Chapter 9.0
Percy
After that horrendous first week, everything went back to normal. Or, as normal as a wizard school could be. Lupin and Snape kept up their hate-hate relationship, at least for a month. Then, Snape was waiting for them in the Defense Against Dark Arts room.
"Oh no. Snape, did you finally kill Professor Lupin? I know you guys have a mutual relationship of hatred, but was his job worth all this?!" Snape sneered at him, and the Gryffindor students didn't like the glint in his eye when Percy had joked about killing their teacher.
"Today we are going to be learning about werewolves." Snape declared, flipping to the back of their textbook. A few students groaned, but they did as they were asked. "What differences are there between a true wolf and a werewolf?" Snape asked, and both Hermione and Percy raised their hands. Percy wondered a bit too late if the werewolves he knew were different than the ones here.
"Granger?" Said Snape, and Percy was relieved. Hellhounds were a little different here, the ones back home don't change size. Basilisks are very different, the ones he was used to were little, annoying, and fire breathing.
"They can be distinguished by their short snouts, tufted tails,and human-like eyes." she said, sitting upright in her chair.
"Correct. Did you have a different answer, Percy?" Snape asked, as Percy probably looked a little dumbfounded. He remembered the time he'd come across a werewolf, it was a massive wolf that stood on its hind legs. It had nightmare red eyes, and massive claws on its 'hands'.
"Yeah. It was dead wrong, too." Snape's face had something almost like a smile, and a few of his classmates laughed.
"You can answer this next question. Even if it's dead wrong, as you say." Snape looked happy he'd found a way to make him feel stupid, he was usually unmatched in Potions lessons.
"What are two weaknesses of a werewolf?" Percy frowned, uncertain.
"Silver metal, and attacks to the tendons in the legs. At least that's what worked when.." he trailed off, and swore mentally. Snape raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about, would you care to elaborate?" Percy thought quickly.
"I was once attacked by a werewolf. I only got clawed, and we managed to get away. Still got the scars." Snape frowned, and suddenly Lavender Brown started crying. She burst out of the room, leaving a bit of a stunned silence.
"Professor, Lavenderhad someone she cared about killed by a werewolf a few years ago. She is so scared of them that one is her boggart." said Parvati, who was the other girl's best friend. She left, to comfort her friend. Snape frowned, and quite a few students stated they had seen the werewolf boggart. He gave Percy a glance that screamed 'this-isn't-over' before returning to teaching.
However, there were no more snide comments. The students were more attentive than usual, having heard from two of their peers how dangerous they could be. Snape assigned an essay about werewolves, and Percy was crowded by students at the door.
"Did you really fight a werewolf?"
"Are you a werewolf, Percy" He held up a hand, and they shut up.
"Today is the full moon, as we heard in Astronomy this morning. And I'm standing right here, without even a chest hair." Some students snickered at that, and they left him be. Harry nudged him to the side, and Percy let him be steered away.
"That's how you got those scars?" Harry asked, voice low. Percy nodded, some of them were the scratches he was talking about.
"Now I see why you didn't want to talk about it." Percy snorted.
"They probably think I'm a werewolf now, despite the fact I'm obviously not. Heck, let them. Maybe it'll scare Malfoy enough to leave me alone." They both laughed, before continuing on to Charms.
After an hour of learning the Engorgement Charm, they gathered to go to Care of Magical creatures. They met Hagrid as he was coming down the Grand Staircase, and talked with him as they walked down to the grounds.
"What are we learning about today, Hagrid?" Hagrid grinned under his beard, and told them it was a surprise. They made their way to the grounds, and soon the rest of the Gryffindors and their Slytherin classmates were there. He let out a sharp whistle, and unicorns strode out into the clearing. A lot of students gasped, and a few girls actually started jumping up and down like hyper kids.
"All righ', it's best if we let the girls go firs'. They're real shy, and a li'l skittish 'round boys." They girls, including Hermione went up to them.
Percy was relived to see that at least one magical creature was the same as they were at home. The golden coat of the younger ones, the silver coat of the older ones, and their golden horns were all the same. When Hagrid let them get close, he was swarmed with baby unicorns
. 'You're weird.'
'Why do you look like a human?'
'Do you have any candy?' Ron and Harry laughed at the sight of him being swarmed with little golden horses.
"I am human, you're right I am weird. I do have a little candy, but I'll only share if you behave." They stopped trying to smother him, and he stood up.
"These are my friends, Harry and Ron." A few of the golden foals went up to them, bu the rest stayed with Percy.
"Hagrid!" he yelled, and the massive teacher walked over.
"Looks like someone's popular." he said, with a chuckle.
"Are they allowed to have candy?" he asked, ignoring the rude comments from one particular unicorn. The foal was older than the rest, his coat streaked with the silver color adult unicorns have.
"They love it. Jus' don't give 'em chocolate." He strode off to help Neville, who was scared of the unicorn trying to fix his hair.
'You heard the big , now * the candy you *' the unicorn said, swearing almost as much as Arion.
"What's your name, you little brat?" He asked, and he heard Harry laugh.
'I'm Canus, you *' Percy frowned at him.
"You'd better cut that out, or I'll wash your mouth out with saddle soup." Harry and Ron were bent over with laughter, and Percy figured he must look ridiculous scolding a baby unicorn.
"Where's your parents?" the unicorn huffed, and the little ones stood closer as though to comfort the foul-mouthed Canus. When the answer came, it was a different unicorn who answered.
'His mare died when he was birthed, and his father was eaten by the evil man two springs ago.' Percy knelt, and gave the little horse a hug.
"What're you doing, Percy?" asked a startled Harry. Percy released the little horse, but stayed kneeling.
"His father was the unicorn Voldemort killed." Harry's eyes widened, and Percy turned back to Canus.
"That doesn't mean you can swear like a tiny Arion either. You need to learn some manners, or I'll drag you to Camp and have Chiron wash your mouth out with the nastiest saddle soup we have." the streaked foal glared at him, and he glared back.
"Hey Percy, can you help me out?" Percy turned to see being buried under two little unicorns.
"Just give them whatever it is in your pocket. Unless it's chocolate." Ron was then freed, and the two unicorns each had a Sugar Quill. Ron gave a halfhearted glare at them, but Hagrid's whistle interrupted him. They went back to the castle, and Percy ignored the looks they gave him. No matter where he went, they seemed to follow. First he was the dangerous child of the Big Three, then the graecus scum, and now an unstable attention seeker.
Then, two familiar redheaded twins picked him up under his arms. He was carried to an empty classroom, and plopped into a desk.
"It's time to show you-" started George
"The secret to success." continued Fred, pulling a piece of parchment from his pocket.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
