AN: This chapter did not want to be written.

Chapter 37

The First Rule of Flight Club Is...

Dresden

In the stories adventures usually start one of two ways. Either with a day like any other or a day that starts with a stubbed toe and ends in a multiple homicide. In my experience, and boy do I have experience, it's usually the latter.

But today? Today was a good day. Not only had I finished a case for a wealthy client and in doing so gotten enough money to pay off this and next month's rent, I had finally, finally, found a way to help Susan Rodriguez with her vampire problem. I was in such a good mood that I nearly missed the simple white envelope sitting innocently against the door to my basement apartment.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at it. Waiting for it to sprout fangs and attack.

You laugh, but it's happened.

After a long moment, in which the envelope failed to reveal its nefarious purpose, I extended my Wizardly senses and failed to find anything out of the ordinary. I nodded, picked up the envelope and made my way into my apartment.

I spent the next minute trying to shut the door. Unfortunately, zombie hordes had no appreciation for quality craftsmanship which left my door on the wrong side of functional. I heard a long suffering sigh behind me before I was nudged out of the way by my miniature stegosaurus Mouse, who closed the door with one swift push.

"Showoff," I muttered as I made my way to the kitchen area and filled up Mouse's food bowl. A happy wuff was his response. I grabbed a coke from my icebox before flopping onto my couch. I examined the envelope as I took a long drink. I arched a brow when I noticed that it was addressed to my office. "Curiouser and curiouser," I held out it out to Mouse. "What do you think?"

He sniffed it, sneezed, cocked his head to the side, sniffed again, before settling down for a nap.

"Well alright then." I started to open the envelope when the phone rang. I picked the phone up. "Hello," I said, idly widening the tear with my free hand.

"Hello lover," Susan purred.

"Susan," I felt the corners of my lips turn up. Today was definitely a good day. "It's good to hear from you. How've you been?"

I heard muted conversation for a moment before she responded.

Susan sighed. "Sorry to cut this short but things are heating up down here. The Red Court is gearing up for something big and we've been running around trying to find out what it is."

"Susan, I," I hesitated. I'd looked for years for a cure. Nearly drove myself insane trying to find a way to help her and if it hadn't been for that phone call I'd still be looking.

"Harry?" Susan asked, concerned.

"I found it Susan. I found a way to help you," I said.

"What?"

"It's not a cure, and I still need someone from the Fellowship to try it on, but I," My voice caught. "I've got it."

For a long moment, there was only silence, until finally, hesitantly she asked, "You're sure?"

"Yes."

"I'll be there in a few days," Susan said, before disconnecting.

"I'll be waiting," I said and hung up the phone.

I turned my attention back to the letter. I finished opening it and…

"Pick up, pick up, pick up!"

888

With the letter to Dresden done with and Occlumency practice continuing apace, there was only one thing left for me to focus on.

Uncle Moony.

I barely knew him. I had known him for less than a year and most of that time was spent either bawling my eyes out or in a drug induced stupor. He shouldn't have been important to me.

And yet.

I found myself seeking him out anyway.

"Today we are going to try our hands at an obstacle course," Uncle Moony gestured at the Quidditch pitch behind him. Floating behind him was a corkscrew shape of floating objects. Starting at ground level it wound it's way across the field, in between the stands, and ended at the goals on the far side of the pitch. "I want you all to take it slow your first time through. This is not a race and I don't want anyone getting hurt trying to beat someone else's time."

He pressed his wand in the base of the central goal post. From where I stood I could barely make out a bunch of squiggles that briefly flared before fading from view. The corkscrew flared as well before the floating objects making it up started to move. Floating doors started to open and close, groups of balls moved in orbits that occasionally open enough for someone to pass through and planks of wood started spinning, alone and in groups. A faint blue light covered the course providing illumination and setting the boundaries of the corkscrew.

Uncle Moony turned back towards the group, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "Well? Let's have some fun!"

Despite Uncle Moony's warnings, the first few students tried to blast through the course and ended up falling from their brooms onto the thoroughly charmed ground below. When it was finally my turn I made it most of the way through before a group of spheres slammed into me, knocking off my broom. I hit the ground with enough force to knock the air out of me. I gasped for breath even as my vision swam before me.

"Ms. Potter? Are you ok?," Lupin asked, having somehow gotten right next to me without me noticing. A look of deep concern etched on his face. I managed to nod, still trying to force some air into my oxygen deprived lungs. "Would you like to go the Hospital Wing?"

I shook my head before rasping, "No, fine."

"Right then, let's clear the area so the next person can go," He nodded, hesitated a moment before helping me to my feet. I summoned my broom to me before following him the start of the course.

888

It took me three more tries before I was able to complete the course, and even then I the third longest time out of the entire club. Considering that the rest of the class, not including Roger Davis, had at least a year of practice on me I didn't feel too badly about it.

"Good job everybody," Uncle Moony said. "I'm planning something fun for next week so I hope I see everybody then!"

As the rest of the class started making their way back towards the castle Roger walked over to me. "Do you want to walk back to the dorms together?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, no. I need to talk with the Professor."

"Oh," Roger said. "I can wait if you want?"

"That's ok, it's probably going to take a while and I don't want to hold you up," I said smiling. "Later!"

"Later," Roger sighed before heading towards the castle.

Uncle Moony was directing the last of the obstacle course into the storage room under the faculty stand as I came up behind him. I took a moment to really look at him.

The Remus I was expecting was haggard, old before his time. Worn from a life of fear and loss. Uncle Moony looked young, twitchy and too skinny for comfort but altogether healthier than I was expecting.

"Yes, Ms. Potter?" Uncle Moony asked, swishing his wand to close the storage room door, before turning to face me. I caught his eye. Wolf, close to the surface. He flinched and averted his eyes.

"We really need to talk," I said mentally nudging Wolf back. That was a stronger reaction than I was expected, but if it made him take this seriously so be it.

He nodded, frowning. "Right, follow me." He turned and made for the fireplace at the back of the stands. He grabbed a pinch of Floo powder and threw it into the fire. "Professor Lupin's office." He walked through without looking back.

I grimaced.

Maybe I came on too strong?

I sighed and followed him through.

The room was more bare than I hanging on the walls, an empty desk and only the faintest traces of his scent. I frowned, I wasn't anticipating Dumbledore levels of decoration, but I had expected something.

Uncle Moony moved to sit behind the desk, the set of his shoulders eased once it was between us. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Some hot chocolate would be nice," I said as I sat down on the only other chair.

He nodded. "I think I'll have some tea and biscuits, enough for two." A moment later a tray arrived and he started fixing his tea, ladling in sugar before reaching into his shirt pocket and pulling out a metal canteen.

My brow arched when he poured a good dash of clear liquid into the tea. Alcohol, really? Had I rattled him that much?

"Not alcohol, potion," Wolf said.

"An ageing potion, going by the scent," Said Dragon, something like sympathy coloring her tone. My eyes widened and I swallowed a sudden lump in my throat.

"You going to drink that? I promise it's quite good," Uncle Moony said glancing at me.

I hastily picked up the saucer of hot chocolate and took a drink, hardly registering the taste or the heat.

Of the multiple kinds of werewolves, only Tier Welshers could forcibly change you into a werewolf. Unlike what popular fiction would have you believe a bite is nowhere near enough to change you. It takes a mauling so severe that the victim nearly dies. Even in controlled conditions, the survival rate was horrible.

But for those who do survive the turn, there came a host of benefits. Increased strength, speed, endurance and most importantly immortality. The catch is that the immortality starts right away. For most people that's not too bad, their healing is so good that there is no difference between someone turned at eighty or someone turned at thirty.

But for someone changed as a child, say pre-Hogwarts, then they stay a child.

The silence stretched on, becoming almost deafening, as the both of us focused on our drinks. Until I finally couldn't take it any longer. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for insisting on this meeting, but when you didn't approach me, last class, I thought it was best that we get this out of the way."

"Oh?" He asked.

"As I'm sure you know when unfamiliar werewolves are obliged to spend time together in the same area it is customary for them to," I hesitated for a moment, "establish a pecking order."

"That's usually only done when they are Tier Welshers and I was given to understand that you aren't one," Lupin said formally, his hands entwined on the desk.

"True, but my wolf is, or was, a Hexenwolf and they're just as. " Don't say crazy. Don't say crazy. "Territorial as any Tier Welsher."

"Fine," Lupin sighed. He sat up straight, his eyes gained confidence, and his body language became altogether more confrontational. Gone was the meek flight professor, the threadbare outcast. In his place sat a survivor. Someone who had seen the worst the world had to offer and came out swinging.

Wolf surged to the forefront, her eager grin spread across my face.

And thus began the most intense staring contest ever.

888

Lupin looked at me.

I looked at him.

Time passes.

"No urge to look away?" I asked.

"Not particularly," Lupin said, eyes locked on mine even as he took a sip of tea. "But then I've never met a werewolf who could make me look away."

I frowned, this wasn't going like I expected. Usually, when a dominant wolf looked at there was a weight, an almost physical force to their gaze, that demanded submission. I wasn't feeling anything like that. Which should have meant that he was a submissive wolf, but a submissive wolf would have conceded already. More to the point, they wouldn't get into the staring contest in the first place.

My frown deepened and Wolf eased back. "Omega?"

Uncle Moony blinked, "I'm sorry?"

"You're not dominant or submissive, and as a Tier Welsher you have to be one or the other," I said. "Unless you're an Omega."

"What, exactly, is an Omega?" Uncle Moony asked, eyebrow furring.

It was my turn to blink.

"You don't know?" I shook my head. "Of course, you don't. If you knew, you wouldn't ask." I took a deep breath and released it. "An Omega is quite possibly the single most valuable type of werewolf there is."

"Valuable?" Lupin murmured.

I waited for him to say something else but when he didn't I pressed on. "Yes, valuable. If a submissive wolf is one in a million, an Omega is one in a billion. An Omega is a dominant who doesn't need to be in charge and a submissive that feels no compulsion to submit. All the calming effects of a submissive wolf coupled with the ability to tell an Alpha to go f-to stuff it," I coughed. "Should the need arise."

"Should the need arise?" Uncle Moony raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," I said, averting my eyes.

"Hmm," Uncle Moony leaned back in his chair.

888

"That went better than I expected," Dragon said. In my mind's eye, I could see her laying on the couch in my part of our mindscape.

"Really?" I asked absently as I tried to find my way to the Ravenclaw dorms. I had started on the third floor after leaving Uncle Moony's office but going by what the windows were showing I had somehow made my way six floors over the top of Astronomy Tower, despite never taking the stairs. The fact that the Astronomy tower was supposed to be the tallest part of Hogwarts barely even registered. "It's not usually this hard to get around."

I sighed, I should have just taken the Floo.

At least the sunset made for a pretty sight.

"Yes, really. We didn't get in a fight and we got invited back for tea. All in all a good days work," Dragon said.

"You smell that?" I asked.

"Smoke?" Wolf suggested.

"Too early for the torches to be lit," I said. Most people wouldn't be able to smell the smoke from the torches. They were, after all, magic torches. Werewolves weren't most people. I took a deep breath, drawing the air over my tongue, and frowned. "Cigarettes?"

A second later Professors Lockhart and McGonagall rounded the corner. Lockhart was smoking while McGonagall watched him with a pinched look. They slowed to a stop when the saw me standing in the middle of the hallway.

"A little late for a walk, isn't it Miss Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked arching her brow.

Before I could respond Professor Lockhart chimed in. "She's probably just lost her way, with how the hallways are moving about even I'm having trouble getting around." He looked at me inquiringly. "Isn't that right Miss Potter?"

I started to reply but Professor McGonagall interrupted me before I could speak. "I'm sure she can speak for herself, Gilderoy." I wasn't even the one she was talking to and I cringed. Professor Lockhart's only response was an easy smile and a puff of smoke. McGonagall narrowed her eyes at him before raising her wand in a swirling pattern. "Praestrangulo." The faint glow from Lockhart's cigarette went out. "No smoking in front of the students."

"If you insist," Professor Lockhart tucked the cigarette behind his ear with a sigh. "Well Miss Potter, as late as it is I'm afraid we will have to escort you to Ravenclaw Tower. Otherwise, you'll miss curfew."

I nodded and followed them down the dark, torch-lit, corridors.

888

As annoying as it was to find my way around with the Siege Wards active, there was one benefit I certainly wasn't complaining about. With Hogwarts providing power to the school's ghosts directly they were much more lively than usual. Which meant that for once History of Magic was actually interesting.

"Since its establishment by the Founders, Hogwarts has remained a neutral party in the affairs of the world. This has not always been an accepted fact, of course. During the Founder's tenure and for centuries afterward, attempts were made to conquer Hogwarts. Each and everyone was rebuffed without a single casualty on the part of the defenders," Professor Binns voice, usually a monotone so boring that even Hermione would be flagging by the end of class, had some actual emotion.

I was half convinced the world was ending. That fact that Binns had been staring at us since class started only strengthened that feeling.

I leaned towards Hermione. "Is it just me or is he staring at you?"

Hermione glanced up from her notes for a moment before returning to her work. "I think he's staring at you, actually."

"In the year 1372 during the third Gringotts Goblin rebellion King Sharp-Fang the Brutal laid siege to Hogwarts in an attempt to seize the Wanded Council's children. So as to force an end to the current war, in such a way that greatly favored his clan…"

I looked up at the Professor through my bangs and hummed thoughtfully. It was hard to tell if Binns was staring at me or Hermione. Situated as we were at the back of the room and at the same table. That said, I was willing to bet that he was looking Hermione.

"...the siege lasted for nearly a month. During that time Sharp-Fang's forces made a constant effort to break through the school's wards. Theses attempts met with no success. The war was becoming untenable with the other Gringotts clans and the Wanded Council's forces raiding his encampment daily. At this point, desperation began to set in set in.

"Faced with defeat Sharp-Fang enacted a scheme that would be his ultimate downfall," A frown crept onto Binns face as he continued. "Utilizing his people's skills with runecraft and enchantment and a kidnapped child slated to go to Hogwarts the next year, he crafted a weapon. Sharp-Fang sent this child through the wards, they, of course, recognized him as a potential student and allowed him access. The child never made it to the castle.

"Sharp-Fangs enchantments activated before the child stepped inside and blew him up. The enchantment was not merely an explosive force, but a mystical one as well. It started a cataclysmic Ward Transitional Failure that, with any other ward scheme, would have completely neutralized the wards.

"As it was it forced Hogwarts to go on the offensive," Professor Binns' stare, already intense, gained a whole new level of force. "The inevitable product of this offensive was, of course, the complete annihilation of the goblin forces."

I imagine that class' reaction would have been notable if Hermione and I weren't the only ones awake. Given that Hermione was too busy writing her notes and I was rooted in place by the force of Professor Binns stare, the only reaction exhibited was a chorus of snoring and the faint sound of quill on parchment.

The bell rang waking the class from their afternoon nap. The students stood obscuring me from Professor Binns' gaze, which shook me from my stupor. I got my feet and stretched, deliberately turning my back on the front of the room.

"Hey, before you put that away can I get a copy?" I asked.

"Sure," Hermione said before performing the Geminio spell on her notes and handing me the copies. "Why? You don't usually bother with Professor Binns' class."

I stuck the parchment up my sleeve as we made our way out of the classroom. "He broke pattern, people rarely break their pattern. Ghosts never break their pattern unless prompted."

"It's probably just the wards," Hermione said as we turned right down a new intersection.

"Possibly, but better safe than sorry," I said before cocking my head to the side. "You hear that?"

"Hear what?" Hermione asked.

"Sounds like someone's crying," I said. The further down the hall we got the louder it got until finally, Hermione could hear it. We traded looks before we started hurrying. In the next hallway tucked in between two suites of armor sat the huddled form of Luna Lovegood.

I frowned. She wasn't just sitting between the armors and crying she had pushed herself as close to the wall as possible. Like she was hiding from something.

"I don't smell anything," Wolf said.

I nodded and closed my eyes.

Breath. Focus. Sense.

I cast my senses outward looking for something, anything, out of the ordinary. The constant volcanic eruption of power that Hogwarts was the first thing that I felt but I dealt with that every day and quickly tuned it out. I smelt the faintest hint of graveyard air, but when I focused on it the smell faded.

I tilted my head. The leftover traces of a spell? I focused my senses but the graveyard sent was gone but in its place, I felt duality. Here but there. My stomach turned the more I focused on it. So instead I turned my attention to Luna.

Seeing.

Understanding.

Pain.

I opened my eyes to see Hermione on the floor next to Luna. Holding her, trying to calm her down with whispered words but she paid Hermione no mind. Her blue eyes were locked on me and when she noticed me looking her cries turned into violent gasps for air.

"Stupefy," I said. My spell hit and Luna's eyes closed, her breath eased and the tension left her body.

"Alex, why did you stun the panicking first year?" Hermione asked.

"Yes Potter," Ernie Mcmillan asked from somewhere behind me. "Why did you stun the first year?"