Twilight Saga characters

created and owned by Stephenie Meyer

And the characters and plotline of

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

created and owned by J.K. Rowling

Chapter 50: That Man is Seriously a Dog?

"Hey, guess what I heard about today?" Emmett exclaimed as he joined us in the library.

"What?" Alice asked, "Oh, wait….. interesting."

"I really hate it when you do that, you know." He scowled at her… "Anyway, guess what – Harry is related to werewolves."

"What?" Jasper asked… "Werewolves? But his scent, he doesn't stink… can that actually happen?"

Carlisle eyed Emmett suspiciously, "What exactly did you hear?"

"Well… I overheard Harry and Ron talking… Harry was talking about his god-father. He's some guy named Sirius – that is a seriously funny name by the way… So, they were talking about him and they mentioned about him turning into a dog…"

"Interesting." Carlisle mused, "Did they say that he actually turns into a dog – like a real dog, or a wolf?"

"Ummm, you know they didn't say… I heard the term 'dog' and just kind of assumed." Emmett shrugged.

"I suspect, if that is the case, this Sirius actually turns into a dog, Emmett."

"Like he's seriously a dog?" Emmett chuckled at his joke.

"That is really lame.' I commented.

"But I thought Harry didn't have any family other then the muggles in London." Alice asked.

"A god father doesn't have to be an actual family relative." Rosalie commented.

"Good point," Alice replied.

"So, anyway, this guy – who's seriously a dog" Emmett chuckled again, "he's coming to visit Harry."

"What – coming here?" Carlisle asked… "We'd better ask Dumbledore about this. If he's just a dog, it should be okay – but if he's a werewolf… we'd better be prepared."

That Saturday's meeting with Dumbledore started with that topic.

"Dumbledore, what can you tell us about Harry's godfather, Sirius?" Jasper asked as he sat down.

"One moment," Dumbledore held up a finger as he poured the tea for Bella and himself and took a few sips… "okay, now – what did you want to know?"

"We heard Harry talking with Ron about his godfather – Sirius. He mentioned that he turned into a dog and we were just wondering about him."

"What do you want to know?" Dumbledore look at us inquisitively.

"Well… is he a werewolf?" Jasper asked.

"Sirius? A werewolf? Not, not at all. He's an Animagus. He can shift into a dog at will – a large shaggy black dog to be precise – of no particular breed, however… basically a mutt. But he was friends with a werewolf…"

"There are werewolves here?"

"Not currently. A year ago we hired Professor Lupin. He has been a werewolf since he was a child. Sirius, along with Harry's father and another young man Peter, became Animagi to support Lupin when he went through his transformations each full moon."

"I thought that was just a superstition – a Hollywood story" Bella said, "I mean, the werewolves I know shift at will…and they can stop."

"Ah, Bella." Carlisle started, "I think maybe I should clarify something. The wolves in Forks – they aren't true werewolves… They are shape shifters who change into wolves with the ability to defend against vampires."

"What?" she was confused.

"Remember last year, when I fought Victoria?" I started to explain. She winced at the reminder, but then calmed so I went on. "She commented about a werewolf that James tracked across Siberia… That was a true werewolf. She thought Seth would turn on me just like a true werewolf would have…"

A flicker of recognition came across her eyes, along with the sorrow and pain at the memory. "I remember…" she said softly. "I didn't make much of it at the time… so what's the difference?"

"Well," Carlisle jumped in, "Werewolves are usually loners, though they sometimes travel in twos as mates… they change like the wolves you know during the full moon – but their appearance is more of a man-wolf then a true wolf."

"The book!" I remembered, "There was a book in the library on werewolves… Hermione was the last one to take it out."

Dumbledore chuckled, "Yes… Hermione figured out Professor Lupin fairly quickly… quite inquisitive that girl."

"So, these werewolves… are they dangerous?" Bella asked.

"All wolves are dangerous." I pointed out. She made face. "but these werewolves are more so… Whereas your wolves still maintain their identity when they are wolves, werewolves are taken over entirely by their instincts. They would turn on their best friend."

"And they don't work in packs – they aren't social beings…" Carlisle added.

"Quite true" Dumbledore said, "When werewolves first go through the transformation, they often don't realize what happened once they shift back…. But I would be very fascinated to know more about these shape-shifting wolves you know. They aren't wizards I presume."

"No" Carlisle replied, "It seems to be something in their genetic code – it is triggered by a catalyst. Our working theory is that we are the catalyst."

"Fascinating." Dumbledore sat back.

"Very. When we first moved to the Forks area, the wolves came around. After we left they disappeared. An entire generation passed by without a single wolf. We thought the gene had been lost, but a few years after we returned, the young men – and one woman – began transforming…. And since we have a large coven."

"They have a large pack." Dumbledore guessed. "I would very much like to study this new development. This is something I have not yet seen in my many years."

"Nor I, until we moved to Forks." Carlisle replied.

"So, what does this have to do with Harry?" Bella asked.

"We were asking about Sirius – his god father…"I replied.

"Yes, he sounds closer to your shape shifters." Dumbledore said, "He is the only magical family Harry has left – his god father. He and James were very good friends."

"I heard he was coming to visit Harry." Emmett advised,

"Ah… likely later today during the students' visit to Hogsmede…" Dumbledore mused, thinking for a moment… "Jasper, how would you like to go for another walk this afternoon? I think I can rummage up a cloak for you to wear."

"Certainly." Jasper replied, looking excited.

Jasper headed down to Hogsmede with Bella and I, he dressed in the invisibility cloak. Bella and I posed as two Hogwarts students in love, going to Madam Puddifoot's tea room for the afternoon… It wasn't a difficult part to play.

One we arrived in the town, Jasper picked up the scent of Harry, Hermione and Ron and followed it out of the town toward the mountains. Bella and I settled in at the tea room while I watched in his mind.

He ran a good distance to the foot of the mountain and then up the boulders and rocks higher and higher up the mountain itself. It must have been a good half an hour trip for the humans, though Jasper made it up in five minutes. However, trail seemed to come to an end suddenly. Jasper doubled back a few steps and then followed the trail again…He paused and reached out with his power, sensing feelings of hunger and appreciation, as well as happiness and acceptance… It was nearby. He could hear muffled voices… after a moment more he found the fissure in the rock that led to a cool, dimly lit cave…

A grizzled black haired man dressed in worn grey robes was gobbling down chicken legs and bread like he hadn't eaten in months… Harry, and Ron were standing around talking to Sirius, but what was most exciting was the large creature tied to the rocks. It was half grey horse, half giant eagle… it was a hippogriff. Emmett is going to be so mad he missed out on this… Hermione was standing near the large creature stroking it's neck.

Harry had been sharing about the situation at the Quidditch world cup when Jasper arrived.

"Let me get this straight," Sirius said as he paced up and down, biting into another chicken leg, "You first saw the elf in the Top Box. She was saving Crouch a seat, right?"

"Right" Harry, Ron and Hermoine said together.

"But Crouch didn't turn up for the match?"

"No" said Harry, "I think he said he'd been too busy."

As Sirius paced around muttering Jasper considered the information… That is a good point… Why didn't he show up? Emmett and I were so excited about the match I didn't notice how suspicious that was... Jasper recalled that night of wonder and awe, when everything seemed so new and amazing, but now with new eyes – with his military background and training…. That house elf, clearly didn't want to be there, yet she remained, even after Crouch clearly wasn't going to show up… and her feelings were so scattered. One minute she was hesitant and uneasy, the next excited and eager… As though she could feel freedom within her grasp. Yet, when she was freed, she was extremely upset, Edward said… Even when they had run into her in the kitchens, she had been distraught to be let go by Mr. Crouch…

Oh, what did they just say about Ludo Bagman… Ah, they were talking about his helping Harry in the contest. Sirius seems very suspicious of that – though he doesn't seem to know the man…

Sirius held up his hand to cut off the flow of conversation, "When the Dark Mark had been conjured, and the elf had been discovered holding Harry's wand, what did Crouch do?'

"Went to look in the bushes, " said Harry, "but there wasn't anyone else there."

"Of course," Sirius muttered, pacing up and down, "of course, he'd want to pin it on anyone but his own elf… and then he sacked her?"

"Yes." said Hermione in a heated voice, "he sacked her just because she hadn't stayed in her tent and let herself get trampled-"

"Hermione, will you give it a rest with the elf!" Ron exclaimed.

Sirius shook his head, "She's got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."

"All these absences of Barty Crouch's… he goes to the trouble of making sure his house-elf saves him a seat at the Quidditch World Cup, but doesn't bother to turn up and watch. He works very hard to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, and then stops coming to that, too… it's not like Crouch. If he's ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I'll eat Buckbeak."

"D'you know Crouch, then?" Harry asked.

Sirius' face darkened like that of a hardened dangerous man. We saw in him the years of hard life that had taken from him. Jasper gasped at the level of emotion he threw off in that moment, the anger and resentment, his righteous rage.

"Oh, I know Crouch all right, " he said quietly, "He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban – without a trial."

"What?" Ron and Hermione said together.

"You're kidding!" Harry exclaimed.

"No, I'm not…"

Jasper had to slip out. The flood of emotions was overwhelming… He worried he would lose control if he didn't leave… He slipped out through the fissure in the rock and ran a short distance away, breathing heavily… Just then he caught the scent of a lynx in the area. It was a danger, with humans so close, but he took the chance, quickly draining it of it's lifeblood. I think I'll be okay now…

He quickly got up, reset the invisibility cloak around him and returned to the cave.

"So you think Snape could be up to something, then?" asked Harry.

Hermione cut him off, "Look, I don't care what you say, Dumbledore trusts Snape-"

"Oh, come off it, Hermione." Ron said impatiently, "I know Dumbledore's brilliant and everything, but that doesn't mean a really clever Dark wizard couldn't fool him –"

"Why did Snape save Harry's life in the first year, then? Why didn't he just let him die?"

"I dunno – maybe he thought Dumbledore would kick him out-"

"What d'you think, Sirius?" Harry asked loudly, ending the fight between Hermione and Ron… quite a bit of emotion between those two…Jasper noted.

"I think they've both got a point." Sirius said, deep in thought, "Ever since I found out Snape was teaching here, I've wondered why Dumbledore hired him. Snape's always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was." Feeling of malicious glee emanated from Harry and Ron at Sirius' description… "Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids In seventh year and he was part of the gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters."

Why hadn't Dumbledore told us this? This certainly important information – if there is any possibility that Snape could be a Death Eater, we should have been made aware. We'll need to keep a closer eye on him… Jasper turned back to the conversation…

"Snape knows Karkaroff pretty well, but he wants to keep that quiet," Ron said.

"Yeah," Harry added quickly, "You should've seen Snape's face when Karkaroff turned up in Potions yesterday! Karkaroff wanted to talk to Snape, he says Snape's been avoiding him. Karkaroff looked really worried. He showed Snape something on his arm, but I couldn't see what it was."

"He showed Snape something on his arm?" Sirius looked bewildered, but the emotions showed understanding and fear…" Well, I've no idea what that's about… but if Karkaroff's genuinely worried, and he's going to Snape for answers…"

He trailed off into deep thought, frustration and anxiety was emanating from him. I wish I could hear his thoughts…

"There's still the fact that Dumbledore trusts Snape, and I know Dumbledore trusts where a lot of people wouldn't, but I just can't see him letting Snape teach at Hogwarts if he'd ever worked for Voldemort."

"Why are Moody and Crouch so keen to get into Snape's office, then?" Ron asked stubbornly.

"Well," Sirius said, considering, "I wouldn't put it past Mad-Eye to have searched every single teacher's office when he got to Hogwarts. He takes his Defence Against the Dark Arts seriously, Moody. I'm not sure he trusts anyone at all, and after the things he's seen, it's not surprising. I'll say this for Moody, though, he never killed if he could help it. Always brought people in alive where possible. He was tough, but he never descended to the level of the Death Eaters. Crouch, though… he's a different matter… is he really ill? If he is, why did he make the effort to drag himself up to Snape's office? And if he's not… what's he up to? What was he doing at the World Cup that was so important he didn't turn up in the Top Box? What's he been doing while he should have been judging the Tournament?"

Sirius lapsed into a silence then. I'm leaving now, Jasper thought– their time is almost up and I don't want to get caught as they try to depart… I can sense they are getting ready to return anyway. Let's meet back up at Venlaw…

"Jasper is leaving now," I told Bella, who had been sitting patiently holding my hand and playing the part of a love struck teen looking into my eyes, while I sat silently concentrating on the entire exchange… I had made a few bits of small talk, and ordered drinks, but I had been silent most of the time. I appreciated that Bella had been there to cover for me.

I paid for our drinks and we left, walking hurriedly to the edge of town. Once we were far enough away, I threw her on my back and ran the rest of the way to Venlaw. Jasper had arrived just before us.

"I see" Dumbledore said cryptically as Jasper finished up his account of what he had heard.

"If Edward had gone, he probably would have heard more – and he has much more control…"

"I wouldn't have been much help." I replied, "I am sure Sirius is just as skilled in Occlumency. I rely on my extra hearing for too much. You caught his emotions and that tells us as much as his thoughts."

Jasper nodded.

"Can you tell me one thing?" Dumbledore asked, concern clouding his eyes. "How did he look?"

"Terrible – like a man who has been on the run for months… He practically inhaled the food Harry brought him."

"Where are you going Esme?" Carlisle asked as Esme headed to the door.

"I'm going to adopt a stray." She said determinedly as she ran toward town.