Chapter 7
Remus was able to catch Jericho the next day after class. Before the boy could escape, he called him up to his desk. They couldn't chat long, he knew, because he had another class right after and Jericho would have a class.
"I have to get to Charms, sir," Jericho said once he made it to his desk.
Remus nodded. "I just wanted to see how you're doing. Yesterday must have been hard for you."
"I'm fine, sir," Jericho said courtly. "May I go? I don't want to be late."
Remus reached into the drawer of his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. He wrote on it. "This will excuse you for being late." He grabbed another sheet and wrote on it. "And this is a reminder to come see me after your classes." He handed both over to the boy.
"Sir?" Jericho glanced at the second sheet in question.
"You may go," he said, avoiding the obvious question.
As Jericho turned to walk out of the classroom, Harry Potter and his two friends came in. The group paused in the middle of the aisle to briefly chat. Remus watched the two boys interact and felt something deep in his chest. He couldn't explain it, but he was proud to see the two get along so well. He didn't miss the fact that they addressed each other with their first names and only an outsider would miss the significance of a Slytherin sitting at the Gryffindor table. In that regard, Remus could see more of Lily in Harry. Was that why he was feeling proud? Because of the sign that Harry got all the good qualities of his parents?
He watched Harry give Jericho an easy smile and said something, to which Jericho nodded. Remus couldn't see the other boy's face, but he was sure Jericho had smiled back at Harry because Harry's smile broadened.
Remus mentally shook his head. That wasn't the reason he was proud. It wasn't just Harry he was proud at. It was Jericho too. For some reason, and it had nothing to do with their Houses, but he was glad those two particular boys were getting along. The reason why escaped him.
The two boys said their goodbyes before Jericho left the classroom without another glance back.
Remus waited in his classroom for Jericho to show up. Classes would have ended several hours ago. He leaned back against his desk, ran a hand through his hair, and sighed as he folded his arms across his chest. He shook his head. Jericho Slyder was determined to avoid him, even going so far as to ignore a request for his presence. He didn't understand the distrust and dislike Jericho had for him. Him in particular. What was he going to do with that boy?
Nothing. He had no right to do anything but teach. No matter how much he wanted to.
There was a knock on his door.
Remus straightened and called out for the person to enter. The door opened and the boy in question came in.
"You said to come, sir." His voice remain emotionless.
No doubt Jericho would rather be anywhere but there. His body was tense, his eyes hard. Seeing how reluctant the boy was in his presence, Remus was tempted to let him go without another word, but then yesterday's class came back to his mind. Jericho's fright, his fear…that very brief moment when the boy looked up at him, unguarded. That moment Jericho needed him and didn't seem afraid to let him know it. Jericho was grateful for his support. Remus could picture his face even now, the tears in his eyes, the open expression, the pain. In that brief glance, Remus's heart bloomed with hope—hope that Jericho would accept him as…as what, he didn't know. A confidant? A friend? Something deeper?
"Yes, come in, Jericho, and close the door behind you." That reminder caused him to push through to make sure Jericho was alright and let him know he could come to him with anything.
Jericho did as he was instructed.
Remus waved him over. "Come, let's go to my office." He walked up the stairs that stood in the front of the classroom, pausing only to check to see if Jericho was following.
He left the door open, hoping it would put Jericho more at ease.
"Sit, please." He waved his hand towards one of the chairs facing the desk. He waited for Jericho to sit down before claiming the chair beside him, instead of the teacher's chair on the other side of the desk. He ignored Jericho's tense form.
Remus leaned on the arm of his chair and was suddenly at a lost what to say. "About yesterday…"
"You do this with all your students, sir?" Jericho glared at him and folded his arms. "Is this some therapy session?"
"Jericho…" the rest of his words got caught in his throat, realizing what he was about to say was a lie. He was about to say they weren't his responsibility, but they were, just as much as Jericho. The boy in front of him wasn't less or more, no matter how he felt. Instead of answering, he changed the direction of the conversation. "It wasn't your fault."
The boy closed off on him immediately. He folded his arms to his chest and stared with hard eyes at the desk.
"What happened?" No response.
Remus stared at the boy's hardened expression, analyzing it in one quick glance. "Have you grieved properly?"
Jericho snapped his eyes to him. His eyes were narrowed with anger, but behind that Remus sensed fear. "What do you know about it, sir? You know nothing! Don't pretend like you do! Don't act like you care! It is none of your business!" he yelled defensively.
Remus inwardly sighed in relief. Maybe, if he pushed the right buttons, Jericho could finally let go of what happened to that girl and truly grieve. If there was anyone suited to get under the boy's skin, it was the man he couldn't stand to be around. "I do care."
Jericho stood up quickly, his hands in fists by his side. "Lies! Nobody cares! You adults are nothing but selfish liars! You only want to help me," he spat, "because you want to ease your own guilt for forcing me to face that…that thing!"
Remus leaned forward in his chair and stared up that the enrage boy. "That is not true, Jericho…"
"And stop using my first name like we're mates!"
"Deep inside," Remus continued to say, ignoring the interruption, "you know that's not true. What do you fear will happen if you open up to someone?"
Jericho didn't respond, just stared over Remus' head at the door.
Remus sighed. "I was four."
Jericho's expression quickly shifted into confusion, but at least his gaze was back on him.
"My father worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and was the leading expert on Dark Creatures."
Jericho's eyes widened ever slightly in surprise.
"As you can imagine, it was very difficult for my father to deal with a werewolf son, especially when he blamed my bite on himself. He had, inadvertently, insulted an infamous werewolf named Fenrir Greyback. In revenge, Greyback broke into my room through the window and bit me."
Jericho's breath hitched slightly, obviously recognizing the name. Remus wasn't surprised, Fenrir Greyback didn't just make his name in the wizarding world, but in the lycanthrope world as well. The boy slowly sat back down in his seat, his eyes never leaving Remus.
"After that, my father didn't have much time for me. It was one potion after another. All our money going into false cures. There were times growing up that I believed he was trying to heal me because of his own guilt, not because he truly cared. I never cared for the cures. Some of them really hurt. I soon forgot about the time before I was bitten. Life as a werewolf was all I knew, so a part of me didn't understand why my father was trying so hard. My parents kept me isolated. The only friends I had were books. We moved around a lot, each time someone got word of my…differences. It was rough, but it was all I knew. I tried to get close to my father, but I never felt like I could. His nose was always in a book or newspaper, trying to find hints of another 'cure' to try."
Remus turned to Jericho and gave him a faint grin. "Then I got my Hogwarts letter. It was unexpected. My whole life my parents were telling me it was impossible. Even after the letter, my father would say it was a mistake and that the headmaster must not have known about me. Once word got to him, I would be rejected. But, Albus Dumbledore showed up at our front door and offered me the chance to go, with certain precautions, of course.
"For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by children my own age. I was nervous, excited, but, overall, I was scared. I was scared to get too close to them, that they would find out my secret and shun me. I would be kicked out of Hogwarts and forever denied a proper education and friendship.
"I was sorted into Gryffindor with three other boys. We became friends, but I lied to them every month for over a year. I was afraid to let them in. Afraid of being betrayed. But, despite my efforts, they found out and accepted me, all of me. We became much, much closer after that. The greatest friends I could ever have."
"Sir, why are you telling me your life story? If you think I would tell you mine because you told me yours, you're wrong."
Remus shook his head. "That's not why, Jericho. I'm telling you this so you see we aren't that different. Different backgrounds, different situations, but the same fears. I feared to let people get close, but they did and they accepted who I was. Hogwarts was the happiest time of my life because I was able to relax and have fun with my friends. I let them in.
"I feared my father cared more about clearing his guilt. When I was sixteen, I got into a huge fight with him. I accused him of all things I had feared, only to find out I was completely wrong. In the beginning, it was guilt that drove him, but he had let go of that guilt years before our fight. He loved me and cared for me as I was. He feared for me the same way any parent would for their child.
"I do care for you, Jericho."
Jericho huffed in disbelief. "A parent caring for his child, I can believe. A stranger caring…" He shook his head. "…not so much."
"I'm not a stranger…"
"In my mind, stranger and teacher is basically the same thing."
There was a moment of silence as the two stared at each other. Remus sighed and turned away. "I am sorry you feel that way, Jericho." He turned back to the boy and gave him a soft smile. "I do care," he repeated. "I hope, someday, you'll believe that. You may go."
Without another word, Jericho stood and left the office. Remus watched him with a heavy heart.
The next month went by quietly, for the most part. Jericho avoided Professor Lupin the best he could. He tried to keep his head down in the class, but the wolf in him refused to show submissive behavior and that caused a few more challenging stares between the two werewolves. None of which he won.
He got an owl back from the muggle orphanage telling him they could only release the information he had requested to his social worker and a judge. This he took as good news. It meant the orphanage still had his information and forging a signature for a muggles satisfaction was much easier then forging for wizards. After research and forging a legal document with his social worker's name and the name of a random judge, he sent out the request. It would take another several more weeks but hopefully he would have his information soon.
The weather quickly became chilly and the nights grew shorter. Soon it was Halloween. Jericho didn't dislike or like the holiday. He was indifferent to it. But, he soon realized, not everyone felt that way. The decorations went up. The chatter of students increased as excitement bubbled between them. Even few of the professors seemed excited. Some showed their excitement by giving more homework out and others by giving less homework. So their workload hadn't changed much.
Hogsmeade day. Jericho decided not to go with Theo to the village. Instead, he hoarded himself away in the library until he got the message to meet Professor Snape in Lupin's classroom for his monthly potion. Jericho stared at the letter that was delivered to him and sighed. He was really hoping he'd go straight to Professor Snape's classroom for the potion. Anything but his Defense professor.
Because of his reluctance, he found himself dragging his feet to the Defense room. He got there just as Professor Snape was exiting. "Professor Snape!" he called out.
His Head of House paused and waited for Jericho to reach him. He folded his arms. "You're late, Mr. Slyder."
"Yes, sir. Sorry. I was finishing up my work in the library. The potion, sir?" he asked, realizing his Potions professor didn't have anything in his hand.
"Next time, come immediately when you are called, Mr. Slyder. I don't like being the delivery boy." He jerked his head to the closed door behind him. "I left your goblet with Professor Lupin. Take the potion directly."
Jericho hid his wince with a nod. "Yes, professor. Thank you," he said as politely as he could.
"See me tomorrow evening for you next goblet, Mr. Slyder."
"Yes, sir."
"Don't be late." Professor Snape turned and walked down the corridor.
Jericho watched him go before turning to the door with a silent groan. He had managed to avoid being alone with the Defense professor since the man tried to talk to him about the boggart incidence. He was not looking forward to it. At least the human him, the wolf side seemed to be wagging his tail with enthusiasm. He never felt so torn before. Usually, the wolf side and the human side was on the same page.
He hardened his face and reached for the handle, just as the door opened and a familiar boy stepped out, pausing when he saw him. "Jericho!" Harry said in surprised. "You didn't go to Hogsmeade?" he asked.
"Harry," he said in greeting. He shook his head. "Didn't feel like it." Over Harry's head, Jericho could see the back of Lupin by his desk, looking at some tank. He felt that instant awareness of the alpha werewolf. He knew the Defense professor was listening into their conversation. There was no way he could miss it with his werewolf ears. "Maybe we can play a game of chess or something, after I'm finish here," he suggested.
Harry smiled and nodded. "That sounds great! Do you have a chessboard?" Jericho shook his head. "Neither do I, but I'm sure Ron won't mind if we borrow his."
Jericho shook his head. "I don't feel right borrowing his without his permission." Weasley was still warming up to him. They bond slightly over their dislike of Malfoy, but Weasley's tolerance seemed to end there. He really didn't like Slytherin's it seemed. If they weren't talking about Malfoy, they weren't talking. At least they were civil.
"I have a set you may use, if you don't mind playing in my office," a voice interrupted.
Harry grinned as he turned to face Lupin. "Really? You don't mind?"
Jericho held back a groan. It would be impolite to deny, since Harry seemed excited to play. Maybe they'd only play one round before Jericho made an excuse to leave. Well, at least he wouldn't be alone with Lupin.
Lupin smiled back and shook his head. "Not at all, Harry. Why don't you go up to my office now while I finish up with Jericho?"
Harry nodded and walked to the front of the classroom and up the steps to the office. They waited for the door to close before Lupin led Jericho over to the desk for his potion.
"Don't think. Just swallow," Lupin said, handing him his goblet.
Jericho did as he was told, tilting his head back. He must have made a face for he heard Lupin stifled a chuckle as he took the goblet back from him. "Too bad sugar doesn't work," the professor said.
Jericho didn't respond. He was still wondering if the potion was worth taking. Yes, it was nice not going mental during the full moon, to have some sort of control, but the potion's taste was almost too much. He grew up without it. So, he knew he could live without it.
Once he drank his nasty potion, Lupin led the way to his office. Harry was already sitting at a side table next to Lupin's desk, setting up the pieces for their game. Jericho sat on the other side, the black side. Lupin sat at his desk and pulled out a stack of papers to grade.
As the game progressed, Jericho found himself relaxing. He laughed at some of Harry's moves. "You aren't that great of a player, are you?"
Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Nope. That's why Ron loves to play with me. He wins every time."
Jericho never forgot Lupin was there, but he was able to push his presence to the back of his mind long enough to enjoy his time playing with Harry. Several times, he felt Lupin's eyes on them. It was comfortable. Too comfortable.
Finally, after two games, in which Jericho won, he excused himself to walk around the grounds. Harry went back to his common room.
It was a little chilly outside, even with the sun out. Jericho zipped up his coat to block the slight breeze as he walked along the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
A twig snapped.
Jericho paused and glanced into the forest. "Hello?" he called out. He peered into the shadows and could have sworn he saw a shape move behind a tree.
He sighed and huddled in his coat. He turned and took a single step when there was another snap. Jericho growled and turned back to the forest. "Okay, who's following me? Come on. I know you're there. Come out."
This time he knew he saw something move. "I see you." The shape grew bigger and more defined as it crept close. It was a large, black dog. His eyes were a blueish grey, humane-like. He tilted his head to the side as if considering him.
Jericho looked around, seeing no one, he stepped into the forest. The dog tensed, but didn't run. He watched cautiously until Jericho stood only a few feet from him. Jericho folded his arms and glared. "Who are you? Why are you following me?"
The dog sat down and stuck out his tongue to pant.
Jericho wasn't fooled. "Don't think I'm stupid. Any other dog would have attacked me or ran from me. You have to be an animagus. So, I ask again, who are you and why are you following me?"
The dog just sat there panting. He glanced about as if he didn't have a care in the world. It looked too dog-like and Jericho began to doubt himself. Maybe it really was a dog. Jericho seen animagus's before, Professor McGonagall was one, but that didn't mean he was able to distinguish between a real animal and an animagus. Animagus were, after all, made to look like the real thing.
"You're a strange mutt," Jericho muttered under his breath. His curiosity overcame him and he took another step towards the dog. He had never petted a dog before. They never let him. Dogs usually attacked him, sometimes ran in fear.
The dog quickly stood and took a step back, as if he was still unsure about him. Jericho paused and took a small step back. "Slow then." To appear less threatening, he knelt on the ground and held out a hand. "Come on, boy. I just want to pet you. I won't harm you, promise."
The dog inched forward, stretching his nose out to sniff his hand. As the dog did so, Jericho took the time to study him. The dog was a giant, bear-like size, and very skeletal, hungry no doubt. Kneeling down in front of him, the dog towered over his head. Okay, he may be overdramatizing the bear-like size, but that was only to emphasize how large the dog seemed to him.
The dog's cold, wet nose touched his palm. Encouraged, Jericho reached up and petted his black fur. It was tangled and coated with mud, making it feel prickly and not soft, as Jericho imagined a dog's fur to feel.
The dog leaned into the touch, moving closer. He sniffed Jericho's hair and neck. The brush of the dog's nose tickled and Jericho let out a chuckle as he leaned slightly away. The dog followed him, as if he wasn't done with his sniffing. Jericho leaned further back and the dog continued to follow him, until the boy landed on his back with the dog standing over him. Jericho laughed, the first real laugh in a long time, an innocent and childish laugh. The dog's nose continued to sniff his neck.
"Stop," Jericho laughed, "That tickles."
The dog leaned back, still looking down on him with his head tilted to the side.
Jericho rubbed the wet spot on his neck from the dog's nose. "Yes, I'm a werewolf. I didn't think you need to get that close to smell it on me," he said in good humor before sitting up. "You must have a bad nose." That might explain why the dog didn't seem afraid of him. Might, being the key word.
The dog sat across from him, close enough to touch. "You must be the dog Harry keeps seeing." The dog panted and glanced to the side, seemingly not understanding what was going on. "Harry Potter, a friend of mine."
The dog snapped his head to stare at him with oddly intelligent eyes. It brought his original thought back, that the dog was an animagus. With that uncomfortable thought in mind, Jericho frowned and pushed away from the dog, but then the dog laid down and whined. That moment of intelligence gone as the dog stuck his tongue out and panted. Jericho relaxed. What would be the odds of bumping into an animagus hiding out in the forest? He reached out and petted the dog.
The dog tried to lick his hand, but Jericho jerked away. "No dog slobber," he said with a grin. As if hearing a challenge, the dog stood and tried to lick his cheek. Jericho laughed as he held the dog back.
Jericho stayed out there the dog until the students returned from Hogsmeade when he had to go meet up with Theo.
Yes, I finally updated.
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