Beltrano woke feeling like his fingers were going to fall off. He was curled up in a pile of leaves, only his torso was warm from being curled up on his stomach. He groaned in pain, feeling a slight sting in his back and neck. He bent his sore head to look at his shoulder, which was stained with sticky brown blood. His whole neck hurt. He supposed one of the other werewolves had got a bit cocky last night. He did recall pain, followed by dignified anger. He was naked, and freezing. It had snowed the night before, something his wolf had adored. He hopped across the clearing, puffing out freezing bits of air until he reached the large hollowed tree where he had kept his school robes. He scooped up snow to rub off the dried blood, and then he dressed quickly, sighing with relief at the warm wool layers he covered himself with. He slipped on several pairs of socks and then his shiny black school shoes.
The walk back to the school was rather quiet. The sun had barely risen above the hilled horizon, and he was exhausted from the night before. His wounds felt better and better the more he walked, and soon he knew they were healed. He sighed, taking in deep the cool air. The snow was too powdery to crunch, but the sound was still satisfying beneath his feet. Exhausted but pleased, he reached the school. He snuck into the dungeons through the passage in the roots of the large ivy plant.
By the time he reached the Great Hall, the early risers had already arrived and breakfast already littered the tables. He plopped down at the emptiest part of Gryffindor table and dug ravenously into the sausages. He was sore, tired, and miserable. The 'Terrible' he had received the day before still weighed heavily on his mind. As he chewed, he leaned completely on his hand, his eyes drooping. Full moons really took a lot out of him.
He sat at that table, idly eating meat products, until somebody interrupted his stupor.
"Hey...Uh...Gallo."
Bel yawned, glancing up to the nervous gray eyes that were focused on his. Crabbe and Goyle shifted awkwardly beside him, looking a lot less intimidating than usual. Draco braced his shoulders, cool and confident.
"Come to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow. We'll have supper at the Three Broomsticks. It will be...fun."
Gallo took a huge gulp of pumpkin juice.
"Sure, Malfoy. What brought this on?"
Malfoy nodded tightly, "I simply wanted to invite you out. Based on last night, you make interesting conversation."
Bel nodded again, turning back to his food. Malfoy stiffened at the dismissal, but he turned and left to the Slytherin table without another word.
The rest of the morning was still spent in a tired stupor. He couldn't shake the exhaustion, and he surmised that he must have had a rough night the night before. The werewolves in the forest had completely been taken over by their wolves. Even the darker packs had still retained some of their humanity.
After lunch, Bel had double potions. They were to attempt to brew Draught of the Living Death, which would actually take a lot of his concentration. Bel let out a hiss when he saw the writing of on the board, startling Marie who blushed and shied away from him.
"Um, is something w-wrong, Beltrano?"
Beltrano grit his teeth hard, trying not to snap at her. When he had composed himself, he smiled.
"I'm fine, just a bit tired." He vigorously slapped down the ingredients, his temple throbbing.
Marie took a deep breath beside him, and he tried desperately to calm himself down. He was always grumpy after a full moon.
"W-would you like me to take the lead on this one? I mean, it's no big deal."
Bel stopped.
"Actually, yes, thank you. I'm really tired."
He sighed, taking a step back to allow Marie to take the reigns. He leaned against the desk, cocking his head to watched her work through hooded eyes. She—like many of the other people in the class—had a lot of trouble with the sopophorous bean. She tried to cut it as it jumped away from her hands, sliding across the work bench.
"Here, crush it, don't cut it." He took the knife and the bean from her, causing her cheeks to light up in embarrassment.
He carefully smashed the bean with the dull edge of the knife and squeezed the juice into the cauldron, watching as it turned the perfect shade of black.
"Let it sit for a few minutes, then stir it seven times anti-clockwise," He muttered, glancing at the book.
She nodded in acknowledgment, and did as he read.
He glanced down at the potion, noticing that it was clear, but not perfectly. The bottom of the cauldron was still slightly blurred.
"I think one more stir clockwise would be beneficial to the potion," He muttered, staring at the directions. He shrugged, and added the stir. For a moment both Marie and Bel stared in awe at the potion, which seemed to disappear in the cauldron. Beltrano smiled in triumph, slumping exhaustedly into his chair. Marie gave him a little grin, bottling their potion and placing it on Snape's desk.
She sat back down, shifting awkwardly for a moment.
"How do you know so much about Potions?" She didn't look him in the eye, instead fiddling with a hole in her stocking.
"I was very interested in it as a child. My mother bought me a Potions kit as soon as I expressed interest."
Marie perked up at his answer.
"So, you're a pureblood? I'm a muggleborn myself, I didn't know anything about magic until my mum and dad got a visit from McGonagall at work."
A muggleborn. His father would have sneered, and his mother would have smiled and asked her what her parents were like.
"It must have been very exciting for you." He settled for that reply.
She seemed delighted.
"Ooh, yes! My parents were excited as well! I found out a whole world that I was allowed to be apart of. Probably the best moment of my life."
Bel smiled genuinely, nodding in reply. They sat in companionable silence until Snape dismissed the class.
"Mr. Gallo, may I speak with you please?"
Bel approached the desk warily, looking at Snape's long fingers clutched around their potion vial rather than looking at his face.
"What did you do to this?"
Bel froze. Cazzo, he must have bother the potion with that last stir.
"I added one stir clockwise. I thought it might make the potion clearer. Sir, did I ruin it?"
Snape rose from his desk, placing his hands behind his back. He gave Bel a rare smile, but it did not reach his eyes.
"No, no. I also thought to add to the potion when I was your age. You have impressed me. I did not expect this from any of my students this year, let alone a Gryffindor."
Bloody hell, was that a compliment? From Severus Snape?
"Well, thank you sir," said Bel, feeling extremely flattered.
"You have never caused trouble in my class, and you have always been relatively respectful. I must say, these are strange qualities for a Gryffindor," Snape continued. The way he said it made it sound like a question.
"You've never given me any reason to disrespect you, sir."
Snape smiled without any real emotion.
"The reason I am holding you after is...I wanted to offer you an Apprenticeship. The Headmaster has already agreed that you would be the best fit."
Beltrano was truly stunned.
"But...But sir, what about Draco Malfoy? I mean, he has top marks in Potions and he's a Slytherin."
Snape waved away his suggestion. Beltrano was confused. He seemed much more easy-going than usual. Usually, Snape was cold and sarcastic to even students he tolerated. He was never really attentive to anyone.
"You are by far best suited for the job, especially after today. I thought I was the only one who thought to add the last clockwise stir. You have impressed me."
Bel pondered this for only a moment.
"Of course sir, I would love to be your Apprentice. And it's a year sooner than I expected. I was going to ask you after I graduated."
Snape smiled that dead smile again.
"Excellent. The sooner the better. I will be glad to see you next year."
Snape nodded in dismissal, and Bel trotted off into the dungeons. Snape's behavior was...strange, but that didn't change the fact that he had been offered an Apprenticeship! He was going to become a Potions Master! Maybe he wasn't going to be expelled.
Hogsmeade was awkward. Zabini was so amused by the whole affair, Bel feared he would have an aneurysm from holding in all of his laughter.
They sat silently in the Three Broomsticks, none of them knowing what to say to the other. Draco was shifting in his seat, his eyes glancing at anyone but Bel. Bel was staring at the Malfoy, wondering why he had been invited.
"Ah-finally," Malfoy murmured, breaking the long silence. His eyes were on the door.
A small group of rough-looking men stepped in. Their scent filled Bel's nostrils, immediately setting his teeth on edge.
Werewolves.
No one noticed their arrival, as it was rather packed in the small pub. The leader, a man with long silver hair, stepped closer, and Bel began to literally tremble with fear.
Fenrir Greyback. The last time he saw the man, he had been eight years old. That was when he was bitten, that was when he was made into the monster he was.
Blaise shot him a concerned look, shown only by the slight crinkling of his brow.
The pack of werewolves moved closer, and Greyback gave a lazy grin as he swung into the seat beside Bel. All of the boys at the table stiffened, and the rest of the werewolves hung by the bar.
"Hello, pup. Didja miss me?"
The voice was gravelly and cold. Goosebumps rose on every piece of Bel's skin, and he cringed away from his Alpha and sire. He could not speak back. He wanted to scream, to kill this man for ruining his life, but all he could do was cower like the 'pup' he was.
"Hello, Greyback. You had no trouble getting here, I trust," inquired Draco politely, sipping his butterbeer like it was the finest of wines. Blaise' eyes widened a minuscule amount, and Bel was looking anywhere but his Alpha. Draco looked slightly guilty.
Greyback growled, taking a deep gulp from Beltrano's untouched mug.
"Don't be condescending, Malfoy spawn. I hate people who are condescending."
The smile he gave after his words made Bel cringe even if he wasn't the target of it.
Malfoy looked flabbergasted, but when he opened his mouth to retort, Greyback stood abruptly to his feet and dragged Bel along with him.
"This was lovely, Malfoy, and thank you for returning my pup to me. We will be going now."
When they stood, Fenrir was almost two heads taller than Beltrano (which was saying something, because Bel was not a small man). He kept a firm grip on his arm as he led him from the Three Broomsticks. Bel could barely breathe, and the three werewolves behind him laughed when they smelled his fear. Fenrir walked them to the outskirts of the village, and when they found an abandoned alley, he slammed Beltrano against the wall.
Warm breath hit his face, expelled in a sour laugh that chilled him.
"Hello, pup. You've been quite hard to find, you know that? I'm glad I found you before you came of age, that was something I didn't want to miss."
Beltrano's father had been keeping him hidden in their warded home, and Hogwarts trips had never even been considered an issue. The Dark Lord must really be back if it meant that Fenrir Greyback could walk around untouched in Hogsmeade.
"I'm not your pup," Bel ground out, and the other werewolves laughed again.
"He's a feisty one, Fenrir. Are you sure he'll get on with the pack?"
"Yes, I know he will. He just needs to be trained, much like you, Zeke." Fenrir smirked over his shoulder at the red-headed man behind him, who gave him a smile in return. Zeke was a tall, broad man. All of the werewolves seemed to be packed with muscle.
"Pack? I can't go with you. I've got school...I just got offered an apprenticeship..."
Fenrir's smirk fell, and suddenly he looked furious.
"You can pretend to be a wizard as long as you want, but you will always be a werewolf."
"I'm not pretending! I am a wizard! And I'm going to find a cure for lycanthropy so I won't have to be like this anymore."
The werewolves behind him all flinched, and Bel felt a stinging pain in his face as Fenrir's hand collided with it. The frigid snowy air bit into the slap, sending a loud crack into the air. Fuck. He twisted in Fenrir's grip, but the man was like a brick wall against him. Fenrir tangled his hand in his hair and exposed his throat, sending panic through Bel.
"They've brainwashed you. You are coming with me."
"No-" He choked on the air he was inhaling as a tug on his navel spent him spinning into the air, falling through time and space as the wind roared in his ears and his body squeezed itself through a tube.
He gasped, finding himself on a grassy expanse of land.
They had Apparated him away.
Bel sat on the ground, stunned, while he watched little children running about in the snow, all clad in thick furs and moccasins.
The pack steered clear of him, their eyes reproachful and uncomfortable. He didn't mind. The snow was melting into his trousers, and he was shivering from the intense cold. They seemed to be in the mountains somewhere.
Greyback had stomped into a large white tent the second they landed, shouting something to the inhabitants of the camp.
He had been kidnapped.
He would never go to Hogwarts again.
He would never be an Apprentice, or a Potions Master, or an anything. He would be nothing but a pack member, a forgotten child lost to the war.
He wished he had a drink.
A.N./
God, I know that ended strangely, but I really want a new chapter and this whole Pottermore business is pissing me off. I've been camping there for HOURS. Haha!