Harry wished that the world had never stopped spinning. That was because while it was spinning, the world made more sense than it did now, twenty minutes after it had stopped. Those twenty minutes had been spent in the company of a stern looking lady who had her hair in so tight a bun that it seemed to pull back the skin of her face. That pulling only served to make her look even stricter, making her sharp features even sharper. Professor McGonogall, as she was introduced, was not nearly as strict as she looked though, she was trying really hard to help Harry come to terms with both the fact that Harry was a wizard and a werewolf. That help hadn't worked very well, and now McGonogall was kneeling over a hyperventilating eleven year old boy, trying to convince him to breathe.
"Mr. Potter, you need to calm down, breathe boy. Please?" McGonogall was way out of her league here, and was pouring every ounce of her will into trying to make her tone as soothing as possible. "Mr. Potter, how about we sit back down and we can talk about what is troubling you here?" Harry managed to nod his head, flooding McGonogall with relief. McGonogall began rubbing the boy's back, causing him to start unwinding from his fetal position. After a few minutes, Harry was calm enough that McGonogall slowly helped him to his feet, and guided the boy to the couch that stood against the wall, and sat down on the hard backed chair across from Harry, with a low table between them. "Okay, what's on your mind?" that question was not an easy one for Harry to answer, and it saw Harry opening and closing his mouth three or four times, before he could formulate words. "I'm a monster." Harry gasped, and the tears returned, making his eyes glow yet again. McGonogall was not entirely without tears as she answered "Harry, you are no monster, not yet. You have a disease, and that disease can create monsters, but it doesn't have to. You can still be exactly who you want to be." McGonogall's latent motherly instinct really came to the fore while saying that, and the soothing effects of her words were anything but forced. "I don't know you." McGonogall continued, "But I knew your parents, and no son of theirs would be able to become a monster, in the twenty minutes we've spoken, I see them in you. I see them in your fear of the dark, and your remarkable acceptance of the situation." This actually drew a weak smile from Harry. "Remarkable acceptance? I've been freaking out since we started talking." "You are handling this far better than many would, and you have had a traumatic few days to boot." At those words, at the notion that Harry's torture was at an end, Harry managed to find hope. True hope. That tomorrow would be better. At seeing Harry finally relax, Minerva was filled with a sudden joy. She believed that this poor, small boy would be able to manage the problems he faced. And she was determined she would be there every step of the way.
"Now all we have to do is figure out what to do with you for the month of August, until you are to go to Hogwarts." "I suppose I could get a hold of my aunt and uncle..." Harry mumbled, clearly disliking that idea. "No no! that will never work. They should never have been made your guardians." McGonogall's eyes flashed at the thought of those that had done this to an eleven year boy. People that had neglected him his entire life and then when he needed them, they didn't even look for him! "You will be staying here, in Hogwarts." That caused Harry's head to shoot up. "Wait, I didn't know this was Hogwarts." That caused McGonogall to smile. "Yes Mr. Potter, you are presently inside Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, more specifically in the office of the Deputy Headmistress." This presented a rather large problem for Harry. "Where in the school will I stay?" "Hogwarts is a large castle. And as such has many rooms that are not in use. There is an apartment in the Eastern wing of the school. That apartment is normally used by visitors to the school. You will be staying in that apartment, to move into your dormitory once you have been sorted into your house." Harry was still thinking about the fact that the Professor had called Hogwarts a castle. Harry had always liked castles, not that he'd ever seen one, but they always made him feel that they would be really cool places to live. It seemed that he was going to find out exactly what it was like. It made sense for this office to be a part of a castle, the walls were large stone blocks and the windows had a distinctly Victorian look about them. "I'll lead you to your apartment now, tomorrow, you and I will go to Diagon Alley to get your school things." "Thank you... thank you." The crack in Harry's voice carried within it so much emotion, emotion that came from being accepted by this lady. From being happy thanks to another person.
The professor stood and opened the heavy door, and stood to the side to allow Harry past. She then proceeded to lead Harry along the multitude of corridors that existed between the guest apartment and the Deputy Headmistress's office. That journey saw Harry questioning his sanity. There were friendly paintings that spoke to him and suits of armour that moved as he passed. This was going to take a lot more time to get used to than the amount of time that he had in order to actually get used to what was going on.
A/N Thank you so much for reading! I'm so sorry this chapter took me so long to finish, it fought me tooth and claw as I tried to write it. Let me know what you think. I am not Jo Rowling, and as such I do not own any of the world, or the characters I write about.