Author: Chipmunki
Summary: Ursa just wants to live her life, but when Remus discovers they share his furry little problem, she is pulled into the fight between good and evil. Very far into the future Blaise/Ursa, Remus/Ursa (father/Child).
Rated: K (may move up in the future)
Chapter One
Becoming a Badger
The Grand Hall was still as awe inspiring as it was the first time he saw it as a first year, fresh and soggy from the boat ride. Remus breathed in deeply, Hogwarts still smelt like home.
But then another smell hit him sharply. It was wild and strangely familiar; it reminded him of running through a forest freely. Remus scanned the crowds, over the Slytherins, the Ravenclaws, and the Hufflepuffs, the Gryffindors and finally his gaze settled on the first years.
The shivering crowd of students sent him back to his arrival at Hogwarts; he was shivering then too, soaked from Candice Bulstrode rocking the boat. He believed her son was coming in this year, and wondered if he was the reason for that poor soaked child wearing Hagrids coat.
And there she was. A long breath escaped him. Her hair trailed down her back in long wild plaits that were a caramel colour, only a few shades darker than her exotically tilted honey coloured eyes. She was pale and sweet looking, not at all what he expected.
Then again, he hadn't believed. Not Albus, or Minerva or any of them. Not that there was another one, or that something so depraved could happen to anyone else but
him.
"Vine, Ursa!" called Minerva.
"Hufflepuff!" shouted the Hat.
There was another werewolf in Hogwarts and Remus only wished she had a better time here than he did.
In fact, he would make sure of it!
oOo
Severus, on the other hand, honestly did not care. He stretched his long fingered hand out and sighed, wondering why this had to be such a long affair- and was that powered scarab beetle under his nail?
He picked it out whilst absentmindedly glowering at the first years. They fearfully glanced away, even edging backwards in some cases, which made him suppress a smirk.
The non-existent smirk faded as he observed the werewolf girl, who hadn't cowered, only stared curiously at the hat, an animal like tilt to her head. She didn't look like an imbecile, but then they rarely did. And true, her hands were long fingered and sure in all their movements, making her out to have the bare basics for being a good potions brewer. In all honesty, Severus could have easily gotten over her being a werewolf (who, although being dangerous unnatural bastards, are tame when on their wolfsbane.)
McGonagall called for the werewolf.
"Hufflepuff!" was the Hats final verdict.
Severus Snape smirked. He may not hate werewolves but he had no problem discriminating against Hufflepuffs, who, in his opinion, rarely amounted to anything.
oOo
Minerva McGonagall prided herself on being patient, unshakable and stern (which came in handy with the Weasley Twins). But she was as curious as her aminigus form suggested and they were only at the N's!
Another werewolf at Hogwarts, she couldn't help but feels sorry for the girl. Albus had told her that she had been bitten at a young age, almost four. Moreover this happened in the attack that killed her father and brother.
(The Q's passed and Minerva felt a burst of sympathy for Fillius, those Quiten boys looked like a handful.) The second werewolf in over a hundred years, the last being a Gryffindor on the verge of Ravenclaw, what would this one be?
She half hoped for Gryffindor, she would be proud to guide this girl, but the other half didn't want history to repeat itself and this werewolf to be hurt like the last by a friends fit of childish malevolence.
She could tell be Snapes expression he was full of the same half longing also, and as Miss Vine was from a less notable but still pure blooded family she would fit in without trouble. But if anybody in Slytherin caught wind of Miss Vine's rare illness they would not hesitate to use it to their advantage.
(McGonagall sighs and they are in the R's once more and her mind turns to Ravenclaw)
Ravenclaw would be a good course, it's a very calm quiet house, also with a private library it would help with Ursa's dream of curing lycanthropy (but would that put her in Slytherin, who prize ambition?)
It was a conundrum, and McGonagall truly was confused, although in all honesty her mind kept thinking Hufflepuff, Hufflepuff. What better than the house that prizes loyalty before all else? If the poor girl's secret is discovered, then she would have friends who would stand by her
(And there was a single U of Chris Ullman, who, to whoops and cheers went to Gryffindor)
Minerva Calysto McGonagall drew a breath a called out "Vine, Ursa!"
The small girl stood and although McGonagall could see no nervousness, she could almost sense it. Ursa's wide orange-brown eyes were set with determination. She stepped up and sat down, the hat was lowered over her head in such a way that it seemed the Hat had grown two brown-red plaits.
The Hat puzzled over the child for a while, not as long as some, indeed shorter than Harry Potters. Although longer than her own, she had been placed in Gryffindor after a brief struggle with the hat over the idea of a Slytherin placing.
The Hat made its decision and shouted "Hufflepuff!"
Ah, McGonagall thought in a brief moment of Dumbledore style benevolence, that will do nicely.
oOo
Albus Dumbledore, of course, was unsurprised by the sorting of young Ursa. He was not omniscient, as the younger students assumed (if they ever used that particular word though, Albus would be surprised, they usually just called him all-knowing in an awed tone, which Albus thought, with an amused little smile, was very beneficial to his ego.) but he knew Ursa needed the grounded, loyal environment that the Hufflepuff house provided.
He smiled benevolently at the first years cowering slightly at the sight of their soon to be, often terrifying potions professor, they needed to feel safe in their new home, especially with the threat of Voldemort that Dumbledore believed loomed over their heads.
Then Miss Vine was called, and Albus put those thoughts to one side of his mind to muse over at a later date.
Hufflepuff was the house chosen and Albus allowed himself a brief smile of pride, for both himself and the black and yellow bannered house.
Before long all of his newest students were sorted and Albus stood to make his annual speech. A soft cough caused the Hall to gradually quiet, which Albus admitted he did half for the – what was the word, oh yes, cool effect it gained.
"Now, my dear students, this will not take long, as I fear some of you may be upset if you do not eat soon." Try not to glance at Mr Ronald Weasley, but ooooh! Fail.
"Welcome to all our newest students and welcome back to all those already a part of the Hogwarts family" And ignore Severus's snort and eye roll, that one's easier. "And please welcome an ex-student and our new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin."
There was a polite round of applause from the school and an equally polite smile from Remus.
Albus took note of the way young Ursa's eyes quickly bored into the teachers, searching and a little confused. And also of the way Remus's eyes didn't move from hers except to nervously glance at the entire student body once.
A smile slid onto Albus's face as he finished his speech with the usual rules and a warning to the students of the dementors guarding the school. He then asked the students to join him in a rendition of the school song. They sang beautifully.
Remus was already protective of Ursa, he had expressed a wish to get to know Harry and the dementors were in place to keep Sirius Black from telling Harry any unsavoury secrets. Everything was unfolding just as planned.
oOo
Ursa's day however was not going as expected. She had found an empty compartment, just as she had wanted, but then a bunch of both taller and stronger students forced her out, whilst making cruel remarks about her and her parentage.
She didn't say anything and stood for awhile trying to cool her temper.
"Aren't you going to say anything? They just kicked you out of your compartment."
The voice doesn't sound concerned, which annoys her. It's coming from an older boy, who looks to be around 13. He has skin the colour of the milky tea she likes and
slightly wavy black hair. It falls into his eyes, which are the strangest misty grey colour. He is already in his school robes and the green and silver insignia proclaim him to be a Slytherin. His eyes seem unconcerned but his full lips were quirked into an amused smile.
Her lips tighten, this boy is laughing at her!
She glares at him with all her might (her mother tells her she is good at this.) and says "It's a compartment in a train I'm going to be on a total of fourteen times my entire life – I don't really care."
She says each word in such a way that it's impossible to think that her words have any other message than the fact she thinks you are an idiot and wouldn't care if you jumped of a ten story building without cushioning charms and are just saying it in a really polite way.
Her mother also told her that she had learnt that tone from her father, who died when she was three but before that used it to scare random people such as the postman, who he believed was getting much to friendly with his wife.
She turns and leaves, she may not be that angry about them chucking her out the compartment but she is enraged at the remarks they made about her mother. As she moves farther away, her trunk trailing after her thanks to a charm her mother put on it, the rising tide of her rage stops and she takes a deep breath.
No-one speaks about her mother that way! Her wolf-mind protests, she is half struck by the fact The Wolf recognises her mother and half howling in agreement. She calms further as she reaches a compartment full of her fellow first years. And she tries to forget the people who insulted the only family she has left. She cannot afford to get angry. Ursa thinks she is like The Hulk, for her rage is a dangerous emotion to feel.
The boat ride was a calm one, and the sight of Hogwarts would stay in Ursa's mind forever. It was when they reached the schools wooden doors into the hall that she truly felt the apprehension rise, what house would she be placed in? What if somebody found out about her being a werewolf? What if they put her in Slytherin because she was a dark creature and technically they were a 'dark' house? What if they didn't place her in any house at all!
Ursa felt the need to wring her hands and hang her head in shame. This feeling was heightened by the stern deputy headmistress, who was glaring down at the first years as if personally offended by every unbuttoned collar and mud stained shoe.
Then they were let into the Hall. Ursa stared around at the mass of eleven year olds that surrounded her. There were over forty of them and she was in the U's! Thank God she had her extra large bag of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. So she waited, slowly making her way through her bag of sweets and trying to guess what houses people would be in.
She was wrong half the time, but whatever, it still passed the time. She covertly pushed another two beans into her mouth and saved one for her friend she had met on the train. He had already been sorted into Hufflepuff. He was called Dorian Bones and he had shocking bright blonde hair, the colour of ripe lemons. His ears were pointed and he looked a bit like a girl, but he had a wicked tongue and made Ursa laugh.
Finally her name was called and she stepped up to the hat, feeling extremely nervous. She sat down and the Hat was lowered over her eyes.
She jumped when the Hat spoke in her mind, "Oh, how interesting! A werewolf! But where should I place you?"
Ursa's eyes narrowed, annoyed at her surprise and his easy label of 'werewolf', and answered "oh how interesting! A sentient hat! But how should I kill you?"
"Ah," The Hat gave a nervous laugh "heh heh, ah perhaps Slytherin? You certainly have the ambition. But, you seem adverse to that idea! You are brave, and smart enough. Yes, you value knowledge – and although definitely not Gryffindor
Ravenclaw is certainly possible, you thirst for knowledge and a way to cure your disease, but you thirst for people to trust even more, and this leads me to believe that HUFFLEPUFF! Is the house for you!"
The Hats parting words were half drowned by the cheers of her chosen house. She thanked the Hat, if a bit sarcastically, she wasn't quite sure if the 'Puff house was for her. They were just so friendly, so nice! But then again that was the reason she had like Dorian so much, the fact he was so darn likeable.
She sat down at the Hufflepuff house next to Dorian, and felt the niceness wash over.
It felt kind of like home.