Snake's Skin

Chapter 9: Calling the Wolf.

AN: Sorry for this taking so long to come out but I've been having problems lately. insomnia coupled with a few in-family fights have taken their toll. SO I decided to comeback to this story and brighten my day. PITY ME AND MY CARPAL TUNNELED WRIST!!

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Pansy Parkinson was by no means a 'good' girl; in fact, she normally took great pleasure in being the princess of all bad girls. However, she was now facing a choice that would have been a non-issue just a few months earlier. She was currently sitting in front of the Slytherian common room's fireplace contemplating the book in front of her at the moment. She had gotten the idea when she was on one of her privileged outages into the restricted section of the library. She found a spell that would insure her connection to Harry and, by association, his money would never be apart. However, there was one thing that was keeping her from launching full into her plan. She had actually began to like the boy. Quite honestly, she was wondering if putting her plan into action was worth the sacrifice of choice. Pansy wanted Harry to want her but did she want it at any cost or was there line she was willing to draw. "If it's about a boy," came a voice from behind her, "they're worthless anyway." Pansy turned to find that Daphne Greengrass had managed to sneak up behind her.

"I'm not going to go out with you, Daphne." Pansy sighed as Daphne sat down next to her.

"Why don't you tell momma what's wrong, huh."

"Let's see, where to start, hmm. Do I, one: do something I know will get me the results I want; or two, do I try to win him over and take the chance that I might loose him?" Daphne sat beside Pansy and put her arm around her.

"Honey, what does your heart tell you? Just listen there and you'll get the answer you need. Maybe not the answer you want, but you'll get what you need."

"Daphne,"

"yeah hun?"

"Get your hand off my chest."

"Sorry, force of habit."

Pansy looked at the fire and without a second's hesitation, tossed the book into it with a thoughtful gaze. "Daphne."

"yes."

"Can a snake truly change her skin?"

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Later that same night, Harry, now more commonly known as Jamie, was in the Gryffindor common room staring at the very nude male form of the man she had come to know as Romulus Greyback. Hermione had taken to hiding in a corner were her eyes could not see the groggy man while Remus quickly took the initiative to try and protect Harry's, or rather Jamie's, honor by stepping between the naked man and the young girl. "Put some clothes on Man!" Remus yelled, "There are young girls in the room!"

Romulus shrugged his shoulders, "It's not my fault you took me as I was preparing for bed."

"Who sleeps nude!?" hissed Hermione from her corner.

"Someone who's not sleeping alone." answered Romulus, "in any case, why have you brought me here?" He folded his arms as Harry brought him a large set of school robes, Dean didn't need to know where she had gotten them from.

"We need your help; do you remember an animagus..." began Harry

"...that transformed into a bedraggled looking mutt, yes I remember him. We used to raid the hen house together." Romulus seemed to have fond memories of Harry's godfather, but what did raiding the hen house mean? "He seemed to be looking for a way to cure his friend of the werewolves affliction. He was quite obsessed with it in fact."

"He said that you might be able to help." said Remus.

"Nope." chirped Rom

"Wait, what?" wondered Hermione.

"There is no cure for the wolf." Harry turned to Remus to find a look of complete and utter shock on his face. If Harry read that look right, Remus was wondering why they had even bothered to bring this man here, "there is, however, a way to purify the wolf inside so that it is subservient to the host."

"Excuse me?" gasped Remus.

"You must be the one, then." Romulus looked Remus up and down, giving several subtle sniffs at certain points when he circled the once defense teacher, "oh dear, you've been fighting for a very long time haven't you."

"You have no idea." replied Remus. Then, as if he had just heard the most humorous joke ever, Romulus broke into a fit of uncontrolled laughter. "To think, you were right here all along!" He almost choked on fits of laughter, "It's just too ironic to stomach."

"Care to explain." chimed Hermione

"Sure, sorry. I mean to say that my brother has been looking for one of his... children, for lack of a better word, that had been strong enough to resist the wolf for most of their life. needless to say, by your age most wolves lose the fight, and are turned completely. Here I am going show you to the way to win."

"The way to win? You mean control the animal inside of me?" Remus wondered incredulously.

"Well, I'll have to bring some help, but yes. Now if you'll excuse me." Romulus lifted his arm into the air.

"Wait where are we going to meet and when?"

"Uh, one week, pumpkin patch good for everyone..."

"Well..."

"Good! bye!" Romulus disappeared with a slight crack, but immediately reappeared, "I'll... uh have these cleaned and returned." he indicating the school robes he was wearing.

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Elsewhere, Fenrir Greyback was sulking around the dark of the room he had been given by the Dark Lord. It was no better than a kennel, but Fenrir found it pleasant none the less. It was rank, it was dirty, and it was nasty, but it was private, and no one would come searching in it. It was the best place to hide two out of the three artifacts that he had acquired under the Dark Lord's nose. The reason that he was pacing at the moment was the knowledge that Alecto had passed on to him. If it was true and the Rite had started, then he would have very little time to find the last Artifact and a host for what he planned to do, or it would prove too late. "Where is that blonde bitch..."

"Alecto will not be coming to you this night, animal."

"Amycus... I'm so pleased to meet you."

"You will die for what you have done to my sister."

"I'm sorry, were you already..." Fenrir waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Bastard!" Amycus pulled his wand, but was too slow and Fenrir had pounced like a feral dog ripping at Amycus's neck and tearing at his jugular. Amycus fired several random jinxes in several directions but only one of them connected. It took Fenrir's right hand off and knocked him across the room. Unfortunately for Amycus, his jugular tore off in Fenrir's mouth, and he was soon to be bleeding to death. Fenrir recovered quickly and calmly walked over to the soon to be dead death eater. Fenrir happily displayed his stump where his hand had been. He picked up the hand that had been blown off and placed it on the stump. The wound healed as a wicked smile crept over Fenrir's face. With his last few moment of sight, Amycus realized that he had only succeeded in getting himself killed. Now who would protect Alecto from this monster? Fenrir stalked back to his corner in silence and swallowed.

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Ron, Harry and Hermione walked the road to Hagrid's hut, or, more precisely, the pumpkin patch behind it. They had been very quiet sense the get go and said almost nothing as if they were trying to hide the fact that they were outside so late at night. If they were trying to hide it they either really bad at hiding or not really trying to conceal themselves. Harry stopped the trio silently and pulled them into the tree line. "Oy, why'd you do that?" wondered Ron

"Someone's coming."

"It's probably just Remus or Romulus." added Hermione.

"I'd rather not take the chance."

Slowly a large wolf moved out from the darkness behind Hagrid's hut, It was a good thing that Hagrid was off on a mission for Dumbledore or his large hunting hound might have noticed it. The wolf was clothed in bright blood red fur with topaz eyes and an intelligent air about him. It sniffed the air with several breaths and turned it's gaze to the hiding spot that Harry had pulled Hermione and Ron into. It almost seemed to smile as it took in a large amount of air and let out a massive howl that probably managed to wake all of the castles inhabitants. It was quite late at night and Harry noticed as several of the lights in the castle flashed on. suddenly the sound of a twig braking sounded alerting Harry to a presence behind them. Harry snapped around with her wand out. Only to be met with the same regal looking girl they had met in Diagon Ally. this time she was clothed in a form fitting black leather jacket and second skin trousers of the same color. Her outfit set off her pale skin. "If I had not been ordered to leave you be, you would all be dead now." She spat venomously.

"You're saying we should get better at detecting people." Ron sighed

"No, I'm saying I would have killed you had Rom not requested I to do otherwise." She said as she passed them by and walked next to the blood red wolf. Ron made a subtle gulping noise. The wolf soon took human form and, as they had expected, was Rom in the same suit he was wearing at their first meeting.

"Please forgive Persephone, she has not had too many... happy experiences with wizards."

"The red head looks healthy enough..." She mumbled to herself.

"We're here, What now?" wondered Ron trying to avoid the predatory looks that Persephone was giving him.

"Now we go someplace that no wizard has ever been." said Rom as he materialized a small chew toy from thin air. Rom shot a side glare at Persephone, "Ha Ha very funny."

"I thought it was hilarious." She responded without changing her stern look.

"A port-key?" wondered Hermione

"Ding, give the girl whatever she wants!" Rom exclaimed as his touched his nose with his index finger.

Harry moved closer to Romulus but was immediately stopped by Hermione's hand being on his shoulder. "Are you certain you trust this man? We don't know him." she said in a slight whisper.

"Tell me something; do you trust Your teachers to give you what you need to defeat Voldemort."

"Wait, you know who I am?" gasped Harry

"I knew you where full of raw power with little to no training. I sorta guessed just a second ago, and you confirmed it." Romulus looked down, "Though, I had heard you were a boy." His eyes widened as he chanced a glance at Harry's crotch then quickly back up to her eyes, "...are you...?"

"For the moment, I am completely a girl." Harry said with a cough.

"If we are done with the prattle... let us go, the one you call Remus is already there and has already begun the process."

Harry stepped closely to Romulus and turned to Hermione and Ron. Hermione was the first to sigh and approach Rom with Ron following soon there after. On a count of three, Persephone, Romulus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione took hold of the chew toy and felt the familiar hook behind their navels as they spun through space and landed hardly onto a solid marble floor. Harry pushed herself up off the floor and scanned her surroundings. She found them to be in what must have been a ball room before it was converted into a laboratory. It was a massive hall made completely out of black marble. The room was adorned with matching pillars with statuettes of cherubs on one side and impish demons on the other. Harry panned the room and his wonderment was halted as he saw Remus lying in a bed with several lacerations and scar on his body that looked like claw marks. Just as Harry was about to yell at Romulus, Romulus started yelling at the medical staff waiting on Remus. "What the hell happened!?" Romulus roared at a mousey looking fellow in a lab coat.

"Sir, His wolf is much much stronger than anyone I've ever seen before." He straightened his jacket, "I believe even more so than yours."

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AN: Sorry for the long wait guys, but I wanted to update several stories all at once. Also after a conversation I had with one of the reviewer, I realized that this story as gotten way far away from the fun "ZOMG Harry's a girl!! LOLROFL" I was planning it to be. So... I put a poll on my page "/sevish" about whether or not to continue it. Please vote, and leave reviews if you want me to continue.