Disclaimer: The same as the previous chapters.

Chapter 36

Hemione Granger nee Snape had literally shot up off her chair, barely balancing herself at its edge and exclaimed," A veela!" narrowing her eyebrows, running her tongue over her lips, she paused only for a second to whisper loud enough for the others to hear," would that mean the big bad wolf was...a werewolf?"

Both Minerva and Neville had turned their heads at Severus Snape, while Kingsley Shacklebolt had sat back further relaxed, folding his hands over his chest, watching Neville Longbottom's expressions.

Severus had to sit and wait, before saying anything. His wife might have just said a broken sentence, but this was the first time he was experiencing the way her brain worked. Being there inside her mind, he watched streams of thoughts racing against each other. Like blurry lines of flashing lights, they run free around him, and at times, he could see a glimpse of a face or two.

And there was her constant inner monologue playing along with it. "Professor Lupin werewolf, Greyback werewolf, and lil Ted will have werewolf tendencies, ahuh, that we are yet to know, Lavender werewolf...Professor's lupin's dad, Lyall wasn't a werewolf, but that surname Lupin….Red Riding Hood veela, Gabrielle, and Fleur veela, though Fleur is married to Bill who was attacked by Greyback, like Pansy and Lavender, no Pansy is more like Bill but Lavender is a werewolf...Lyall had met Greyback during that trial...I just don't remember where I have read about it...Merlin, I hate this!... Veela sister… Gabrielle, they had gone to get her, but instead of her, they came back with a baby girl...Remus and Tonks died, no, Remus's death important...and Harry had to hastily marry Luna, and then right after that Andromeda, Harry, Teddy, and the baby girl left with Master Snape and the Kingsley...before the marriage, Snape came in and asked me to go ahead and that he would bring in Luna...but they did not come out of the room immediately...what did they talk about...who is the baby girl...blonde girl, glowing face...Lavender's last words were?! Oh Shit, Oh bloody Shit! How on earth, did I miss it?!"

She had looked back at her husband but his voice echoed in her head. "All in time, Madam Snape. I would suggest you start breathing again." There was a touch of tease and she saw how the edge of his lips curled slightly.

Snape had chuckled inwardly. He felt proud of her and at the same time, Potter was intuitive but Hermione could process through logical statements faster and she had her photogenic memory to aid her. He realized he had to start training her into Legilimency and Occlumency. But before that, he would have to meet Draco once again.

Minerva, sitting next to Severus, was tapping on the crooked head of her cane, lost in thought. She did remember the Grimm brother's fairy tales, just that they were not as rosy as the one Hermione had grown up hearing. Those were brutal and did have a woodcutter involved, didn't he kill two wolves instead of just one? But a Veela and a werewolf...could there be something absolutely huge hidden in whose bedtime stories the muggle kids for centuries have been growing up with. Hidden in plain sight. This was a brilliant way to do it. And what will the goblins gain out of it? 'Friend' who was this person? Not Griphook, that goblin was always too formal to suddenly declare himself as a friend to "wizards".

For once Kingsley was glad this whole conversation was taking place at Snape's quarters in the bowels of Hogwarts. Watching the reactions of Neville, Hermione and Minerva were satisfying, to say the least. He was also somewhat relieved to see Longbottom acting close to his normal self. Perhaps the bond did him good.

Hermione was honestly finding it too difficult to sit down quietly, she blurted out the first thing in her mind, "while on the run, we had heard about Gabrielle Delacour kidnapping over the wizardry radio which Ron had taken long and Harry had, later on, confessed that while captured in the Manor, he had tried to look for the girl, at least in the dungeons. "

Snape said, "No she couldn't have been there because Lucius would make sure to show off his 'loot' to gain back his place at the Dark Lord's ranks."

Turning back to look at the fire, he started," If I just say, Fenrir Greyback and Remus Lupin were related, I would be giving you incorrect information. In a way, they were connected because both were descendants of the same family...Anyways, according to Helga, werewolves are a cursed section of the shape-shifting clans of forest dwellers. Shapeshifting, I think even Minerva will remember, is the primal segment of animagi theory."

Turning her head, McGonagall had elaborated," Yes, magic had found its way in primitive man and shapeshifters were no doubt, magical people. Tribes initially were one huge family or set of relatives staying together. As civilization grew and societies, kingdoms, nations were founded, they dispersed and mingled with the general populace."

"Andromeda has an acute interest in the Wizengamot proceedings and its jury system. Until recently she too was an integral part of it. The case of Lyall Lupin and Greyback had piqued her interest." pointing at the parchments he had handed over to the group, he read a marked segment," this was witnessed by an official of the auror department and it was later confirmed by a clerk present in the court during this particular session.-

~Fenrir Greyback did not try to fight his way through his bindings like his fellow convicts. He stood tall and regal, eyeing the members of the Wizengamot as if marking them. But the moment, Mr. Lyall Lupin came forward and started addressing the present court, I noticed a drastic change in the man in shackles. I can't just say that he was glad, or that he was excited or even that he was relieved. Because he was perhaps experiencing all of that. His face lit up like ours do when we see our friends or loved ones. At times, he did try to catch Mr. Lupin's eyes, until the court had dismissed the case and Mr. Lupin lost his cool.~

"You can, of course, read through the rest of it, they are only meant for your eyes to see and will disintegrate into ashes after their purpose is met, "fishing out another sheet, he drew the other's attention to their own parchments," This is from Lupin's own observations,

~ Though I will still maintain, I don't remember much of the incident apart from a big black mass hunched over me and the blinding pain on my shoulders and two strong arms with sharp claws digging into one of my legs and holding down my free arm. But I remember his smell, his eyes, and wild beastly thoughts to start with.

Today, it was by sheer luck or by mistake I came face to face with him, in the woods. While I stood still on this side of the stream and he too kept staring at me from the other side, my nostrils were burning with his smell, my blood was roaring in my ears and I could hearing his thoughts like faint whispers and below all that, there was this temptation not too overpowering, but it made me feel quite uncomfortable. I had to retreat since I couldn't stand being near to him, even if there was about a twenty feet difference between us. When I was about to climb over the embankment, I turned to look down. He was still standing there, his teeth bare, but he looked hurt and I think it was more because I chose to leave.

It was the year we had graduated, and I had decided to shift into a cabin in the woods, to give my parents some respite from the guilt they bore due to my condition. After I revived, I returned earlier than expected and told my father about my encounter. He was both shocked and relieved. He had hugged me and whispered into my ears," You heard the call but you could win over it." Leaving me baffled at the center of the living room, he had rushed back to his study and had brought back this journal in which, from now on, I am going to write my experiences as a werewolf. I have read and reread all my father's previous entries. I even asked the man time and again, what did he mean by "You heard the call but you could win over it." but to this day, he had refused to say a word on it.~

Indicating another to yet another entry, Snape readout," This one is written by Andromeda herself.

~I had my doubts when my dear Dora mentioned a young man called Remus Lupin rather fondly. But the day, she brought him over for dinner I was both thrilled and frightened. Thrilled because we were having the honour to host a LUPINE, the most heroic tribal warriors of ancient magical society. Frightened because I could also work it out in my mind who this man was. He was Lyall Lupin's son. Fenrir Greyback most-talked-about-victim and a sad-looking shy man. That night I brought out my aunt's books and journal and was confirmed, the uncle had unknowingly bitten the nephew. And the nephew had no knowledge about the legacy he carries. Lyall had not shared the family secret with the boy either. It struck me as strange. And I waited eagerly for the man to come back.~

Putting the papers down, Snape addressed the group," You can see for yourself, she sounds quite thrilled with the surname Lupin or the word LUPINE. So was I way back during my school days after my encounter with Remus in his werewolf form at the Shrieking Shack. Perhaps, you, Madam Snape, have read the same books just hours ago, which I had vigorously leafed through those many years before".

Watching Hermione shift slightly on her armchair, and catching Neville look at her from the corner of his eyes, Snape pursed his lip and continued,"Way back, even before the muggle Norman Conquest, there was the mention of a tribe whose warlords carried the name of Lupine. The Lupines lived near the southern edges of the Black Forest of Germany, very near to the French borders. Interestingly I wasn't able to find any evidence from where they came in the first place. There are ballads that describe them as fair and just, firm, and brave warriors or tribesmen. And there are accounts where the entire settlement would disappear into the woods during the full moon and only return back to their village afterward. Why? No one was supposed to ask or even speak of. They said they had offerings to make to their ancestors to annul or appease or pay penance for the crimes committed by their kind. Traders who frequented the handful of houses once or twice every month, chose to be satisfied with that, because the tribe was quite capable of defending their caravans from animal ambush, primarily wolf attacks."

"According to Helga Flammore, Lupine was not their original title or name or family name, whatever you wish to see it as. They had taken it up to hide away the curse. The curse of Grezal the Bright Witch, also known as the curse of Schwarze Nacht. This tribe was originally known as Monde der schwarzen Nacht or Moons of Black Night.

But this tribe was not the only one suffering from its consequences. Unknownst to them, there lived yet another tribe at the northern borders of the forest, in Germany. But not for long. They were primarily nomadic by nature, so it is safe to say, they kept moving from one place to another. They recognized themselves as the Grau or Grey, but their tribal emblem or flag or crest bore a face of a wolf painted in grey with the words Grauer Rucken on it. And several years later the performers of GreyBack clan become quite a popular attraction in small towns and villages of the countryside Europe."

Neville had voiced the obvious question, " So Professor Lupin is a descendant of the Moons of Black Night…" and Hermione had surmised," And Greybacks ancestors were once called Grau or Grauer Rucken".

Instead of Snape, Kingsley had confirmed," That is true and if you think that shapeshifters don't exist, then you are looking at one." With that, he had just got up and shifted into his Asiatic bear form, sniffing and growling once, transformed back into his original human form and sat down calmly.

Minerva had exclaimed," How come you never told me this?"

"It is a family secret, I have been guarding, though Albus knew, and since shapeshifting families are as valued as the endangered species of Veelas, we do enjoy a unique position in the Magical World. Forgive me, Minerva, I have let you believe this was my anigamus form. In fact, I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that if Remus was never bitten by Fenrir Greyback in the first place, and if he showed interest in trying to learn the animagi theory, you would have a rather large black wolf to be proud of and not the abomination of werewolf hiding in a dilapidated shack. With Lyall suffering from dementia we would never know how the ancestors of this family managed to reduce its wolfish tendencies or shimmer down the intensity of the curse."

Hermione had leaned forward and opined," You say it was a curse...but whatever we have read and heard so far, it sounds both like a curse and a prophecy. And I have a feeling this prophecy is not there in the Ministry of Magic. It is old, very very old. And it is still strong and prevalent, isn't it?"

Kingsley had shared an uncomfortable look with Severus and then answered in a measured tone," I have felt the magic of both the curse and its consequence. And I am glad, I wasn't around long enough to be mauled by it. But there is nothing to fear. We don't wish to have another Voldemort and the Ministry of Magic debacle. Everything to do with both the curse, the possible curse breakers, and the prophecies are now not only guarded but are well hidden away from the eyes of the evil."

Heaving a deep sigh, catching Hermione's attention, Snape mused," The magic of the forefathers protects everything that is dear to them."