AN: This is a little one-shot I wrote for the Quills and Parchment Not quite Human contest. Let me know what you think! :) Much love to my fantastic beta, Kreeblimsabs, and wonderful mentor, Arabellafaith, for their time and work on this story.
All canon character, plots, and situations from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling. I am not profiting from this work.
Changed by the moon
Fenrir watched the brunette witch shuffle through the papers on her desk. He couldn't help but smirk when she let out an exasperated breath. This time had been a record, even for him. It wasn't his fault the dumb arse wizard couldn't handle his pre-moon mood swings.
"I suppose you're proud of yourself? Running another mentor off in less than three weeks?" Hermione ran a hand through her tangled curls and leveled Fenrir with a glare that told him she wasn't in the mood for his usual cheek.
"It's not my fault McLaggen couldn't handle my moods. I was on my best behavior, I swear." Fenrir raised his hands in a show of mock innocence. "Perhaps the program is flawed."
Fenrir saw something dangerous flash in Hermione's eyes before she closed them and quietly counted to ten. Opening them back up, she scowled at him. "You know damn well it's not the program. It's worked perfectly fine for other followers of Voldemort. Hell, even Dolohov is a somewhat respected wizard now, and unlike you, he joined Voldemort of his free will and bought into the blood purity shit." She sighed and took a sip of water, "Why are you doing this Fenrir? You could have completed the program by now if I didn't have to find you a new mentor every couple of months."
"Would you believe it's because I like seeing you?" he winked at the witch, causing her to snort.
"Somehow I have a feeling my husband wouldn't appreciate you flirting with me, even if you guys are on halfway decent terms." Hermione subconsciously rested a hand on her growing belly. "Speaking of Remus, he wanted me to make sure you were still meeting him at your cottage Friday night."
"Yes, I'll be there all day," Fenrir drug a hand down his face before looking back at the little witch. "To tell you the truth Hermione, I can't stand them staring at me like I'm less than them. If it were because of the war, I could take it, but they look at me like that because of what I am."
"I'm sorry, Fenrir," her eyes softened as she took in his distress, "but I think I have the perfect mentor for you this time. Will you at least try to keep your temper? She's a close friend of mine." Hermione's face was serious as she reached across and patted his hand gently.
"Yeah, sure I'll try. When do I meet her?" Fenrir sighed.
"Uh, that's the thing," Hermione bit her lip, "Saturday afternoon is supposed to be your first meeting with her."
"Merlin witch, the day after a full moon? You aren't trying to make this easy on me, are you?"
Hermione shot him an apologetic smile and stood to say her goodbyes. Once everything was settled, and he had his paperwork in hand, she escorted him to the floo.
As soon as he returned to his cottage, Fenrir let himself fall face first onto his couch. This isn't going to end well.
Saturday afternoon found Fenrir pacing around his small living room. Running a hand through his already mussed hair, he tried in vain to clear his head. It would do neither of them any good if they started their first meeting with him already agitated. He had promised Hermione he'd be on his best behavior, and he intended to try. Merlin knew he owed it to the witch. A light knock on the door jolted him out of his thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he slowly opened the door.
The girl on the other side was nothing like what Fenrir had expected to see. She was a good five inches shorter than him, her eyes were a striking grey, and she had dark blonde hair that went down to her waist. What caught his eye the most about the little witch was what she was wearing. She wore a pink tweed jacket with a black skirt, blue leggings, and no shoes. Are those butterbeer caps hanging from her neck? And plants hanging from her ears? His thoughts were cut off when she began to speak.
"Good Afternoon Mr. Greyback. My name is Luna Lovegood. Am I correct to assume Hermione told you of my coming by?" She held a hand out for him. He stared at it, distrusting.
This has to be a joke. She can't be the mentor Hermione sent. Get it together Greyback; you told her you'd try.
"Uh, yeah," Fenrir tentatively gripped her hand and gently shook it, "come in. I thought we could have our meeting in my living room." Moving out of the way, he gestured for her to take a seat.
He sat across from her, and it was several long minutes before he spoke again. "So, are meetings around this time every Saturday alright with you?"
Luna didn't say anything, just stared at him with a faraway look on her face. Fenrir found the little witch to be rather unsettling. He would have assumed she hadn't heard him at all if he hadn't seen the slight nod she gave him. "Uh, are we going to start the meeting?" His eyebrows drew together when a large smile broke out on her face. This girl is a nutter.
"We've already started the meeting," her voice had a dreamy tone to it. Fenrir thought it sounded a lot like fog looked, wispy and as though it were floating just out of reach. He watched as she reached into her bag and pulled out a strange pair of pink glasses. Putting them on, her gaze fell back to him, and she tilted her head to the side, "it's just as I feared."
Done with the witch's bizarre behavior, Fenrir jumped to his feet. "What is just as you feared?" The anger that flashed through his eyes didn't even cause Luna to twitch.
"You have wrackspurts, and a pretty nasty infestation of them too." Her dreamy smile briefly left her face, "but it's alright. I know just how to get rid of them." Standing up, Luna pulled a strange purple bottle from her bag.
"What that bloody hell are wrackspurts? And what the fuck is in that bottle?" Fenrir eyed her warily.
"Wrackspurts are creatures that get into your ears, and make your brain go fuzzy." She smiled at the werewolf and took a step closer to him. "This is repellant. It was created from a particular combination of gillyweed and dragon saliva. It's guaranteed to get rid of even the worst wrackspurt infestation in just three days. I created it myself." Moving forward, she generously doused the already angry man on the noxious smelling liquid.
"Get. Out!" Fenrir roared. "You're not taking this fucking meeting seriously. Don't you realize this is my life you are in charge of? How am I ever supposed to finish this program when you are going on about nonsense?" His eyes were blazing with anger. The little blond witch just nodded and quietly gather her belongings. She gave him one last sad look before closing the door behind her.
Once Fenrir calmed down, he began to pace again. Fuck, what is Hermione going to say?
When he entered Hermione's office early Monday morning, he was surprised to see a smile on her face. "Fenrir! What a surprise. I just got done talking to Luna about your meeting." His face instantly drained of color.
"Then why aren't you yelling at me?" He eyed her cautiously.
"Yell at you? Why would I do that?" She frowned and drew her eyebrows together, "Luna reported that you had a rocky start, but she is confident that you'll work well together, and she is looking forward to your meeting next week."
"Oh, right next week." If Hermione noticed him shifting his weight from one foot to the other, and his eyes darting around the room, she didn't mention it. "Well, I am just going to go then." Fenrir quickly exited before Hermione could ask him any more questions.
Back at his, cottage he sat and stared at the wall. Why didn't she request I be assigned a new mentor? What is this witch playing at? Fenrir decided he would just face whatever she sent his way when the time came and began mentally preparing for the next time he'd see the odd witch.
When Luna arrived the following Saturday, Fenrir had expected another afternoon spent staring awkwardly at the witch. To say he was surprised when she mentioned going out to lunch, would be an understatement. Now as they walked into the small pub together, he couldn't help but think it was a mistake. The fleeting looks and whispers seemed to go completely unnoticed by his companion as she floated toward a table in the center of the room. They had barely settled when a portly wizard with a bad comb over approached them.
"Excuse me miss. I don't mean to be an inconvenience, but your guest is not welcome in this establishment. You are more than welcome to have lunch, but I must insist he leave."
"Why is that?" Luna's usually sparkling grey eyes were immediately as hard as steel.
"He's a monster. His kind should be locked away, not allowed around civilized people." The lightness of her voiced had obviously lulled the wizard into a false sense of security; he didn't even attempt to hide the sneer in his answer.
"It would do you well to remember that he has served time for his crimes, and is free to have a life just the same as any of us." The icy tone of Luna's voiced caused Fenrir's eyes to widen and a shiver run down his spine.
Surely she isn't defending me?
"Him previously following he-who-must-not-be-named isn't the issue, it's the fact that the monster across from you is a werewolf. I will not have the health of my other patrons jeopardized because the laws haven't caught up with him yet," the man spoke through clenched teeth.
There was an almost palpable tension hanging in the air. Fenrir watched, shocked, as the little witch stood, and seemed to tower over the other wizard. Her eyes narrowed, and fury was rolling off of her in waves. All signs of the usually serene witch were gone.
"It was bigotry like that which caused the last war. Did you learn nothing from it?" Her voice was quiet but dangerous.
"I m-m-must insist you both leave," he was now shifting his gaze to the other patrons as he spoke.
Before Luna could open her mouth to object again, Fenrir stood up and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. When she turned to face him, he gave her a slight nod. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them again, she was back to her usual dreamy gaze.
"Very well, but I will be speaking to the Minister about this." She turned to leave without another glance at anyone in the pub. Once they were back outside, she turned to Fenrir, and he could see the sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I wouldn't have taken you there if I had known."
"Don't think anything of it. I am used to those reactions from people by now." Reaching out he gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"Well at least the wrackspurts are gone," her sweet smile made him chuckle.
"Yeah, thank Merlin for that."
In the two months since their first attempt at a lunch out together, their meetings had become more and more frequent. Fenrir had grown to like having the strange blonde around. He often questioned how she could have been through so much throughout the war, and remain so pure, so untainted. There was something about the perpetually dreamy look in her eye that had him convinced that he could confide anything in her. It was that confidence that had them sitting on his couch one particular Friday night, sharing a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky.
"You know, most people think I chose this life. That's a laugh, isn't it? Who in their right mind would wish to seen as a monster?" Luna gave him a sad smile, silently urging him to continue. "I was still a student when I was infected. It was the end of my third year; I was only 14…"
There was a tradition between the Slytherin boys, during the last week of their third year they had to complete a dare given to them by a seventh-year student. That's why Fenrir found himself sneaking out to the Forbidden Forest on the warm June night. "Damn Travers and his stupid fucking dare," he muttered to himself as he trudged toward the tree line.
The evil glint in Travers' eye when he gave the dare had Fenrir infuriated. Sure, he'd heard the rumors of werewolves in the forest, but he wasn't daft enough to believe them. Trudging his way through the trees, Fenrir found a clearing and began to make himself a small campfire, and quickly fell asleep. A few hours later he was woken by rustling in the trees nearby. Standing up and gripping his wand, he tried to seem calm when he called out. "Guys I know it's you. This isn't funny. Go back to the common room; I am supposed to be out here alone for the night."
He had no sooner finished speaking than a large figure stepped out from the forest's undergrowth. Fenrir found himself face to snout with a large wolf-like creature. Though the being resembled a wolf, it walked on its hind legs and used its long arms to help balance its weight. It swiftly lumbered forward and had knocked the small boy to the ground before he was even aware what was happening. Within seconds the beast had his jaws around the kid's arm, and his teeth sinking into the tender flesh. Fenrir screamed in agony as he felt the werewolf's saliva racing through his veins spreading the infection. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was the bitter, coppery smell of blood assaulting his nose.
When he came to the next morning, he recognized the familiar surroundings of the Hogwarts hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was fussing over him, and Professor Dumbledore stood close by, a grave look on his face.
"Good Morning Mr. Greyback. How are you feeling?" the older wizard asked.
"So much pain," was all that he was able to rasp out.
"Madam Pomfrey, another pain potion will you please?" When the mediwitch rusted off, Dumbledore turned back to Fenrir. "I am afraid I have bad news for you, my boy. You were attacked last night by a werewolf, and you have been infected with lycanthropy. You can stay at Hogwarts until you are properly healed, but I am afraid word of your condition has already spread through the students, and parents would deem it unsafe for your to remain."
"So I have to return home?" His eyes widened, "Oh no, what is my father going to think?"
"I spoke with him this morning," Dumbledore looked away, unable to watch the boy's reaction to his words. "He wished me to tell you he doesn't want you to return home. He has sent some money along for you that should be able to keep you until you find means to support yourself."
"What am I supposed to do?" The small boy was shaking trying to keep in his tears. "I've not even taken my OWLs yet, who would hire me?"
"Everything will work out as it's supposed to, I have some letters to send, but I should be able to give you the names of a few prospective employers." Dumbledore stood and prepared to leave, "For now just get some rest."
It didn't take long for the money his father left him to run out, and he had a hard time finding anything more than the odd job to do for money. His fifteenth birthday was spent entirely alone, hungry, and in the forest. It was nearing moonrise and Fenrir could feel the beginnings of the prickling under his skin. With a sad sigh, he removed his clothes and hid them and his wand in a hollowed out log he had found earlier in the day.
As the moon rose, he fell to the ground in intense pain. The only sound that was louder than the sickening snapping and reshaping of his bones were his pained screams. He withered on the ground in agony as his back arched and the vertebrae started fracturing and elongating themselves. When the claws broke through the skin of his fingers, the scent of his blood lingered in the air. It was a sickeningly sweet smell that caused his inner beast to fully take over. Within seconds of the transformation being complete, he was up and making his way through the dense forest. Fenrir was only able to watch as the monster within himself controlled his body.
He cursed when he realized the beast had found a cottage in the woods. What the fuck is someone doing living out here? Fenrir had thought he had been so careful to be away from people when he turned. He could only hope the cottage had active wards. He approached the back door and began sniffing around. A particular scent stood out to him, and a moment later a soft sound caught his attention. He spun around and saw a small boy standing by a rustic swing in the large back yard.
The ferocious werewolf snarled and quickly launched himself at the helpless child. Fenrir watched, horrified, as he snapped at the terrified toddler. In no time he had the little leg between his jaws and was biting into the child's delicate flesh. Fenrir was sure the sound of pained screams and taste of the boy's blood would haunt him for years to come. It took all of his control to pull the beast away from the child before he could do any more damage. As he passed the cottage, he made sure to throw himself into it, hoping the boy's parents would come to check on the noise.
Following that full moon, Fenrir took great care to never come in contact with wizards. That's why it came as a great surprise to him when one found him. What was even more surprising, was the wizard's initial kindness.
"Here, you need to eat." The brunet man held out a piece of cooked deer. Fenrir cautiously took the food but began to eat greedily when the salty meat touched his lips. The grin on the man's face made an uneasiness rise in Fenrir's stomach. "I can help you. I can make sure you never go without enough to eat. I can teach you magic you have never dreamed of learning."
"What will it cost me?" He watched the other wizard through narrowed eyes. He had learned long ago nothing comes without a price.
"It won't cost you much," the older wizard's grin widened, "just an oath that you will help my cause. You can choose not to help of course, but then someone might find out about the small boy you turned last year."
Fenrir's eyes widened, and he felt his pulse quicken. No one can know about that; they'll think I'm a monster. No one will believe it was an accident. The other wizard's grin took on a feral quality; he knew he had won. With a sigh, Fenrir raised his hand prepared to take the oath. He hadn't known it then, but that'd one of the worst decisions of his life.
"I feel like my parents throwing me out was a determining factor in my future. It's not like there is a class or anything, but could you imagine how different my life could have been had they been properly informed on how to raise a teenage werewolf?" Fenrir was staring into his glass of amber liquid.
"Why not start one?" When he turned to face her, Luna's head was cocked sideways, and she was deep in thought.
"Start one what?" His eyebrows drew together in confusion.
"Class, one to educate people about werewolves. You can set up one class specifically for parents of children infected. It could be just what we need to keep both wizards and werewolves safe." Luna grinned when a bright smile crossed Fenrir's face.
"Do you think this is possible?" he whispered.
"I do. You should talk to Hermione about it. She and Remus would be very supportive, I'm sure."
"You brilliant, wonderful witch!" Fenrir jumped to his feet and began to walk excitedly around the room. "Remus would be the perfect resource. He'd not had an easy life, but at least his parents tried to give him a normal one. I'm going to go talk to Hermione on Monday." When he looked back at Luna, she was taking a drink of her firewhisky, trying to hide her grin.
Fenrir approached the small oddly, shaped house that was located just outside of Ottery St. Catchpole with a spring in his step. It was nearly 11 o'clock at night, but the lights on inside told him she was home, and awake. As he walked to the small walkway, he had to laugh at the sign in her little garden 'Keep off the Dirigible Plums.' Merlin, that odd little witch is something else. Approaching the door, he raised his hand to knock. It was several minutes before the familiar sight of blonde hair was before him.
"Good evening Fenrir. This is a surprise; please come in." She moved from the doorway, and he followed her into the small living room. "Please have a seat; I was just making some tea." She returned a moment later and handed him a mug; he nodded in gratitude. "So what brings you here so late?"
"I'm sorry about the time," he smiled sheepishly, "I met with Hermione and the Minister today. The classes are approved! After our meeting, I immediately went and met with Remus to start setting up the topics to cover. If things go as planned the first classes should be able to commence in two months." While he spoke, Luna had moved to sit next to him.
"That's wonderful," she smiled softly. "You have put so much work into this. I am very proud of you." Without thinking about it, Fenrir leaned in closer to her.
"I couldn't have done this without you," he whispered as he placed a hand gently on her cheek, "Thank you." He was close enough that he could see the blue specks in her grey eyes, and he could smell the honey on her breath. Without another moment's hesitation, he closed the last bit of space between them and captured her lips in a gentle kiss.
The moment his lips touched hers he felt a shock run through his body. He was sure she felt it too because an instant later she began to kiss him back. Her lips were demanding and took exactly what she wanted from him. Within seconds she had coaxed his mouth open, and her tongue was fighting him for dominance. This was a side of Luna that Fenrir would have never believed existed, and it caused a growl to rumble in his chest. Hearing the noise coming from himself briefly brought him back to the present, and he gently pulled away from her.
"Uh, sorry about that," he rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes were wide with panic. "I-I just wanted to thank you for your help." Standing up, Fenrir tried his best to avoid looking at the flushed face of the very confused witch. In his rush to leave he ran his shin directly into her end table and had to suppress the urge to curse. "I have to go now, I-I'll see you later.
When he arrived back at his cottage, he picked up the nearest object, which happened to be glass, and flung it at the wall. What the fuck am I going to do? He couldn't pursue her while she was still his mentor- he was sure that would be against some code of ethics. But how am I supposed to stay away from her? He thought bitterly to himself. One single kiss with this girl was all it took for him to be hooked. It had ignited a fire within him that he was sure would burn him alive if he had to see her without being able to be with her properly. After another hour, and three more broken glasses, Fenrir had an idea, and he was going to see Hermione the next morning.
When Hermione arrived at her office the next morning, it was to see Fenrir pacing in front of her door. His hair was disheveled, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Hearing her approach, he stilled and turned to face her. "We need to talk."
Hermione managed to get the agitated werewolf into her office, and quickly threw a silencing charm up, unsure of what he wanted to talk about. When she turned, she noticed he continued his pacing in front of her desk. "Is everything alright?"
"No," he pulled at his hair, "I need a new mentor." Fenrir stopped pacing and turned to look at her. "Luna can't be my mentor any longer."
"Luna and I spoke last week-" Hermione's sentence was cut off.
"No, I don't want to know how much progress she says I am making. The girl is driving me mad," he began to pace again. "She is too intelligent for her good. She believes in all of these strange creatures- she's even got me believing in a few of them! I don't know how, but she sees me, Hermione, she sees the real me. It's unnerving to be around her, but I can't stay away from her. She's so pure; she makes me want to be a better person." He stopped pacing again and looked her directly in the eyes, "but I need a new mentor, Hermione, because I think I am in love with her."
"You silly, interrupting man," she shook her head, a bright smile on her face. "If you had just listened to me you would know that you don't need a new mentor. Luna and I spoke last week, and she recommended you for graduation from the program. I didn't want to tell you until I had the paperwork complete, but you are no longer required to have weekly meetings."
"So, I'm done? I don't have to meet with Luna anymore?" Her smile was infectious, and he soon had one as well. Hermione silently nodded her head, and a second later he had his arms around the little witch. "Thank you for all of your help. I will owl you about the classes later this week, yeah?" He turned to leave the office.
"Wait, where are you going?"
The question caused him to turn by the door. Fenrir grinned, "I have a little moon to go find."
"Moon?" Her eyebrows drew together.
"Yeah, what else could change an old werewolf like me? I figure she must be my personal moon, my Luna." With a wink, he left to find her.