Disclaimer: As much as I wish and dream that I own a certain werewolf, unfortunately I don't. Doesn't stop me from borrowing him, and the others, and making them bend to my every whim…

Hope that you all enjoyed the last chapter. It was difficult to write, or I should say that parts of it were difficult to write, other parts sort of wrote themselves.

This chapter is considerably shorter (by a thousand words or so) than the previous chappie, but the content is more important than the length with this one.

Thank you for the many wonderful reviews – every comment, good or bad, is appreciated and helps fuel my desire to write.

Now, for the chapter containing the much anticipated explanation behind this 'theory' that Hermione found….

*Edited for content and tense on April 23, 2012


Man of the Night

Chapter Twelve


Hermione

That was it! That was the book that I found in the Hogwarts Library. The one with the theory!

I frantically flipped through the book, trying to locate the passage with the theory. After ten minutes, I finally found the page I was looking for – and this time the page was whole; there was nothing ripped out or missing…

"Hi, um…"

My head snapped up at the hesitant voice. A teary-eyed first year stood in front of me, hands wringing nervously.

"Hi Amaya, did you want to speak to me privately?" I asked the scared child. With a quick nod of understanding, Ginny gathered her belongings and left us alone at the table.

Time for Head Girl duties, I thought to myself, marking the page of the most important book in the world before slipping it into my bag.

Amaya blubbered her way through a long tale of being equal parts homesick and bullied by the Slytherins. I listened intently and offered advise until the ickle first year was smiling again.

By the time Amaya skipped off, my mind had forgotten all about the book.


Remus

Looking out the window of the carriage as the thestrals pulled us along the path to Hogwarts, I half-listened to Sirius as he chattered excitedly.

I felt the carriage hit a divot in the path and barely caught Sirius' words over the racket the wheels of the carriage made. I caught enough to rip my attention from the window as I sharply turned my head toward the animagus.

"Sorry, what did you say?" I asked incredulously. "I thought I heard you say that you just met the girl of your dreams."

What the hell was he talking about? He leaves my side for all of five minutes and that happens?

"That's exactly what I said, my friend. There is a Ravenclaw witch who just sparked my interest," Sirius said with a glazed look in his eye.

"Padfoot, be realistic. How can you be that smitten so suddenly," I tried to reason with my best friend. "How well do you even know her? And when did you meet her?"

"What does it matter how well I know her? I just know that she is something special. Even if I only laid eyes on her on the train and said all of three words to her."

"Wait, she's a student?" Remus practically screeched.

"That, my friend, is a bit of the pot calling the kettle 'dirty bottom', don't you think? Weren't you the one who told me just last week that you kissed…"

"Stop, you don't have to finish that sentence," I said, holding up a hand to prevent further point-making on Sirius' part. "I am just trying to save you from the same drama that I am currently facing. Besides, Hermione is nearly nineteen after all that time using the time-turner in her third year."

"Oh, right, last week you were going on and on that it was so wrong because 'she's a student, she's so young', but now it's okay because she's nearly nineteen. You need to make up your mind, Moony."

He was right, of course… what was wrong with me? One minute I was freaking out because I kissed a student, the next I said that it's okay because she was nearly nineteen. I needed to keep telling myself that it was wrong no matter what her age – she was still a student.

I could not allow any hope to enter my mind; otherwise I might let something happen that really shouldn't. Wouldn't the wolf just love that.

"Besides, Franscesca is eighteen as well," Sirius said.

"Who is Franscesca?" I asked blankly, my head still clouded with my own troubles.

"The Ravenclaw witch."

"Oh."

Sirius flashed me his puppy dog eyes as the carriage came to a halt in front of the school.

"You can have all the crushes you want, you mangy mutt," I said, climbing out of the carriage. "Just don't act on them. It's more trouble than even you can handle."

Sirius barked with laughter. "Don't I know it."


Hermione

"Ginny, I really need to talk to you before the feast," I whispered as we boarded the carriage to take us to Hogwarts.

Ginny looked around the carriage before turning back to me. "We'll break away from the boys when we get off the carriage."

Nodding my consent, I spent the rest of the short journey in silent contemplation.

This theory was a bit darker than I realized. I didn't know what to think really, now that I read the whole thing.

I could see why Remus got so worked up when I first mentioned that I read about it. Of course he would not want or allow someone to go through all of that for him.

It was a lot to ask of someone, so I could not blame him. I wished that he would have warned me about some of it, though I suppose he did try to warn me off.

I couldn't believe that I researched a dark arts book without realizing it. I really need to pay more attention to what kind of information I was researching. Not that it was the first dark arts related book that I've read through – I just liked to know ahead of time so I wouldn't get too absorbed in it.

The final lurch of the carriage as it stopped in front of the school shook me out of my reverie. I followed Ginny out of the carriage and we made our excuses in order to find a quiet place to discuss what I found.

We rushed up the steps, into the entrance hall, and down the first floor corridor to the first empty room we find. Once inside, I closed and warded the door while Ginny cast a strong silencing spell. No sense taking chances with someone overhearing us, right?

"Okay, so what did you find in that book that has you so troubled?" Ginny asked immediately.

"The theory is so much more complicated and darker than I thought. Now that I was able to read the entire thing, it appears to be more of a dark arts related ritual than an actual theory."

"What does it say?" Ginny's voice was laden with earnest curiosity. She put nearly as much effort into finding the theory/ritual as I did, so I was sure that she was dying to know the end result.

"Well, basically the part that I found originally only touches on the actual ritual. It gets more complicated and involved than I imagined. I don't know if I can do that for him, Ginny. I promised Sirius that I would not give up on him but I don't know how to help him if I can't do what this ritual wants me to do," I explained, my voice filled with despair.

"Oh 'Mione, what does it require you to do?" Ginny looked at me with concern but raised her eyebrows for me to continue.

"The book says that a werewolf needs to find its mate after he has accepted the wolf as part of himself. The mate must also accept the wolf… she has to accept the wolf enough to share part of the curse that he suffers from."

Ginny watched me wide-eyed as I explained what I read in the book.

"It gets worse. Nothing with bestiality or anything like that, mind, but it is still bad," – I added quickly when I saw the look of horror that was on Ginny's face, knowing what she was thinking – "Once the mate fully accepts the wolf in him, he must infect her… he has to bite her during the first full moon following proclamation of love and acceptance."

"You're kidding," Ginny exclaimed in shock. "What the hell kind of theory, ritual, whatever, is this?"

"It's a dark one, even though it does mention love as part of the equation. Interesting, but definitely dark," I replied.

"So, that's it then? If the mate is truly accepting after being infected, he's cured? What about the mate?"

I smiled at Ginny's enthusiastic curiosity. I must have been rubbing off on her… she was starting to sound like me with the constant flow of questions.

"That's the interesting thing, Gin. If the mate truly loves and accepts the wolf in the man and, subsequently, the wolf in herself once she is bitten after the first full transformation, then they should cease to transform every month. There is some kind of quick blood ritual that they must complete immediately after the full moon that leaves only remnants of the lycanthropy in their systems. After that, they will only suffer from the subtle day/night changes that Remus goes through, only it won't be as strong."

"Okay, that sounds bad, but not so bad. I mean, it could be worse right?" Ginny stated.

"That's exactly it. It could be a lot worse," I replied darkly. "If it doesn't work – if the mate is not accepting of the wolf in him or in herself after being bitten, then one of two things happen. In one scenario, they are both doomed to life as werewolves, with all the stigmas that come with it, and not necessarily life together, especially if there is resentment on one side or the other.

"In the other scenario, the mate will suffer death, either by her own hands – in a fit of self-hatred or something along that line – or from the curse itself when it acts as a poison in the mate's system, which, for some reason, the book did not explain."

After I finished my explanation, both Ginny and I sat in silence for several long minutes. It occured to me during our mutual silence that we were missing the Welcoming Feast.

The boys were probably frantic with worry. Either that or they didn't even notice – either option had potential. I wondered what they would say if they knew what we were discussing…

Remus must have been worried at our absence, too. Especially after our little chat about me being more careful this term… disappearing without a proper explanation and missing the Welcoming Feast was probably not the best way to go about being 'more careful'.

"Wow, so that is a lot to contend with, no wonder Remus was not pleased when you told him you found the theory," Ginny said after an eternity of silence.

"Uh huh," I replied, not really paying attention. I was thinking about Remus and this theory, ritual, whatever it was called.

"He must think that is too much to ask of one person, even if they are willing to do it for him."

"Uh huh." What should I do?

"I can't blame him after all. I couldn't imagine someone going through that by choice for another person."

"Uh huh." Remus would never go through with it, even if I wanted to. I already knew that.

"Though, I guess when you love someone so much that his pain physically hurts you, it would be a different story," Ginny contemplated.

"Uh huh." Maybe I should talk it over with Sirius?

"Do you love him that much?" Ginny asked bluntly.

"Uh huh." He would probably want me to break my promise if he thought my life would be in danger, right?

"Are you really thinking of going through all of that for him?"

"Uh huh." Oh, I don't know… why did it have to be so complicated?

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

"Uh huh." I wished that I didn't think so much. I was starting to get a headache.

"Right, so you really are having an affair with Snape behind Tonks' back, aren't you?"

"Uh hu – what?" I blinked furiously, trying to comprehend what Ginny just said.

Something about Snape, an affair… oh!

I was so lost in my thoughts that I must have been on autopilot through Ginny's interrogation.

"I knew you weren't listening! You always do that to me!" Ginny screeched in exasperation. "You were thinking again, no doubt? You have to stop that."

"Sorry Gin," I said before breaking out in laughter. "Me, stop thinking? I think Filch will learn how to fly first."

After our hysterical laughter subsided, we decided to head to the Great Hall for what was left of the Welcoming Feast.

"We will talk more about it later, as I'm sure I will have a million more impertinent questions for you after I think on it a bit," Ginny told me as we walked down the corridor.


Remus

"Have you seen Hermione or Ginny?" I whispered.

Sirius was sitting next to me at the Head Table, watching avidly as the first years were sorted into their houses.

"No, not since we left Hogsmeade," Sirius answered.

I let my eyes wander down the Gryffindor table in search of the missing girls. I didn't know where they could have gotten off to. Maybe Dumbledore or McGonagall needed them to do something?

Glancing around at the other tables, I stifled a chuckle as I see a number of young witches cast furtive glances toward Sirius. Catching sight of one young witch's face at the Ravenclaw table as she looks toward the Head Table, I am struck by her striking blue eyes.

Glancing back at Sirius, who is trying not to blatantly stare at the Ravenclaw table, I can see how Sirius would think her special… there is definitely something about her that is nearly intoxicating.

He is hopeless, yet I worry about his self control with such a young witch.

My thoughts quickly turned to Hermione's whereabouts as Dumbledore rose to give the start of term announcements. I am concerned that Draco Malfoy may have gotten to her when no one was watching.

I was so busy worrying over Hermione that I nearly missed Albus announce my return as DADA professor. Feeling a pat on my back signaling me to acknowledge the announcement, I abruptly stood, smiled, and waved as the students cheered. I hated having all the attention on me, even if it only lasted a moment.

Sirius, however, basked in the attention. He stood up and practically threw himself into a full bow when Albus announced his position as Charms professor. He sent a wink and a wolfish grin to the Gryffindor table before he settled back into his seat.

Albus silenced the cheering students with a stern look before moving on to his normal start-of-term announcements.

Dumbledore finally called for the food to be presented and the racket in the hall settled as everyone's attention turned toward the delicious meal in front of them.

The Welcoming Feast was nearly finished the double doors to the hall open. I felt relief flow through me, as well as the wolf stir, when Hermione rushed through the doors toward the Gryffindor table. I barely noticed that Ginny was following right behind her.

They seemed to be a little out of sorts and I couldn't help but wonder where they were. I had a funny feeling that maybe I am better off not knowing.


Well, there you have it folks…

Now you know what all the fuss was over that damn theory… which is really more of a ritual now that we know more about it.

I hope that I was able to explain it properly… if not, let me know and I will try to fix it.

Please review…I am really curious to find out if this chapter was worthy of the anticipation that the previous chapters created….