Severus slipped in the back door of the farm house, nearly tripping on a pair of boots.
He spelled his shoes clean, as to not leave dusty tracks all over the floor and give himself away. Invisible or no, the lady of the house would notice his trainer prints and find him, or so help her Merlin. He knew the type, and would like his ear to remain on the side of his head.
He crept silently through the house, following the sound of voices.
When he arrived outside of a room, he heard a small voice speaking.
"Papa, I'm scared."
"There's nothing to be scared of, love, the doctors say everything is alright."
The little girl let out a sob. "I don't want it to happen again."
"Don't want what to happen again?"
"It hurts."
Severus peered through the half opened door, a older girl, probably closer to his physical age, was wrapped around a small child, holding her while she sobbed quietly. Mr. Schultz was sitting next to them, stroking the smaller girl's hair gently.
"What hurts?" He asked, concerned.
"I can feel it, it's coming. It's going to hurt me again. It likes to hurt people."
"What, hon?"
The little girl trembled. She spoke so quietly into her sister's chest, he almost couldn't hear. "The monster."
Footsteps coming up behind Severus jolted him out of his trance and he moved to the other side of the door silently. It was a woman, Mrs. Schultz perhaps, and she entered the room with a cup of something that smelled strongly of ginger and other herbs.
"Here you go, baby." The woman soothed as she handed the little girl the cup, "this should help a bit."
The child took a drink and grimaced, but she smiled at her mother afterwards. "Thanks, muma."
She inhaled deeply and frowned, then looked directly at Severus. "Who are you?"
The other three looked at the doorway he occupied.
"There's no-one there, love." The woman said.
"Yes there is. He looks like a shadow...and he smells like weird plants."
Severus cancelled the charm with a wave of his hand and the family simultaneously leapt up, except the little girl who just said, "Oh."
Mr. Schultz recovered first. "I told you to get lost, boy and now you're trespassing! What sort of trick is this?"
"Magic."
"What!? Don't be daft! I knew you were a bloody nutter!"
"Harvey!" The woman scolded.
"I'm not daft, or a nutter." He made a show of transfiguring the cup in the little girl's hands into a hamster. "I'm a wizard, I used magic."
She squealed in joy at the small creature. "Papa, can I keep it?"
Schwartz stared at the little rodent in shock and awe, as did his wife and daughters. When he turned back to Severus, he seemed unable to speak.
Severus spoke instead. "I am a wizard. You are muggles." He pointed at the little girl. "She is a werewolf, and we are all in danger."
He entered the room with the dumbstruck family. "There's a shack in the woods that I have warded to keep everything out, and anything in." Hopefully… "I am going to take her there, and lock her up for the night. You are welcome to come."
He approached the small girl, who suddenly looked concerned. "Can I bring Teacup?"
He assumed she meant the hamster. "I don't think that would be such a good idea…" he decided to keep the more morbid possibilities to himself. "He might get squished or lost in the woods."
Her face fell. "Oh."
Severus transfigured a small cage for the tiny beast from a dollhouse. "He can stay there for the night, then you can see him in the morning when you come home."
She looked at the cage, fascinated, and then put 'Teacup' inside with a smile. She whispered a quiet goodnight to the happy little thing.
"If one of you wouldn't mind grabbing her a change of clothes for the morning?"
The little girl followed Severus, holding his hand as he led her out of the house. Her family trailed behind them.
