The Curse of Lycanthropy

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was quiet and eerie in the middle if the night. The students after gone to bed hours before, along with Mr. Flich and Mrs. Norris. However this particular night had one Severus Snape marching his way to the Headmasters office. It had just gone two in the morning but Severus knew the old man would still be awake.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Sodding Dumbledore!"

His voice could be heard through the whole corridor as he went straight to the Headmasters office, the gargoyles protecting the office knowing to get out-of-the-way themselves or be stuplified. Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his desk looking bored while he filed paperwork.

"Yes, Severus?" His eyes had their usual twinkle which tended to piss the potions master off even more than it should have.

"He's done it again, Albus!" Severus sneered. "I can't believe you let him come back here and teach!"

"What are you talking about, my boy?"

Severus glared at the aging man with as much loathing hate he could muster. "The wolf has bit a student. Again."

"I assume the necessary precautions have been taken?"

"The necessary-" Severus looked at the man in front of him and fought against the urge to hex him. "Albus is this all you have to say!? HE BIT SOMEONE! That child will now have to live with being a werewolf for the rest of their miserable life!"

"Honestly Severus," Albus said calmly, "If you believed that you would have cursed me the moment you came in."

Severus glared at the older man remembering what happened earlier that night.

"Granger, Weasley, get Mr. Potter inside the shack and stay there," Severus Snape said in his usual cool and bellow tone. "I'll be back."

Hermione and Ron put Harry's arms over their shoulders as they tried to get him into the Shrieking Shack. The boy had fallen unconscious because of the pain coming from the werewolf bite on his leg.

"We have to stop the bleeding somehow," Hermione said as she helped Ron lay their friend on the floor of the shack. "Give me your sweater."

"My sweater?" Ron questioned as he untied the cloth from around his waist and gave it to Hermione.

"I don't know any healing spells from memory," Hermione explained, wrapping the sweater around Harry's bleeding bitten leg. "And even if I did there's no guarantee that I would do it right. Plus, healing spells would probably make it worse."

"Did you- did you just admit that you couldn't do something?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at the redhead. "I don't know everything, Ronald."

Before Ron could say anything else Harry started to shake violently. The young dark-haired teenager was still unconscious but the werewolf venom was slowly making its way through his bloodstream which caused visible violent shaking. "Is he having a seizure?" Ron asked nervously looking over at a ghostly pale Hermione.

"I-I don't know what's happening."

"The venom is making its way through his system," Snape said calmly appearing through the door. "There isn't much time left to save him."

"Do you mean he-"

"Is getting ready to be turned into a wolf, yes," Snape said in a no-nonsense tone. He reached into the pocket of his robes and took out a light blue flower like plant.

"Wolfsbane?" Hermione questioned looking at the professor with interest.

"Good eye, Ms. Granger," Snape said with a nod putting the peddles if the plant into a small bowl and mashing them. Hermione watched intensively as he put the mashed wolfsbane over Harry's bite. "It will kill the venom that's in his system."

"I thought the leaves of wolfsbane were highly poisonous?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"They are," Snape answered with a shrug. "To werewolves."

Severus had to admit that it was surprising that the thirteen year old know it all didn't know the truth about wolfsbane. However he didn't let it show by any means.

Albus just sat at his desk unaffected by what Severus was yelling at him. Surely once he heard that his precious Golden Boy was bit by a werewolf he would be more worried? However he was right, if Severus believed for even a second that any child, including Harry Potter was going to be cursed with lycanthropy he would have cursed Albus as soon as he got in his office. Severus hated to admit it, but the old man knew him well.

"But what if I wasn't there, Albus?" Severus asked with a frown. "The child would be cursed, do you not care that someone was so close to a curse worse than death?"

"How dare you-"

"I dare because I am right," Severus said with as much hatred as he could muster. "Fifteen years ago the same thing happened with the exactly same wolf. If I hadn't tried putting wolfsbane over my bite I would've became a werewolf... However what did you do? Nothing. You did nothing! Sirius Black and Remus Lupin could have gotten me fucking killed that night and they didn't even get as much as a detention! And now, fifteen years later you actually hire a werewolf to teach, and then what do the idiot do? He forgets his poly juice potion and attacks another student, but this time it's your precious Golden Boy."

Severus noticed the old man pale at the mention of Harry Potter. Yes of course, he thought darkly that's the only person he gives a damn about. Severus sighed as he went to the door, after all it was late and he did have students to teach tomorrow morning. "Just think about how much this could have hindered the plan, Albus. Then maybe you'll see it from my point of view."

Severus walked out of the headmasters office without another word, not noticing how hurt Albus looked when he left, robes bellowing behind him.


Written For;

Quidditch League; BellyBats; What if Remus Lupin had bitten a student upon his transformation on the night Pettigrew escaped in PoA?

Character Trait; Unlucky

AU Diversity; Shriek

Organization Boot Camp; Outside

Setting Boot Camp; Delusional

Rival Boot Camp; Choices