. They did it their own way - for me, and for Jack. I was gonna bite my cousin, Freddie, though, when he got sick. I would have bit..." Teddy paused and looked to the Slytherin table.
And Draco Malfoy nodded to him.
"I would have bit my little cousin, Scorpius Malfoy, too, when he was sick with Bloodburn, just like Freddie. Us werewolves are hard to kill, and we live a long time, because the transformation renews our Human form every month, with a few scars here and there. That was the first time someone tried to kill me, and tried to put an end to the House of Black. And if my cousin, Professor Malfoy, hadn't helped me find a cure, using my own blood and fur, I would have bit them! They would have been werewolves like me an' Jack, but they'd be alive! But you know what? They would have been just as tame and safe as I am! And I can prove it!"
Teddy, NO! Argos growled, but too late - Teddy began to change.
"Let's get it over with," Freddie groaned.
"I bloody hate this," Ciaran complained, as the other boys changed form as well.
Once again, the Hall went silent at the sight of the five small wolves.
"Fifty points for Gryffindor!" McGonagall clapped her hands gleefully, as the Staff just gaped at her as if she'd finally gone mad.
"Take it," Draco sneered, waving his hand at the hourglasses.
"Doggies!" Scorpius yelled.
To prove they were not dangerous, Hagrid then had them engage in some stupid pet tricks. Then Teddy and the others changed back, clearly embarrassed.
Rita Skeeter's glasses nearly fell off as she gaped.
"No moon," Teddy reminded them all, "And no madness."
"Other than Hagrid," Lee snorted.
"Well done, my boys," Greyback encouraged them, as Harry just put his head down.
"That's my Grandson!" Andromeda Tonks clapped. The Slytherins all just gaped at her. "Problems?" She added in a dangerous tone.
"Uhhh, no!" Goyle Sr. almost chirped, looking away.
"And next year, we'll be here to help the other kids that carry this curse," Teddy went on. "Gryffindor will take themall, if no other House wants them. And this," Teddy held up a small vial, "Is what's going to cure them. They'll still change each month, but they'll also be able to change whenever they want to, moon or not. And they'll still have all of their Human mind intact!" He looked thoughtfully at the vial. "No, it won't be a curse anymore, and we'll have fun!" He promised, looking around at the children.
"We're gonna get a fresh cauldron brewing, imported Mandrakes and all," Freddie added. "It'll be ready before the Solstice, and any kid or adult what wants it - can have it!"
"Potter?" Draco asked, "Just how ordered that?"
"It came C.O.D.," Harry groaned, which seemed to satisfy Draco immensely.
"I want it!" A very small voice then said, and everyone looked around to see a very pretty little girl with brown hair and sad eyes at the far end of the room holding up her hand. "My name is Sandra, and I'm a Muggleborn Witch. I'm coming here next year. I was attacked this last summer."
"H-hi?" Teddy managed, as his golden eyes locked onto her and his hair turned pink. Freddie smacked his arm to call his attention to the Gryffindor table, where young Victoire Weasley was giving him deadly looks.
"I'm having him neutered, right after Christmas," Harry muttered.
"Vickie likes Teddy," James II spoke up.
"Izn't that sweet?" Fleur smiled.
"You've all got him married off already," Ron mumbled. Hermione slapped his arm.
"Now, which of you will send Sandra away to Gardenstown?" Greyback then asked. "We have a cure, but there are those out there who don't want it to go public. Now that you all know, however, the idea cannot be stopped. The proverbial Genie cannot be put back in the bottle. Only these boys, with Professor Malfoy's help, can brew it. Only Teddy Lupin can make sure that it comes out right.
"But there are those, as I said, that will stop at nothing to prevent this. They want your children, they want Teddy dead, and they will stop at nothing to get them!
"On the Solstice, the moon will be full. Every single werewolf out there, without benefit of this Potion, will be at the height of his or her powers - and at the height of madness. If you will all settle down and let me further explain, I can tell you why this is. And I can tell you the cause of it, which I am here to help destroy."
No one said a word.
The boys went back to their seats.
"There is, according to legend," Greyback continued, "One Being who is the sum total of all the evil driving almost every werewolf out there. We are a pack animal, this is true. And we all hear the call of the Black Wolf's madness and fury. That same black wolf, the one who discovered the Animagus Transformation, and the one who created the very first werewolf, is out there. On the night of the Winter Solstice, with that full moon, there will be attacks, and very likely, one awful battle for Teddy Lupin - and the rest of your children. I can confirm this, because I was the one who initially drew up the plan," Greyback admitted.
"What we are proposing," Harry Potter added, casting a Silencing Charm over the now-erupting Hall, "Is that all Magical children be kept here - at Hogwarts. This Black Wolf and her legions will attack on the Solstice night, when the moon is full and their powers are at their peak. This is the safest place for them, and as Greyback can assure you, her aim is to take as many of your children as possible that night."
"But won' they jus' come an' attack here then, Harry?" Seamus Finnigan called out. "If there's no kids out there fer ‘em to hunt?"
"They will," Harry agreed. "Those that want revenge, and don't want this cure, will follow the Black Wolf here to come after Teddy. I'm sure that all of the infected children here can already feel something - something a bit different - about themselves. Proximity to Teddy is what is causing it, and the Potion will cement it."
Hannah Abbott then stood up, moving forward with Draco Malfoy.
"As head of Hufflepuff House, I have determined that our chambers are the safest place to house the children. Mr. Malfoy has also spoken with his Prefects, who will open Slytherin House to hide the rest. Both Houses are far below ground, impenetrable, and highly protected with ancient Magic of the Founders. With that, and the magic of the House Elves in the kitchens, we're confident that no children will be harmed until this battle is won."
"You want us to put our children in the middle of a war zone?" Pansy Parkinson protested.
"Draco, have you gone mad?" Flint added. "Opening Slytherin House to...to...them?"
"Oh, shut it, dad," Michael Flint then spoke up, as he got out of his seat and moved towards the Gryffindor table. "You know what? I was really mean to Teddy when the year started. We all were. And you know what he did? I got all my front teeth knocked out with a broomstick in class, because you never let me fly before! But Teddy used his Metamorph-thing to put ‘em back together, and make ‘em look normal! He didn't have to do that, and I sure wouldn't have done it for him, if I had his powers! Everybody made fun of my teeth, even my friends, but Teddy and them even let me go fishing with them, after we were so bad to ‘em."
"After you kicked their arses, more like it," Freddie reminded his friends, who suppressed a snicker.
"Sit down, Mikey," Flint said coldly.
"NO! I won't!" Michael retorted. "An' I'm not sittin' here while you tell me that you don't care if any of these kids get attacked, an' right before Christmas! What if I get attacked? What then? Do I get kicked outta Slytherin, ‘cause my blood's corrupted, or are you gonna send me to Gardenstown?"
Marcus Flint looked gobsmacked.
Ron snickered, then stood up.
"What it comes down to," Ron then informed them, "Is that the Ministry cannot guarantee the safety of any children not housed here. We've got an army in the making, but if you leave your children here, then yes, we can promise that none of them will be taken."
"You question our ability to protect our children?" Pansy Parkinson protested.
"Yes, I do," Ron didn't hesitate.
"I'm stayin' here," Patrick Parkinson then announced. "I'll defect to Hufflepuff before I go home and get bit!"
"Thanks, awfully, I think?" Hannah put in.
"I would advise parents to stay as well," Harry added, "Because from what we've already seen, our magic can't touch this thing, and they'll just as soon convert adults, too. We can use all the help we can get in combating the werewolves who come, those that won't side with us, but the main part of the fighting is going to have to be left to us."
"We are dealing with magic such as we've never seen before," Hermione supplied, "And there's still some things we're not sure about. But what we are sure of, is that we can protect the children. The Muggle Prime Minister has been notified, and the rest of the Ministry employees are going to need every available Witch and Wizard out there. What's at stake here is the future of every child - Magical or not - in the world."
"Beauxbatons will be ready!" Fleur Delacour-Weasley promised from the Gryffindor table, just as the doors to the Hall opened and a brigade of burly men with shaven heads strode in.
"Bit late, aren't they?" Ron wondered.
"And Durmstrang iz ready to deal with problems on the east end of the continent!" Viktor Krum announced in his heavy accent.
"That's going to be interesting," Draco shook his head, "What with that lot!"
"Draco, this is mad!" Pansy protested again, as the murmurings began anew. "I, for one, am not leaving my son in the middle of this!"
Patrick snorted and got up to leave. So did Michael Flint, as their friends just stared.
"And just where will you go, Pansy?" Draco snapped at her. "Where in the world will you hide your child, where a werewolf can't sniff him out? This isn't just Britain, you twit - it's worldwide. This plan, according to Greyback, has been in the works since Lord Voldemort was in power! The werewolves were going to turn on him, as well. Did you know that? They knew he was using them!"
"You've changed," Pansy shook her head in disgust.
"Yes, I have," Draco replied without emotion. "Stay or go, Pansy, it makes no difference to me. In fact, that goes forall of you!" He informed the Slytherin table. "Slytherin House did next to nothing during the War, even when we saw where it was going back then. But this time, things are going to be different! Our House will be open to protect the children, and Merlin help any of you that cross me on this one!"
Draco then turned to leave to leave the Hall, his black robes billowing behind him in a flourish.
"You'll excuse me, I'm sure? We have Potion to brew! BOYS!" He then barked at the Gryffindor table. "I need Were-hair, and a LOT of it!"
"Let's start shedding," Teddy called for Argos, as they left the silent Hall to begin their preparations.
"Professor Malfoy, sir?" Michael Flint called after them.
Draco turned to face him.
"Anything we can do?" The boy asked, as his roommates just stared at him.
"Go get your potions kit, you can help chop roots," Draco nodded to him.
"MICHAEL!" The Slytherin boy's father shouted at him.
"NO! I'm gonna help Teddy with this! I owe him! And you're not sending Stephen away, either!" Michael retorted, his voice breaking.
Flint and Goyle Sr's exchanged long looks, as everyone else just watched the unexpected exchange at the Slytherin table. Goyle Jr. gave Michael a worried look.
"Go," Marcus Flint finally said, meeting Draco's glare.
"What are you doing?" Pansy protested. "Letting the boys work with...with them?!"
"Shut up, Pansy," Goyle Sr. snapped at her, as the First Year Slytherin boys left with Draco and Gryffindors.
"Michael?" Teddy asked, as they headed down the lab, "Who is Stephen?"
"My little cousin," - "My little brother," Flint and Goyle both said at the same time. "They wanna send him away."
"Poor kid," Freddie sighed.
"We'll fix it," Teddy reassured him.