Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments):

April Monthly Challenge - HOUSE CHALLENGE - Going, Going, Gone!
59. Occupation - Dog/Pet Groomer

Insane House Challenge
Creature: Werewolf

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe or any characters therein.

Beta Love to Alana - I don't know what I'd do without her!

It's the last night of the full moon, and Sirius is out on the moors keeping an eye on Moony. The two of them had reached an understanding during their school years: so long as Padfoot is nearby, Moony would behave and leave humans alone. He did love to chase cattle around, though, and there was a whole herd of them ahead!

Sirius sees Moony making his way to the cattle, and almost leaves him to have his fun. Then he notices the ward. The newest ward to hit the market, that would cause a burning rash to break out on whatever or whoever crosses it without being keyed to it. The ward's rash could cause blindness and insanity if it came into contact with human skin. If Moony crossed that ward as a werewolf, Remus would be exposed the second he transformed when the moon set. Shit.

Padfoot tears across the field and cuts Moony off just before he can cross the ward - crossing the ward himself in the process. His fur begins to burn and his eyes water, but he holds his form and re-crosses the ward to collapse before a very concerned Moony.

Moony howls to the moon, crying out in sympathy as his dog companion lay panting on the ground before him. He begins to whine and lays down next to his friend, staying far enough away from the awful smell that seems to coat his friend's fur but close enough to show that he's a good wolf and will protect his friend.

Remus wakes to bright sunlight trying to pierce his skull. He's in a field, which is not unusual. The stench nearby however, was unusual. He turns his head and sees Padfoot laying nearby, paws covering his nose. Remus stands and begins to turn in a circle, looking for whatever is causing that stench. As he turns to fully face Padfoot, he sees the ward shimmering just behind him. Oh… oh, no.

"Padfoot, did you cross the ward?" he asks, trying to hold in his laughter. The only answer he receives is a whimper and a pathetic attempt at a bark. "Oh boy. Oh…" Remus doubles over in laughter as the look on Padfoot's face relays his sadness.

"Well, you'd best get yourself to the groomer then huh?" Padfoot seems to sigh at this, his body sagging for a moment before he looks up at Remus and growls softly. "You know it's the only way to have the magic removed. The shampoo isn't sold to the general public." Padfoot growls again, this time more menacing. "I'm sorry, it's the only way to get rid of the magic! You know this as well as I do!"

Padfoot barks sharply and then turns himself in a small circle. Remus turns his head trying to see what Padfoot is trying to tell him when he realizes that there's nobody else around. He sighs and rubs the back of his neck with his left hand, a sheepish look on his face. "Oh, I'm… uh… I'm the only one around so I guess I'll have to take you then, huh?"

"Oh, you poor boy! Did daddy here let you run into a magic ward? Yes, he did; yes, he did! You poor boy, let's go get you cleaned up." The groomer leads Padfoot into the back room after speaking to Padfoot in a manner one would expect a baby to be spoken to. "When you're done with the paperwork, come on back. I wouldn't mind if you watched me all day… or night," he says with a wink to Remus before turning and walking through the door.

The woman behind the counter gives Remus a hostile look as she hands a clipboard to Remus and says curtly, "Fill out owner information and dog information here." She points to one section, before moving her finger down to the section directly below it and continuing, "Then payment information goes here. If you want us to draw directly from your Gringotts account, you must provide your wand and two samples of your magical signature. Otherwise we expect payment upon completion of grooming." She sounds bored and irritated at the same time, ending the speech by blowing a large bubble gum bubble in his face.

After filling out the paperwork, Remus wanders into the back where he finds Padfoot standing in a sink, purple bubbles surrounding him. "Oh there you are. This boy here is such a doll, I can always tell when an owner really bonds with his pet, because the pets are so well behaved." The dog groomer shuffles closer to Remus and runs one finger down his arm in a flirtatious manner. "You know, I wouldn't mind rubbing you down one day, handsome."

Remus is not sure how to respond to this. He's never been in a situation where he's being flirted with in front of his boyfriend while his boyfriend is stuck in his animagus form because he crossed a ward at some point the night before while frolicking around with his werewolf. He blushed and stammered out, "Uh, thank you? I… umm… I'm in a relationship though and I really don't think he'd appreciate the way you're talking to me."

The dog groomer just smirked and leaned in closer. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him, now will it?" At this point, Padfoot starts to pull on the tether while growling menacingly at the dog groomer. Startled, the man turns toward Padfoot and admonishes, "I told you to stay still so the soap can work into your coat! Bad boy!" He then taps Padfoot on the nose with his wand, silently casting a Perfectius.

"You do realize that I'm standing right here, don't you? What did you just do to my dog?" Remus demands, furious. As his voice rises, a smaller man who is wearing a tag declaring himself the manager comes running over.

"Please calm down, sir, what is going on here?" the smaller man asks, watching Remus cautiously.

"He just cast something on my dog! I thought this was a pet friendly grooming shop, not one that would just cast random spells at the animals. I demand he reverse whatever he just cast!" Remus is practically growling, causing both the groomer and the manager to take a step back.

The manager nods his head to the groomer, and the groomer ends the spell. He quickly works to remove the shampoo from Padfoot, trying to hide his shaking hands. "I don't know who's creepier - you or your owner," he whispers snidely as he finishes.

Word Count: 1,097 by Google Docs