The Beast Within

by SSLESeveritus

On October 31, 1981 two pivotal events changed Harry Potter's life forever. NOTE: Some liberties have been taken with the werewolf aspect in the HP universe. I've changed it a bit to better suit the story I want to write. And, yes, I use some werewolf cliches. The sequel Unity in Diversity has begun to be posted.

4. I'm Afraid

They only see what I want them to. I'm afraid that if they knew the real me, they would also be afraid.

"Hey, Ginny," Hermione said as she passed the younger girl in the Great Hall. "Where's Harry?"

"Sleeping in," Ginny answered with a bit of a blush.

She just couldn't help it; the boy was cute. That black hair and green eyes. The thought of his eyes reminded her how they seemed to change. She'd seen some that changed from a more dominant blue to a more dominant greenish shade depending on a person's clothing and she'd seen others that were equally mixed, blue and green, or brown and green, but Harry's weren't like that. At first, they'd been emerald green. Then, as time went on, his eyes had become more yellow-green. This morning, however, they were back to being green as emeralds with maybe a tiny ring of yellow in them. Was it his mood, his seeming exhaustion, that made them so dark? Shrugging, she figured she'd find out soon enough, not that it mattered, really. She had to admit they were even more beautiful as a dark green, though.

"Still? It's getting late. Breakfast is almost over."

Hermione's question brought Ginny out of her reverie.

"Um, yeah, apparently he and his uncle had something to do last night and they just got back early this morning."

"Harry left the castle? Where did he go? He can't just go whenever it suits him. That's not fair. Wait. Uncle? I didn't think he had any family left. No uncle is mentioned in any of the books I've read."

"I don't know the where or the what," Ginny replied, starting to feel irked at the third degree, "just that it was something personal. He was with his uncle so it's not like he left by himself."

"But Ginny-,"

"Just leave it, Hermione, okay?"

Her irritation must have been noticed by the brunette for the older girl nodded her agreement reluctantly. After breakfast, Ginny wandered the castle and waited for her friend to wake.

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"Rise and shine, Pup," came a voice somewhere over his head bringing with it a hand that shook him.

Harry groaned. He was still too tired. It couldn't be time to get up yet. He felt like he'd just lain down. Harry half-heartedly swiped at the voice and tried to roll away from the offending hand, letting out a pained moan as he did so. He still hurt. It was always like this right after a change, too. He really should have been used to it by now but he wasn't.

"Come on, Harry," said the voice again, a hint of amusement lacing it. "It's nearly nine o'clock. You need to get up for awhile."

Harry cracked an eye open and blearily stared at his uncle. Had he heard right or was the man pranking him?

"Nine?" he croaked in a voice heavy with sleep. "Feels like I just lay down."

"I know, Harry," Remus said sympathetically. "But you can take a nap later. You don't want your internal clock all messed up. Not with classes tomorrow. Besides," Remus added and grinned, "I'm sure your friend is waiting for you to get up."

Remus laughed outright when Harry's cheeks reddened at the teasing. The boy just made it too easy sometimes. Briefly, Remus wondered if Harry had even 'noticed' she was a girl then decided Harry probably hadn't. Watching the stain extend from Harry's face down his neck, Remus amended that thought. Maybe the boy had noticed, after all. Thankfully, they'd had "that talk" already.

"Come on. You need to get around before the entire castle is awake."

"So what?" Harry asked, grumpily. "I can just say I was visiting my uncle. It'd be the truth."

"I don't think Dumbledore wants that information to become common knowledge."

"Why?"

"Think about it, Harry. To get to you, all anyone would need to do is get to me. Take me out and where does that leave you? Find out I'm a werewolf and I'm out of the castle. Anyone who knows anything about you would know that where I went, you'd follow, so you'd be away from the greatest protection you could be given."

"I suppose so."

"Anyway, get up, get dressed and get out of my room," Remus teasingly scolded.

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After dropping off his overnight bag in his dorm, Harry rushed off hoping to catch the end of breakfast. With a sigh of relief, a few students were still eating so he sat and wolfed down his cereal, toast and fruit. Done with that, he set out, wondering exactly where to go looking for Ginny and then puzzling over why he was thinking about the girl in the first place. He shouldn't get too attached to her.

"Um, Harry?" a tentative voice called.

Harry turned and groaned inwardly. It was that brunette—Hermione. She was so annoyingly nosy. What could she possibly want?

"Hi, Harry," the girl said with a smile as she joined him. "We haven't officially met. I'm Hermione Granger. I know who you are, of course."

And then she just gawked at him for a long uncomfortable minute. Then she visibly shook herself.

"Your eyes! They're so dark. Before, they were such a light shade of green."

Irritated at her lack of tact, Harry snapped back. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Well, actually, I just wanted to let you know that Ginny was heading up to the Astronomy tower for awhile. I saw her a little bit ago. She asked me to pass that along if I saw you."

"Oh. Okay, uh, thanks."

Hermione continued studying him and Harry decided to leave before she asked him something he couldn't answer. He felt her eyes on him and another flash of irritation zipped through him. He had no idea how Ginny could stand the girl. One thing was certain. Hermione struck him as the overly observant type which meant he was really going to have to watch himself around her. As he headed upstairs, he chanced a glance over his shoulder. Sure enough, she still stood there, staring, a contemplative expression on her face. Huffing, he turned back and continued up the stairs.

Once he'd gained the top of the Astronomy tower, Harry peeked through the doorway looking for his friend. It still boggled his mind to think he actually had a friend, that he cared what she thought about him. She seemed to be a genuine person. Certainly, she was a breath of fresh air to his lonely existence. Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. He was becoming a sap.

"Ginny?"

To his left,he saw the little redhead sitting on a stool on the balcony by the low wall. She met his eyes and smiled.

"Hi, Harry," she said, waving him over.

She cocked her head to study him as he joined her and leaned on the wall beside her, and Harry found, for some odd reason, he didn't mind being scrutinized by her. Maybe because when she did it, she didn't seem to be trying to find out all his secrets.

"You look a little better than you did earlier. Have a nice nap?"

"Yeah, wasn't near long enough, though," Harry joked. To get them off the subject of himself, Harry asked, "So what brings you up here?"

"No particular reason," she shrugged. "It's out of the way and you can see all the way to Hogsmeade from here."

Harry glanced in the direction she was pointing and saw a cluster of rooftops, ribbons of smoke from their chimneys twisting in the wind. He hadn't been to Hogsmeade before but, from what little he could see, it appeared to be a quaint little village.

"There's this sweets shop, Honeydukes, that makes the best candy."

Harry turned to his companion. "Have you been there?"

"No, but my brothers have told me about it. Fred and George have even brought me some sweets. Third years and up are able to go if they have permission from a parent or guardian."

"Hmm. That sounds like it would be nice to visit," his voice sounding wistful.

"You're a third year, remember? You can go."

Harry looked confused. "But you can't. Why would I go and leave you here?"

"That's sweet, Harry, but don't feel like you have to stay with me. I can entertain myself for a while."

"But it's rude!" Harry insisted.

Ginny shrugged. "It's not when I give you permission. What if I gave you a list of things to pick up for me?"

Harry snorted. "Oh, so now I'm doing your shopping, am I?"

Ginny shrugged again, the light of mischief in her eyes. "Hey, if it gets you to go and I get what I want..."

Then the two started laughing. The sound must have carried for suddenly Peeves flew up to them from his circuit of the grounds and harassed them by singing a song about two little lovebirds, setting both kids' faces aflame.

"Shut up, Peeves!" Ginny yelled.

"Go bother someone else," Harry added.

"Why would I do that when I have two perfectly good people to bother here? Especially when one is wee little Potty!"

Harry huffed. Then something his uncle told him once came back to him.

"Do I need to find the Bloody Baron, Peeves?"

The mischievous poltergeist floated away, stopped and turned back. He blew them a huge raspberry before proclaiming sulkily, " You're no fun!"

Ginny stared in shock. She didn't think anything would make the poltergeist leave. She'd always thought one had to suffer the indignities he wrought. She knew Dumbledore could set Peeves straight but she'd never heard of anyone else doing it.

"How did you know to threaten him like that?"

"My uncle told me. Peeves is actually scared of the Baron, can you believe that?"

"I can now."

The two snickered at the thought of the pranking poltergeist fearing the Slytherin ghost. Harry looked out at the landscape spread before them. It really was an amazing view. He could see the Forbidden Forest, part of the Black Lake, Hagrid's hut, Hogsmeade and the mountains beyond. A breeze kicked up and Harry closed his eyes as it blew through his hair one direction then back the way it came, enjoying the sensation.

"I can certainly see why you came up here. It's lovely."

"It's a great thinking spot when it's not being used for trysts."

"Trysts?"

"Yeah, you know, snogging and that other stuff couples do."

"Oh," he muttered, face going red. Then a look of distaste screwed his features. "Certainly wouldn't want to witness that."

"I don't know," Ginny said, eyes sparkling and a teasing note in her voice, "the snogging might not be too bad."

"Eww. No, thanks."

Harry's discomfort level reached an all time high. His blush now stained his entire face and he refused to even look at the girl next to him. He cleared his throat and frantically searched for something with which to change the subject, his hands tapping nervously on the low stone wall in front of him. Then he heard the snort beside him. Looking over, he saw Ginny biting her lip, barely containing her laughter. Then, unable to control it any longer, she busted out laughing.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she said between laughs. "I was just teasing you. The look on your face! That was priceless!"

Harry didn't know whether to be hurt because she was laughing at him or to laugh with her because he probably had looked rather funny. Suddenly her eyes widened and she sobered immediately.

"Oh, Harry, I wasn't trying to be mean. Please don't think that." Her whole demeanor changed at that thought. "I should have thought before I spoke. Sometimes I have a bad habit of not thinking first. Please don't be upset."

Harry could tell she was absolutely sincere in her worry so he sought to put her at ease. He forced a smile onto his face and looked her right in the eyes.

"It's okay. You didn't hurt my feelings really. You're not the type who would intentionally do something like that. It's just that...," he paused to gather exactly what words to use. "It's just that you seem to know so much about everything and I don't really know much of anything."

Confused, Ginny asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well," he said, his hands making circles in the air as he talked, "like, you know, er, the whole...boy/girl thing. I didn't even know what you were talking about."

"Well, remember, I've got six older brothers. With that many boys in the house, one tends to learn some things. Snogging's not so bad. It's the other stuff that's a bit too much."

She sounded as she had firsthand knowledge about that so he had to ask.

"Have you actually kissed a boy?"

"Yeah," she said, not the least bit embarrassed. "once, in the village near our house. There was this muggle boy who I thought was kind of cute. He kind of liked me too so, one day, when I had gone into the village with Mum, she let me wander around and play with the kids. Well, this boy and I went into an alley and he kissed me."

Despite himself, Harry was intrigued. "And?"

"And it wasn't too bad—until Mum caught us." She shuddered. "Started yelling at me and marched me straight home, lecturing the entire way. Made me de-gnome the garden and help clean the Burrow from top to bottom."

"Hmm." Harry seemed lost in thought.

"You haven't kissed a girl, have you?" she said though it was more statement than question.

Harry's eyes shifted back to Ginny. He could feel the heat rise in his face again. "Er, no, I haven't."

"It's not anything to be embarrassed about, Harry. Are you curious? About what it's like?"

Harry shrugged, not sure how to answer. On the one hand, yes, he was curious. Ginny had said it wasn't so bad. On the other hand, he really didn't want to know what he couldn't have. No girl would willingly date a werewolf and she certainly wouldn't like that he had to keep secrets from her.

"I can show you, if you'd like."

That brought Harry's attention right back to the girl at his side. Did she just say what he thought she'd just said? For some strange reason, his heart raced. Did he want her to? Or didn't he? Would it really hurt anything? Apparently, a lot of kids their ages have already experienced it. Maybe if he let her, he'd fit in just a tiny bit more in this world.

"Or if you'd rather not, that's okay, too," Ginny said into his silence, trying to reassure him.

"Er," he gulped, cleared his throat and spoke, "I think, maybe, that I'd like to know."

"Okay. First, close your eyes."

"Why?"

"It's just better if you do."

Harry complied and Ginny slid off her stool and stepped directly in front of him. Licking her lips a bit, Ginny stood on her tiptoes and, with the breeze blowing her hair off to the side, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his.

It was a sweet, innocent kiss as first kisses at that age usually were. A mere pressing of lips to lips, though it lingered. Several moments later, Ginny pulled away and sat back on the stool. Noticing his gaze on her, she smiled.

"So, what did you think?"

What did he think? It was certainly a pleasant experience, better than he'd imagined anyway. Would he want to go around doing that all the time? Probably not but he didn't want to hurt Ginny's feelings, either. So what could he possibly say?

"That bad, huh?"

"No!" he nearly shouted in his haste to contradict her, "It was really nice, actually. I just—I don't know that I'd want to go around doing that all the time like those older couples do."

"Oh, me neither," Ginny said, sounding relieved. "It was nicer with you than with that muggle boy, though. Maybe because we're friends."

"Yeah, maybe it depends on the person you're with and how you feel about them," agreed Harry.

"Anyway," Ginny smiled, "now you've had your first kiss."

"Yeah." Harry unknowingly licked his lips. And most likely his only kiss, but he tried not to dwell on that.

"Oh, look," Ginny cried, pointing down at the courtyard below, "there's Ron and Hermione! From the looks of things, Hermione's on a tear again."

Indeed, it did appear as if Hermione was ranting about something, her hands gesticulating wildly as she walked beside Ron. As they watched, Ron turned to face her, his hands on his hips and yelled back at her. Harry shook his head. He just could not understand how anyone could handle being around that girl.

Ginny snickered. "I tell you. If anyone needed a good snog it would be those two."

"You can't be serious," Harry said, utter disbelief on his face and in his voice.

"Oh, yes, I am. I've seen how Ron sneaks glances at her sometimes and Hermione has practically told me she likes him, though I have no idea why. He's thick as a brick."

"She gets on my nerves. How can you stand to be around her? I don't mean for that to sound mean but she just...irritates me with all the questions and she stares at me like she's trying to analyze me or something."

Ginny laughed at the accurate description. "Yeah, she can be over the top sometimes but she really is nice if you give her a chance. She loves puzzles; she just can't help herself and, like it or not, you're one giant puzzle to her."

Harry groaned. "Great."

"She's very smart and not used to being shown up in class. From what I hear, you've challenged her a lot. She's not the brightest one anymore."

"I can't help that. I'm not going to hold back just to satisfy her ego."

"I'm not saying that you should, Harry. Besides, I think the competition is good for her."

Ginny winked at Harry and laughed. "The only advice I can give you is to just give her a chance. She's a loyal friend. She's also the perfect person to go to if you need help researching something. Hermione spends a lot of her time in the library."

Ginny lowered her voice to a whisper, despite them being alone. "She told me the Sorting Hat considered putting her in Ravenclaw. She was put in Gryffindor instead for a reason. Something to keep in mind."

"Yeah, I suppose so."

Suddenly, Harry stilled as if listening to something. Straining, she couldn't hear a thing.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone's coming."

Two seconds later, Ginny could hear footfalls on the steps. Wandering over to the doorway, they looked down and saw something they immediately wished they hadn't. A couple of seventh years, by the looks of them, were plastered together, sharing open-mouthed kisses, tongues occasionally visible. The boy's hands slipped under the girl's shirt and groped her chest. Little noises escaped their mouths as they slobbered all over each other.

Harry looked at Ginny, completely revolted and saw the same thing on her face before she smiled wickedly. Turning back, she called to the couple below.

"Hello! What'cha doing?"

The couple didn't even seem to hear her. Their lower bodies pressed and rubbed together. Harry, sure he was about to gag, cleared his throat, loudly. That sprang the two apart.

"Oi! What are you doing up there?" the boy demanded.

"Certainly not what you're doing," Harry cheekily replied.

"Well, come down!"

"No!" Ginny jumped in, her chin jutting stubbornly, "We were here first. You go somewhere else to have your little...whatever."

"Come on," the older girl coaxed her boyfriend, "let's go find somewhere else."

As the couple walked away, muttering, Harry and Ginny busted out laughing. Ginny returned to her stool while Harry leaned against the door, watching the pair leave and tried to regain his composure. Their laughter must have disturbed a colony of bats for a mass of tiny black bodies suddenly flew from the rafters. The immense cloud flew right at Ginny, who twisted this way and that, swatting them away from her. Her motion knocked her off balance and suddenly she was falling over the wall.

"Ginny!"

Harry shot towards his friend the instant he realized she was going to fall. Nearly launching himself over the wall, he caught her wrist, wincing at the sudden jerk on his shoulder.

"Gotcha!"

"Harry!" she screamed, her eyes huge and filled with fright.

"It's okay! I've got you!" he said while barely keeping himself from tumbling over the short wall. His knees and free hand were the only things keeping him from falling.

The breeze that had been comfortable earlier now seemed menacing as it caused Ginny to sway as she dangled high above the ground. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she realized she wasn't getting out of this situation alive. She didn't want to die. Not yet. But she couldn't see any way out of the predicament she was in. She grabbed Harry's wrist with her free hand.

"Don't cry, Ginny," Harry comforted her, "I'm not going to let you fall."

"How?" she tearfully asked, "I'm too heavy for you to pull me up."

"Says who?"

"My oldest brothers. They say I'm too heavy for them to lift anymore."

Harry attempted a smile. "Well, you're not for me."

Harry barely shifted his position on the wall and slipped further over an inch. Ginny screamed again, her cries lost to the suddenly brisk wind. The rough rock edges dug into Harry's sore muscles but he didn't feel it, so focused he was on Ginny. His mind frantically sought some sort of solution, something that would help give him more purchase. That's when he noticed the irregular nooks and crannies of the rock wall and an idea came to him.

"Ginny! Ginny, listen to me!" He continued, as calmly as he could, once her attention was on him. "I need your help. Look at the wall in front of you. Can you see how there's bits that stick out and other parts that are recessed inward, like pockets?"

Ginny bravely looked at the section of wall directly in front of her and nodded.

"Okay. What I need, Ginny," Harry said slowly, reassuringly, though his heart pounded, "is for you to try to find something to brace your feet against, some kind of toehold. Can you do that?"

Ginny tried but her feet kept slipping. More tears leaked from her eyes as she looked back up at the boy who held her life in his hand.

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can, Ginny! Keep trying!"

"No, I can't!"

Deciding a different tactic was in order, Harry hardened his voice somewhat and hoped for all he was worth that she'd react like he thought she would.

"That's right, you can't. You're too little. What was I thinking?"

Ginny's resolve hardened and he knew it had worked when she yelled back at him.

"I am not too little! Just watch me!"

She struggled to get her toes in some kind of hole, anything to brace upon. Finally, her toes found what she'd been desperately searching for and she shot him a triumphant, albeit a tearful, smile.

"I told you I could do it!"

"Yes, you did," he said, barely covering his smile.

Harry used the tiny bit of slack to help get a better position on the wall so that he wouldn't end up falling over it. Already, his muscles were protesting the extra exertion and the hardest part was yet to come. His shoulder and arm ached from the strain of Ginny's weight. Clenching his teeth, he inhaled deeply and, with a strength someone his size shouldn't have, Harry heaved Ginny, inch by inch, back up.

By the time she reached the edge of the wall, Harry was shaking from the effort. He grabbed her with his other arm and hauled her the rest of the way up and over, collapsing onto the floor with her. His breath hitched, he shook all over and was covered in sweat; he felt totally drained. He'd been tired when he'd come up here but that was nothing compared to now. He literally had no strength left. For once, he was thankful for being a werewolf.

Ginny sobbed and clung to her savior, trembling with relief. Somehow, he'd done it! She had no idea how he'd managed but, right this second, she didn't care. She was just grateful to be back on solid ground again.

As Ginny cried, Harry awkwardly patted her back. Not having experience with crying girls, he had no idea what to do to help so he kept his mouth shut and patted her back like he'd seen others do. It seemed to work as she slowly calmed down. He could feel her eyes on him as she sat up.

"You saved me," her voice still held a hint of awe.

"What, you think I was just going to let you fall?" Harry joked, wearily.

"How? Harry, my brothers can't even lift me anymore. How can you?"

Harry's gaze flitted to hers but didn't linger. He couldn't tell her, that was for sure. To stall, he rolled away from her, groaning as his muscles protested their recent abuse. Between the transformation and rescuing Ginny, Harry was positive he was going to be sore for awhile.

"Harry?" came Ginny's hesitant voice.

Harry looked back at his friend and lied. "Er, adrenaline, I reckon. Or maybe magic. Maybe a combination of both."

Ginny watched him for a minute before nodding. "Yeah, could be. However you did it, thank you, Harry."

Harry shrugged in response, a bit embarrassed. He hadn't done it for thanks. He hadn't even thought about it, just reacted. He couldn't stand by and let her fall, even if it meant revealing more about himself that made her question him. Suddenly, he yawned.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Ginny perused her friend, taking in the darkness under his eyes and the slight paleness to his complexion. "You look absolutely knackered. Come on, let's go to the common room. You can have a kip there."

Ginny stood and offered a helping hand, which Harry took gladly. At a turtle's pace they made their way to the bottom of the stairs. By the time they'd reached the bottom, Harry felt as if he'd been hit by a Jelly-Legs Jinx. He tried to hide how tired he really was but after tripping over his own feet three times, Ginny huffed in exasperation and threw an arm around his waist to help hold him steady.

At last, they reached the Fat Lady and gained entrance to their common room. Ginny helped Harry over to the couch, which thankfully was still unoccupied. She figured everyone must have been outside enjoying the weather and that suited her purpose just fine. Harry dropped onto the couch like a stone, wincing, a weak moan escaping though his mouth was firmly shut.

"Harry, are you okay?" Ginny asked. He kept flinching and moaning and she couldn't help but wonder if he'd hurt himself while trying to help her. "Do we need to get Madame Pomfrey?"

"Nah," Harry sighed as he slid down so he was lying on the couch. "Jus' tired." Within a few seconds, Harry was sound asleep.

Ginny worried for her friend. Sitting on the floor before him, she watched over him. She'd never seen him so tired, other than early this morning. She was half-afraid he was coming down with something. Spying a blanket thrown over one of the side chairs, she pulled it off the chair and covered Harry's sleeping form. For a split second, she contemplated going to get one of her school books but decided against it. Resting her head on the couch cushion, she waited.

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It wasn't long before Hermione entered the room, arms laden with books. She plopped them down on the table near the fireplace with a loud thump and was immediately shushed.

"Ginny?"

"He's sleeping, Hermione," she said, indicating the form on the couch.

The brunette walked over to the couch and was surprised to see Harry sprawled there.

"Again?"

"It was kind of a rough morning," Ginny replied, not daring to look at the girl.

Hermione, sensing there was more to the story, asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well...," Ginny hesitated but then shared the story with her friend. The only part she left out was the kiss she and Harry had shared. That wasn't anyone's business but hers and Harry's.

"And he just pulled you up?" Hermione asked, astonished, once Ginny finished her tale. "Just like that?"

The younger girl nodded and Hermione turned her attention to the sleeping boy. "Ginny, there's no way he should have been able to do that. I mean, you're almost as tall as he is. Boys his age don't have that much upper body strength."

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" Ginny asked, her temper flaring. "And how would you know about boys his age, anyway?"

Hermione flushed in embarrassment. "Oh, well, when Mum told me about, you know, stuff, she told me a little about boys, too."

Ginny felt her face heat. Yes, her mum had had 'the talk' with her but her mum had failed to mention anything about boys. Not that she was all that interested, really. She'd seen enough of her brothers' behaviors to put her off wanting to know more. She caught the expression on her friend's face and almost regretted saying anything.

"Hermione, you can't say anything. My brothers would freak if they knew. I don't think Harry would want the kind of attention this would bring if it got out. Promise me."

Hermione hesitated. Something didn't seem right to her. She guessed Harry could have done it with the help of adrenaline or magic. She'd heard stories of muggles doing extraordinary things because of adrenaline but it didn't seem to fit. She felt as if the answer was there lurking just beyond her reach.

"Hermione?"

"I promise I won't say anything," the bushy-haired girl finally said. She never promised not to do any research, however.

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"Well, now, isn't this interesting," drawled a male voice.

The man read a letter he'd just received. He sat in his favorite chair by a fireplace, sipping a tumbler of firewhiskey. He wore opulent robes of green and black with serpent pins adorning his chest. On one pinky, he wore a signet ring with a green stone in the center, his initials etched into it, more serpents etched along the sides. Everything about the man spoke of aristocracy, wealth, power. The room in which he sat was decorated extravagantly with antiques and heirlooms. Green and black were dominant colors with serpents being the dominant motif. Clearly, this was a man who shared in Salazar Slytherin's beliefs.

"Very interesting, indeed," he said to himself.

The man's cold gray eyes narrowed in thought before he languidly stood and approached the hearth. Reaching into an ornate vase, he withdrew some glittery green powder and threw it into the fireplace and watched as the orange flames turned green.. Kneeling before it, he placed his head into the flames and called out a name.

After a brief conversation, the man removed his head from the flames, an evil smile on his face.

"I've got you now, Potter. Soon your little secret will be revealed to the world. What will the masses say about you then? Soon you will be within my grasp and I'll be rewarded when the Dark Lord makes his return."

Sitting down at his rolltop desk, the man gathered parchment, ink and quill. Carefully, he penned a short note, sealed it with his insignia in wax and went in search of the family's eagle owl to deliver the message.

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A big form slunk in the shadows, from building to building. With relative ease, it made its way through the village and headed toward the castle. Using the forest to stay hidden, it cautiously bypassed the stone and wood hut. At the edge of the forest, it sat and watched, waiting for its chance to strike.

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The rest of that Sunday, Harry and Ginny worked on their homework. To Harry's discomfort, he'd caught Ginny's friend, Hermione, watching him. He tried to ignore her but could feel her eyes on his back and it made concentrating difficult. On the other hand, he was sitting next to Ginny, who kept cracking jokes about History of Magic, keeping him from being completely uncomfortable. At first, he was afraid things would be awkward between them after what happened earlier, not to mention that kiss, but Ginny acted normally, putting Harry at ease. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he relaxed and enjoyed his friend's humorous commentary on her History reading assignment.

The next morning, Ginny headed off to Potions class while Harry headed to Care of Magical Creatures. As Hagrid began explaining flobberworms and their uses, Harry grew bored so he sat on a hollow log. His eyes wandered over the gathered class. Several others weren't paying much attention either and not bothering to hide the fact. Others were staring, on the surface looking as if paying attention but a closer inspection showed their glazed eyes. Still others actually were listening and taking notes, even.

Harry noticed Draco watching him, a smirk on his face. It was such a gloating expression that Harry felt the first tendrils of panic setting in. Draco obviously knew something that Harry didn't. Was he going to make trouble, after all? With a monumental effort, Harry tore his gaze from the blonde Slytherin.

Harry tuned out Hagrid's lecture as he considered this new development. The more he thought about it the more he started to panic. His instincts were screaming at him that his secret was about to be disclosed to the world. He really needed to talk to to his uncle. Tempted to skive off Potions in order to have that talk, the thought of Draco spreading word of how he'd intimidated Harry into skipping class had him changing his mind. He, Harry, might be getting exposed for what he was but he wasn't going to just roll over and give up, either.

For a second, he tuned back into the lesson only to hear Hagrid still going on about the flobberworms and he immediately tuned back out. As his gaze raked across the class once more, he saw something in the woods. When he glanced back, it was gone. Harry sat up straighter in an attempt to see better and thought he caught the barest hint of an outline blending in with the blackness of the forest. From this distance, he couldn't make out what it was nor could he hear anything but the rustling of his classmates.

Unable to decipher anything further, he gave up and turned his attention back to class and found Hermione watching him, eyes narrowed in speculation. Had he given himself away somehow? Harry couldn't figure out how he could have. No, more than likely she was trying to solve the puzzle that was Harry Potter, just as Ginny had informed him. He held her gaze a long moment, almost daring her to say something to him after class. Her eyes suddenly widened as if something had occurred to her and she quickly turned away from him. A sense of foreboding crashed upon him.

The instant class was over, Hermione took off running back toward the castle, flipping through her book. Sighing in resignation, Harry headed for Potions. She was on to him; she had to be. One more thing to talk to his uncle about. Maybe Uncle Remus could kind of feel her out, see if she really had figured it all out already. Maybe he could even convince her not to talk.

Ooooooo

After an awful time in Potions, he was so distracted, he was unable to brew his potion correctly, to Snape's sneering delight, Harry rushed to Remus' classroom.

"Uncle Remus!" he called upon entering the room.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked, taking in the boy's pale complexion and panicked expression.

"Draco," Harry puffed, out of breath from running up all those stairs, "He knows something. He has to. The way he was looking at me during Care of Magical Creatures this morning. It was like he knew something I didn't."

"Harry, Draco is a bit pompous, I'll grant you that, but just because he smirks at you doesn't mean he knows anything."

"You didn't see him. It was in his eyes. I'm telling you, he knows."

Harry took a deep breath, let it out slowly. "I don't think he's the only one, either."

"What are you talking about, Harry?"

"That girl, Hermione, she was watching me, too. I caught her staring and then suddenly she got this look on her face like she'd figured something out. She turned around in such a hurry, like she was afraid to look at me or something."

"Harry," Remus said gently, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, "I think you're getting just a little paranoid here."

"No, I'm not!" Harry insisted, shrugging off Remus' hand. "I'm telling you, they know!"

Remus glanced at his open doorway then shut and locked his door with a flick of his wand.

"Harry, listen to me. You can't panic every time someone says something about werewolves. Now, it's possible Draco has some idea, but if he knew for sure, why hasn't he said anything?"

"Well, I don't know!"

"Harry-,"

"What about Hermione, then? She's brilliant. You know she is. She's the type to read ahead. What if she's already read the chapter on werewolves in our Defense book? She's friends with Ginny. Ginny's bound to notice some things and tell her about them."

"Harry, calm down. If it'll make you feel any better, I'll look into it, but I really do think you're imagining things."

Remus glanced at the clock in the room and decided he had a few more minutes.

"Now, about Ginny. Why are you so worried about her noticing anything? Did something happen?"

"Well, she's already noticed my eyes, you know that." Remus nodded and Harry continued. "Well, yesterday, we were talking at the top of the Astronomy tower and some bats flew out and knocked Ginny over the wall but I caught her, obviously."

"Wait. How is it that no one knows about this?"

"It all happened so fast. It was windy so our voices probably carried away from everyone. Besides, who actually looks UP at the castle?"

Remus conceded the point and made a motion for Harry to continue.

"Well, I pulled her back over the wall. She told me her brothers can't lift her anymore and asked how it was that I could."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her it was probably just adrenaline or my magic helping but I don't think she bought it, not really."

"Has she said anything else about it?"

"No."

"Then I wouldn't worry about it. If she brings it up again, then maybe you and I should chat with her."

"Well," Harry was obviously uncertain about taking this route, "okay, if you think so."

"Trust me." Remus said with a smile. "Now, I have a class to teach so I'll see you later."

Harry nodded. Remus unlocked and opened the door.

"Come on in, class. Sorry about that."

Several students looked at Harry curiously, trying to figure out why he had been talking to their professor. Others ignored Harry completely to which Harry was perfectly fine with. Instead of going directly back to the common room, Harry wandered around the castle awhile, pondering his conversation with Remus and wondering what he'd do if Ginny did bring up the subject of his rescue again.

0000000000

"So, Harry," Ginny said once they'd eaten lunch. "Tryouts for the Quidditch team are this Saturday. Are you going to try out?"

"Honestly, I wouldn't even know which position to try out for."

Harry remembered one Quidditch Day Puddlemere United had set up for kids. It had been his birthday and he remembered thinking he'd like to tryout for Seeker one day, but that had been so long ago. Surely, he'd changed since then.

"Hmm," Ginny's eyes clouded over in thought a moment then brightened. "Fred and George are on the team, they're Beaters, and I bet they could convince Oliver to let you practice at each position to see which you'd like to try out for."

Harry couldn't deny the fact that being on the team appealed to him. He didn't like the special treatment, however, and told her so.

Ginny rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Harry, you wouldn't be getting any special treatment. You'd still have to try out. This would just let you get a feel for each position and see where your natural talent lies. Your dad played Chaser, you know."

Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"I've seen his name on the Quidditch trophy in the trophy room."

Seeing his confusion, Ginny asked, "You didn't know there is a trophy room?"

Harry thought back to what he could remember of the conversations he and Remus had had about Hogwarts. Somehow, the trophy room had never come up. He shook his head in answer to Ginny's question.

"Come on, there's just enough time before class. I'll show you. If you're done, that is."

Harry gathered his rucksack and motioned for her to lead the way. The pair climbed their way to the third floor. A loud clanking sound came from one of the rooms before Peeves came flying out, hooting and hollering. He started to tease the young pair again but one look from Harry reminded Peeves of the boy's threat the day before and he decided against it. Swooping off, he sang a song comparing Hufflepuff students to bumblebees.

Ginny led Harry into the room and directly to the trophy with James Potter's name. Then she stood back a little to give Harry some privacy. She watched as one hand slowly came up and lightly traced the name. He looked to her to be in awe at seeing the name there; sadness also tinged the gesture. Wandering around, she came upon a list of Head Boy and Head Girl names over the years. Two names jumped out at her.

"Harry," she said, hesitant to intrude upon his private moment. When he glanced up at her, she continued, pointing. "They were Head Boy and Girl, too."

Harry had known this, too, but seeing their names on that plaque, he felt some kind of connection to them. It was like physical proof they'd walked the same halls he's walking, taken the same classes he's taking. Like with the trophy, his hand reverently traced their names. Tears threatening to fall, Harry clenched his teeth to hold them at bay and turned away from the plaque and the girl beside him. He inhaled deeply, desperately attempting to get control of himself. Glancing at his watch, he cleared his throat.

"We need to get to class," he said, voice somewhat husky and barely glancing at Ginny, "I have go all the way out to the greenhouses."

Ginny smiled softly, knowing full well Harry wasn't comfortable showing his emotions. "Yeah and I need to get to Defense class."

With a final glance at the plaque and trophy, Harry left the room. He and Ginny walked in silence to her class. Remus was standing in the hall cheerfully greeting his students until he saw Harry's saddened face.

"Harry? Is everything okay?"

Harry met his uncle's eyes for only a moment before nodding and muttering, "Herbology." Then he drifted off, hands in his trouser pockets, head down, rucksack bouncing against his side.

Remus turned to Ginny, brow furrowed in concern. Something told him it wasn't Herbology that put that look on his nephew's face.

"I took him to the Trophy Room," she explained. "He saw the Quidditch trophy with his dad's name on it and the Head Boy and Girl plaque."

Ginny studied her professor with narrowed eyes, a little short with the man for not having told Harry about it previously.

"Why didn't you tell him about the Trophy Room?"

Remus looked down at the pint-sized girl, arms folded across her chest, and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. Here he was, being scolded by another redhead. She reminded him so much of Lily. Then he sighed.

"Honestly, I don't know. I know I should have."

"Yes, you should have," she retorted.

"I'll talk to him, okay?" At her nod, he smiled. "Come on, Miss Weasley, time for class."

0000000000

Wednesday after supper found Harry, Ginny, Oliver, Fred and George and Angelina Johnson down at the Quidditch pitch. Harry borrowed Remus' broom, begging his uncle not to show up for this, for Harry was nervous enough.

"Now, Harry," Oliver began. "I've seen you fly so why don't we start with the Quaffle?"

Harry shrugged.

"Okay, we'll start with some easy passes. That's why Angelina's here." he said, indicating the dark-skinned girl next to him. "She plays Chaser and you and she will be tossing the Quaffle back and forth."

Oliver hesitated then lamented. "Too bad Alicia couldn't join us. It would be nice to have a third Chaser up there."

"I can do it," Ginny piped up. "I've been flying for years and I've always wanted to play Chaser."

Oliver sized up the pint-sized Weasley. She was little, true, but the Weasleys had lots of Quidditch talent, generally speaking. If she proved to be any good, he could encourage her to try out so, in the end, he agreed.

Up in the air, Angelina started them off flying in a straight line, her in the middle. She tossed the ball to Ginny, who easily caught it and tossed it back. Then Angelina tossed the ball to Harry and he completely missed it. Recovering the ball, they tried again. After several tries, two things became apparent. Harry was rubbish as Chaser. The fast paced back and forth between the three of them proved to be out of his depth. Needless to say, Harry was highly disappointed he showed no talent for the position his father played. However, Ginny appeared to excel and, after some encouragement from both Angelina and Oliver, decided to try out for the team.

Next was Fred and George's turn. Once again, Harry hit the air. Using one of the school's Beater bats, as the twins had their own, Harry practiced hitting the Bludger at each of them in turn. He did okay with his aim but, again, the back and forth bit eluded him. After a few minutes of this, Oliver called them down.

"Not bad, Potter," the captain allowed. "Maybe with a little work but with Fred and George on the team, you wouldn't get much game time unless something happened to one of them."

Disheartened, Harry nodded his understanding. A gentle squeeze to his hand brought his attention to the girl who had joined him.

"Don't worry, Harry. There's still Seeker. It may be the toughest position to play but I've seen your reflexes. I think you'll be perfect."

A smile played at one corner of Harry's mouth. "Thanks."

Oliver pulled out a walnut-sized golden ball that immediately sprouted wings and flew off. Harry watched as the tiny ball zoomed across the pitch to the Slytherin stands.

"Oh, bugger," Oliver said, looking in every direction. "Where did that thing go? I promised Madame Hooch I wouldn't lose it."

Harry looked at Oliver questioningly, unable to believe the older boy couldn't see it. Glancing at the others, they, too, were looking all around for the ball. He looked back where he'd last seen the winged ball and it was still there.

"Er, it's over there," Harry pointed, "by the Slytherin stands."

The others looked in that direction. Oliver's gaze jumped between Harry and the stands the younger boy had indicated.

"I don't see it. Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I'm looking right at it. It's right there by-," he stopped when the Snitch suddenly veered away from the stands to hover by the magical megaphone used by the game commentator.

"Now, it's over where the game commentator sits."

After studying the spot for a long minute, Oliver exclaimed. "There it is! I see it now!"

The captain turned back to Harry. "You saw it when it was way over there?" Harry nodded. "And then saw it move?"

Again, Harry nodded, confused as to why Oliver was asking. He watched as Oliver, the twins, and Angelina exchanged glances as huge grins spread across their faces.

"Harry," Oliver said, draping an arm along Harry's shoulders, "I think we've just found the position for you. To be absolutely sure, I want you to go retrieve the Snitch."

Harry shrugged, mounted his broom and took flight. Just before he reached it, the Snitch shot off in another direction. The little golden ball led him on a merry chase around one set of goal hoops, down to the ground, across the pitch, through one of the hoops on the other side to which Harry had to dodge, to the top of the Hufflepuff stands. Then it shot straight up in the air, Harry hot on its trail, only to come straight back down.

Harry continued to follow, his eyes not leaving the golden prize. It was as if his vision had tunneled to block out everything but the Snitch. Stretching out a hand, his fingertips brushed the metallic ball. Urging as much speed as he could from Remus' broom, he shot forward just enough for his hand to close around the Snitch. Suddenly, his vision cleared and he realized he was dangerously close to hitting the ground. Yanking up on the handle, Harry performed a perfect Wronski Feint.

A little out of breath, he leisurely flew over to the waiting group. Ginny grinned widely, jumping up and down in her exuberance. The others all wore expressions of disbelief with healthy doses of awe along with a little joy mixed in. He dismounted and Ginny immediately launched herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. Then she must have realized what she'd done for she jumped back in a hurry, blushing. Harry felt his own face heat some, especially once he noticed the twin smirks on Fred and George's faces.

"Harry!" Oliver yelled, laughing ecstatically, "That was bloody brilliant! If you were a girl, I'd kiss you!"

Oliver, not noticing Harry's increasingly reddening face, continued. "The position is yours! I knew you could fly but that-,"

Oliver shook his head, completely at a loss for words, causing Angelina to laugh.

"Congratulations, Harry!" she said, with a wink. "You're the first person to render Oliver speechless in a long while."

"Hey, Harry," started Fred, "now you just need-"

"-to get a decent broom," finished George.

"Wait, Oliver," protested Harry as soon as what the older boy had said registered, "I don't want any special treatment. Everyone else has to try out. I should, too."

"Fine," Oliver replied, not letting the protest spoil his mood, taking the Snitch from Harry. "If no one else tries out for the position, though, you don't have to. Is that fair enough?"

"I suppose."

"Alright, then, see you on Saturday."

The older students patted Harry on the back or shoulders before taking their leave, Oliver levitating the trunk that contained the Quidditch balls to return to Madame Hooch. Angelina returned the brooms she and the twins had used and borrowed Beater's bat to the equipment shed.

"That was so wicked, Harry!"

Harry smiled down at the ball of energy that was Ginny. "Thanks, Ginny."

"I told you you had talent. It was just a matter of figuring out where you belonged."

It suddenly dawned on Harry that he really wanted to belong, wanted it more than he'd thought. Just to belong somewhere. He remembered Draco's insinuations and Ginny's friend, Hermione's staring, and the joy inside faded. He didn't belong here, either, not really. Outwardly, he was just like all the others. But the beast within set him apart and always would. He'd do well to remember that.

Pasting a smile on his face that didn't come close to reaching his eyes, he walked Ginny back to the shed to put her broom away. He let her chatter all the way back to the castle. After a brief stop to return his uncle's broom, Ginny retelling how it had gone, the two headed back to Gryffindor tower. Harry claimed he was tired and climbed the stairs to his dorm room. Once there, he showered, dressed in his night clothes and pulled the bed curtains around him. Lying back, he contemplated all that had happened so far.

0000000000

Hermione watched Harry Potter climb the boys' staircase. Ginny was alone. This was her chance.

"Ginny, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Hermione, what's up?"

The bushy-haired girl led the younger girl to a private corner of the room, her Defense text in her hand. After sitting at the table, Hermione stared worriedly at her friend then looked down at the book she was clutching. Taking a deep breath, she placed the book on the table.

"There's something you need to know."

"About what?"

Try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to outright speak her suspicions so Hermione slid the text over to Ginny.

"Turn to page 394."

"What?" Ginny asked, puzzled at the odd request.

Hermione closed her eyes, gathering strength. "Just do it. Please."

Exasperated, Ginny picked up the book and turned to the suggested page.

"Werewolves?" she asked, baffled now.

"Read the characteristics of one."

Skipping down to the appropriate section, Ginny began to read.

How does one tell a werewolf in its human form? Sometimes it's not obvious. Here are some things that might betray a werewolf. The wolf form has excellent hearing, sight and smell and this often carries over to the human form, though only one of the senses has ever been documented to carry over. Also, the human can display strength far beyond what would be considered normal. Do not confuse these regular shows of strength with those done by normal people in emergency situations. Just before the full moon, the human will often display mood swings or anxious behavior. Before and after a full moon, the young werewolf will also act as if in pain. Transformations, for the young, are extremely painful, even with the Wolfsbane Potion. Also, the individual will appear ragged and exhausted. Another good sign of a werewolf in human form is the eyes. In wolf form, the eyes are yellow like a regular wolf. The human's eyes will often have a slight yellowing around the pupil and will slowly gain more yellow as the full moon approaches. The degree of change varies from werewolf to werewolf. Some do not change at all. After the full moon has passed, the eyes will return to their normal color, repeating the cycle. Note: It is well documented some normal humans' eyes change color. Also, some werewolves use a charm to hide their changing eyes.

"Okay, so?" Ginny asked after finishing.

"Sound like anyone we know?"

"Er, no," Ginny replied, drawing out the last word.

"Oh, come on, Ginny. Weren't you just telling me of a certain incident that occurred on Sunday?"

When Ginny continued to stare blankly at her, Hermione huffed. "You know, with Harry?"

At first, Ginny didn't make the connection but as her mind replayed the incident in question, certain details stood out. Harry heard those seventh year students long before she did. Harry pulled her up over the wall of the Astronomy tower when her own brothers couldn't really lift her anymore. The memory of early Sunday morning came to mind. When she hugged him, he flinched, like she'd hurt him. He looked horribly tired, too. He definitely was Saturday morning, as she had to get Professor Lupin to wake Harry. And Harry's eyes. They'd started out as brilliant emeralds and, now that she thought about it they did seem to have a slight yellow tinge in the center. Then they had turned peridot in color as time went on. Harry and his uncle had left Saturday night. Sunday morning, when she'd seen Harry and Professor Lupin, Harry's eyes were back to their emerald shade. Then Ginny remembered something else. Saturday night, she sat in her dorm window, staring out at the moonlit grounds, wondering about her friend. It had been a full moon that night. Ginny looked up at the girl across from her.

"Are you saying that you think Harry is a-a-a werewolf?"

"It all fits, Ginny," Hermione said, pleading for her friend to understand. "The strength you mentioned, the fatigue, the flinching. And what about his eyes? You can't explain away that much changing."

"No," Ginny angrily responded, shaking her head. "No way. No way is Harry Potter some vicious creature. You're wrong, Hermione. I'd appreciate it if you didn't go spouting this nonsense to others."

Ginny stormed away from her friend. Unfortunately, the seed had been planted and she couldn't stop thinking what if?