A/N Welcome to my latest adventure! The was written for Klaroline AU Season, 2021 Week Seven: Fusions. This takes place in the Potterverse, but doesn't feature any of those characters beyond brief references. I'm thinking this will be three chapters, but don't hold me to that because we all know I get carried away far too easily. This is my first venture into this universe, so please let me know what you think! (No concrit please.) Enjoy!
Chapter One: Our Separate Conclusions Are the Same
Searing. Screaming. Burning. Boiling. Biting. Caroline felt the teeth of the werewolf piercing her skin and knew was it was to die alive.
As the Head of Slytherin House and Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, she really should have known better than to go down Knockturn Alley alone on a Saturday night. In her defense, she really needed the blood of a black mamba for her seventh years. As Potions Mistress, she was expected to maintain a certain level of sensationalism in her classes. Unfortunately, being thirty-one and a gorgeous blonde was a bit more apparent than her impressive credentials when walking down the most dangerous street in London's wizarding community.
Caroline howled at the sky as blood dripped down her wrist, puddling beneath her black robes. She tried valiantly to shake off the half-man half-beast, but to no avail. He was far too strong. It took everything in her to shake the fear from her blurred vision and reach in her back pocket for her wand. Eleven inches, unicorn hair center, springy. It had served her well l – but would it be enough to save her life? She could only hope. With all the volume she could muster after screaming herself hoarse, she choked out, "STUPEFY!" Her assailant went flying through the alley, the hood of her robe falling down to reveal long, mahogany hair. She'd been bitten by another woman. The thought that anyone could do this to her, let alone someone who appeared to be her own age, was unspeakable. Knowing another woman had condemned her to this fate took her breath away.
The brunette jumped to her feet, bloody teeth bared beneath the black sky. Throwing off another curse, Caroline spun on her sensible shoes and bolted. She ran as far and as fast as her legs could carry her until she found her father. Bill Forbes was the Minister of Magic and doing his very best to hold the magical community together in these troubling times. Tension was growing between a hybrid pack of werewolves, their form mutated by potions made with the blackest magic, and the Ministry. The wolves wanted equal rights; Bill wanted them exterminated. He spun around and took in the sight of his daughter's bloody arm, evidence of the bite imprinted in the form of fang marks embedded in her shredded flesh.
Caroline looked into her father's eyes and knew she was fucked. Totally and completely fucked. She recognized the cold deadness she'd come to associate with his hatred of werewolves. He spoke of them like they were a plague on the magical community, no better than the scum beneath his shoes. And now she was one of them. No longer was she his little peanut, his ray of sunshine, his baby girl. She was an animal, a monster, an abomination. And abominations were not daughters. They were the enemy and he had no choice but to protect the normal witches and wizards. She had to go.
Bill snapped his fingers over his shoulder to draw the attention of his minions, Alaric Saltzman and Damon Salvatore. Pointing at the woman he'd once called his child, he bellowed, "SEIZE HER!"
Caroline's sapphire eyes widened in fear as she fumbled for her wand tucked in her pants at the small of her back. Why had she put it away? She would have to scold herself for such foolishness later. Pointing it straight at her chest, she whispered the spell to apparate away. The last thing she felt before the world faded away was Damon's hand curl around her wolf bite. The rage in his eyes was the first thing she saw as she spun to a stop in the middle of Hogsmeade, the only entirely wizarding city in the UK. He went for his wand but hers was already in hand.
"PROTEGO!" She spun on her heel and began to run, knowing it wouldn't stop him for long. She ran passed the candy shop and the shady bar and kept going and going and going. And then she fell to the ground without a sound.
"Crucio." Damon's voice was ice as he stood over her while she writhed in the thick snow, unable to scream even as pain ripped her apart. Every bone in her body seemed to crack all at once while every vein burst and flooded her body with liquid torture. Her skin was on fire as every sinew snapped in unison. Nothing mattered except surviving each breath. The pain was unbearable but the knowledge that her father had done this to her was worse. Her vision blurred as the world started to fade away, a swirling blackness coming for her.
She welcomed the end.
Surely, no one could survive this amount of torture and come out alive. Right? Wrong. The pain continued washing over her with no end in sight. She tried to reach for her wand, but it had landed just beyond her fingertips. Even moving that one small inch was unimaginable. All she could do was try and breathe, but her lungs crackled with dark energy and even her heart seemed to explode and implode in an endless cycle of misery. Nothing existed but the eternally excruciating agony. She prayed for death, knowing it would never come. He would wait until she was too weak to fight back before lifting the curse long enough to petrify her entire body. Once she was immobilized, she would be taken to the camps. And then it would be over. No one who entered there ever returned. She couldn't give in to the searing pain flooding her system. She just had to hold on a little longer. With a flick of her assailant's wrist, the curse intensified and the world went black. She was nothing and nowhere. All that existed were the invisible knives slicing open her bleeding flesh as she prayed for the strength to keep breathing.
And then it stopped.
Caroline was only vaguely aware of the sound of a body flying through the air and landing with a dull thud a few feet away, the sound muffled by the December snow. The pain was gone. It ended as quickly as it began, but her body itself didn't seem to know that. Her muscles continued to twitch as sparks of light flew overhead. As consciousness slowly returned to her, she could see two cloaked figures fighting in the middle of the street. She didn't know which was Damon and which was her unknown savior as she lay still pinned to the ground. Her eyes fell on her wand beside her and she inhaled a deep breath. She reached for it little by little, body still on fire from the wolf's venom. Finally, she closed her hand around the rosewood. She breathed a sigh of relief as the green light of a killing curse zinged just overhead.
Getting to her feet was agony. The Potions Mistress started by rolling over in the snow and forcing herself to her hands and knees. Every muscle in her body ached but she pushed through the lingering pain and crawled to the nearest alley. Sitting back against the brick wall of the Hog's Head, she tried to catch her breath. Her arm burned as the wound refused to stop trickling drips of red down her arm, but that wasn't all. Something strange was happening to her body. Her skin was crawling and her bones didn't seem to fit. As she looked up at the moon, she gulped as she realized what was happening. Her wolf wanted out.
Get to Hogwarts. She repeated it in her head like a mantra. She would be safe once she was guarded by the massive castle she'd thought of as her one true home since she was eleven years old. It was well known that Headmaster Klaus Mikaelson opposed the "Werewolf Rehabilitation Facilities." He would know what to do.
Inhaling a deep, steadying breath, Caroline pulled herself to her feet, hand clenching the wall brick by brick. Peeking out into the street, she could still see the two men dueling. Whoever it was battling her father's fiercest fighter was a force to be reckoned with. Time to run. Summoning every ounce of bravery in her slim frame, she darted out into the snowy street and made a break for it. She managed only a few feet before a sharp pain between her shoulder blades sent her flying. As the curse knocked her on her back, a growl sliced through the air that sounded more animal than human. Damon came at her at full speed, his face a twisted snarl of rage as he reached for her. She scrambled quickly, crawling backward as fast as her stiff muscles would carry her. When he pointed his wand straight at her heart, she was finally able to scream in terror.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Caroline's breathe caught in her chest, sound dying on her lips as she waited for the death that did not come. Damon fell lifelessly to the ground, the light extinguished from his gray eyes once so full of rage and now completely devoid of anything. The curse had been for him. Realizing she had survived when the burning in her arm brought tears to her eyes, Caroline rolled over and away from the corpse at her side. She scrambled to her feet as fast as she could and tried to run, but the snow was thick and she immediately lost her footing. She put her hands out in front of her and braced herself for the inevitable agony that would ensue when she landed on the frozen ground, but the pain didn't come as she was scooped up by a pair of strong arms.
The witch flailed around, struggling to break free, when she heard a familiar voice husky in her ear. "Shh, shh, shh, it's okay. It's me. You're safe." She looked up into the eyes of her savior and relief washed over her when she recognized his face.
"Klaus," she breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck as her head slumped against his shoulder. As the pain scorched her veins, her eyes began to droop, but her Headmaster shook her back to consciousness.
"No time for resting now, love. There may be more of them." With a strength and speed that surprised her, he dashed them into the nearest alley, her aching body still cradled in his arms. Setting her down, he let her hold his shoulder for support as she leaned against the wall. He rifled through the inside pocket of his robe until he found a small glass vial of a potion even she didn't recognize. It was bright turquoise that somehow seemed to glow from the inside. Pulling out the stopper, he held it up to her lips. "Here. Drink this. It'll help."
Caroline was never one to simply trust a potion she didn't know, but his tone was reassuring as he nodded encouragingly at her. They had a long history; if anyone could be trusted, it was Klaus. Reluctantly, she opened her mouth and he poured the viscous liquid down her throat. The foul taste was overwhelming and she could feel her throat trying to close, but he didn't let that happen. He pulled down her chin to keep her lips parted until she drank every last drop. "Good girl," he whispered, relief evident in his tone as he tucked the vial pack into his pocket. He watched her closely as her shoulders straightened and some of the light returned to her sparkling sapphire eyes. "Better?" he asked anxiously, looking over his shoulder for any sign of more enemies lurking in the wizarding village.
"Y-yeah," she replied with a stutter as her skin and bones settled. The burn of the bite in her arm receded, too, although it didn't completely disappear and she knew the wound hadn't closed. "What was that?"
"No time to explain, sweetheart. I need you to listen to me." Turning back to her, his tone was stern and the gravity of their situation was etched all over the angular planes of his face as he gripped her firmly by the shoulders and held her gaze with a fiery one of his own. "I'll sweep the streets. You go straight to my office. You stay inside. Do you understand?" She stared at him numbly, mind struggling to process all that was happening. What had he given her? Grinding his teeth together, he spun her around and repeated himself tersely, "Do you understand me?"
Blinking a few times, Caroline nodded her head and whispered, "Thank you." He let his eyes linger on her only a moment before he ran off at an almost inhuman speed, leaving her standing alone in the snow.
It took the Potions Mistress several long minutes to fully catch her breath before slowly and carefully making her way back to the castle. She took one road at a time, pressing her body up against the buildings as she slithered along. When she finally reached the edge of town, she made a run for it and didn't stop until she reached Klaus' office.
"Wolfsbane," she breathed heavily, lungs aching from the exertion as the bite still burned her forearm. The giant statue of an eagle guarding the Headmaster's office immediately sprang to life, revealing a spiral stone staircase that spun around and around. She breathed a sigh of relief when it brought her to the top. Dragging her feet behind her and shedding her soggy, tattered, bloody robes, she collapsed on his green velvet couch and didn't move until he was sitting beside her.
"Caroline, sweetheart, wake up," Klaus began gently, trying not to startle her as he applied slight pressure to the shoulder of her uninjured arm. She awoke with a start, eyes wide as she felt her skin start crawling again; he could see the terror reflected there. Frowning, he pulled her to his chest and rocked her back and forth while she caught her breath, reminding him of a time long past. "Shh, shh, it's okay. We're in my office. You're safe." Long minutes past before she was able to calm down, the trauma of the evening still fresh in her mind. He pulled away and let her get to a sitting position before taking her bitten forearm in his hands. "Let me see."
The blonde professor watched silently, unsure what to say as he pulled a basket from the ground full of magical medical supplies. He handed her a large glass bottle with a round bottom and skinny neck full of that same glowing liquid he'd given her a smaller dose of before. "I need you to start drinking this for me, love."
Caroline took the flask but eyed it warily. "What is it?" she asked skeptically, turning it around slowly with her free hand.
Klaus smiled encouragingly as he pulled out the glass stopper. "There will be time to explain later. For now, I just need you to trust me." Her face told him that wasn't a good enough reason to drink something without knowing fully what it was. "I gave you enough to halt your transition for now, but it will wear off soon. It's a full moon tonight. I know you feel your bones trying to shift; I can see it in your eyes." She didn't bother to deny it. "If you don't drink that, you'll be outside howling at it within the hour." The only thing worse than drinking a strange potion was knowing what would happen if she didn't. Gulping, she brought the turquoise liquid to her lips, grimacing at the taste; he almost chuckled at the face she was making. "Yes, it's not exactly butterbeer, but it's effective." He flicked his gaze back to her injury. "We need to get this healed. I should warn you, this isn't going to be pleasant."
"Yeah, well, neither was being used as a human chew toy," she snarked, forcing herself to swallow another gulp of the foul potion. Letting it roll over her tongue even as it turned her stomach, she tried to place the various tastes. "Is that aconite powder?" He nodded as he pulled several potions and bandages out from the wicker basket. Her sapphire eyes widened in surprise as she realized what it was. "This is Wolfsbane, but it's been modified. You're the one behind the werewolf rebellion."
"Is that what they're calling it?" A small smile curled the upper corner of his lip as he chuckled at the term, supposing it was accurate. "You always were a bright one."
"Why do you have it?" she demanded bossily, the ache of the wolf already receding once more. "And why did you have some in your pocket? What were you even doing in Hogsmeade?"
Klaus chuckled at her inquisition as he pulled a cork out of a cylindrical vial of bright ruby red potion. "I told you, the time will come for explanations. We need to get this taken care of before we dive into anything." His smile was replaced with a frown as he looked up at her with uncertainty. "How's your pain tolerance."
"Not great," she replied with a gulp.
"It won't last long." He tried to keep his tone comforting and sympathetic, but she didn't believe him for a second. "Best finish that first. You may want to lay back."
Caroline darted her eyes between him and the potion as steam wafted menacingly from the top of the vial. She braced herself for the awful taste and chugged the remaining few gulps of the Wolfsbane. He took the glass from her and set it on a side table before turning back. Inhaling and exhaling to steady herself, she nodded her head. "Do it." Returning his gaze to her bite wound, Klaus carefully poured a hefty amount of the ruby potion all over her arm, the excess falling to a towel in his lap where it nearly burned through the terry cloth. Her unearthly scream pierced his ears as she thrashed around violently, but he held her arm firmly in his grip as the wound slowly began to knit itself back together. He had to apply the potion two more times before it was fully closed.
The blonde fell back against the couch cushions as soon as her body stopped convulsing in agony, hair stuck to her forehead as her face shone with sweat from the intense pain she'd just endured. Her chest was heaving as she dragged in deep gulps of oxygen. Klaus wiped away the excess liquid with a cool cloth and tossed it aside. He poured a mint green liquid that felt like ice and soothed away the remaining burn, blowing on it softly to help it dry. Finally, he gently rubbed in a white translucent ointment all over the affected area and wrapped her entire forearm in a thick, white bandage. Once he was done, he pulled her shivering body to him again and put a cool, wet cloth on her forehead as he smoothed the sticky hair away from her face.
She wasn't sure, but Caroline thought she may have passed out from the pain because she came to with her head in the Headmaster's lap. He was watching her cautiously as she rolled on her back to peer up at him, searching for any signs that she was still in pain. "Better, then?" he asked carefully, his topaz eyes never leaving hers. She was pale and could barely keep her eyes open but did manage to nod. "Good. Drink this. It'll perk you right up." He handed her a bright red bottle of Pepper Upper Potion. Recognizing it, she took it from his hand and slowly drank it as the blood returned to her face.
Suddenly embarrassed, she lifted herself up from her boss's lap and sat next to him on the couch, pushing away the thought that he'd once been more than that. Pulling her knees up to her chin, she wrapped her arms around her legs and looked over at him curiously. "What just happened?" she asked quietly, voice barely a whisper.
Klaus sighed as he turned to face her, one arm directly behind her neck and shoulders on the plush sofa as he tucked one leg beneath him. "Do you remember what happened before you got to Hogsmeade?"
Caroline frowned, tilting her head to the side as she thought about it. It seemed like a thousand years had past since she was just strolling down Diagon Alley with her father. Her father. She closed her eyes to fight back a tear as she remembered all that transpired in Knockturn Alley. "Someone bit me."
The Headmaster nodded solemnly, obviously having already pieced that together. "Did you see who it was?"
The new wolf shook her head. "No, but I know it was a girl. A woman." Her face was bereft as she looked over at him brokenly. "How could she do this to me? Why me? What did I do to deserve this?"
"Nothing, sweetheart, nothing," he assured her, taking her tiny hand in his larger one. "You were in the wrong place at the wrong time just before the full moon. She was probably just beginning to transition and lost control." Seeing her eyes narrow suspiciously, he hurried on. "What happened next?"
"You seem to know an awful lot about werewolves," she observed shrewdly, The line of his jaw tightening, Klaus looked away, gulping. As realization dawned, her shoulders slumped, mouth forming a little 'o.' "How old were you?" she asked gently, squeezing his hand sympathetically.
The Headmaster turned to look at her, knowing there was no longer any point denying the truth. "I was in my fifth year," he confessed softly.
"You were a kid?!" she asked in surprise, eyes wide. "That was like fifty years ago!"
"I'm not that old," he snapped, glaring at her. "Let's not go adding decades, shall we?"
Caroline smiled mischievously at that, biting back a wicked grin. She'd been admitted to Hogwarts when he was in his third year and had been teasing him about being old ever since. They became friends immediately, spending long hours together in the Slytherin common room. They'd become something more in his final year, but she'd been more focused on school than on him. There were days she cursed her obsession with perfect OWLs. It had been a dozen years, but she still sometimes caught herself wondering what could have been. Forcing the thought away, she brought her focus back to the present. "I'm just saying, that's a long time to keep this a secret. How do you do it?" And how didn't I know? she thought to herself. "You don't look like any older wolf I've ever met."
Klaus cocked his head at the glass bottle on the side table. "I started working on modifying the Wolfsbane potion when I was still a student. Didn't perfect it until after I graduated, though."
"I'd say you still have some work to do," she muttered under her breath, the taste of it still on her tongue. He glared at her and she flashed him a beauty queen smile that didn't fool him one bit, but it did lighten the air between them. Shifting her body to face him, she rested her head against the inside of his forearm draped behind her on the back of the couch. "What do the modifications do?"
"Many things," he replied, a proud gleam in his eye as his upper lip twitched in a smirk. "For one, it allows us to control our form entirely. It'll take a bit for you to get the hang of it, but we can transform at will, and not just on the full moon or at night." Her eyes widened in shock, jaw dropping. "It also stops the pain of transition and the total loss of self. If you choose to change, you'll be completely yourself. The most important thing it does is render our venom inactive." His lips quirked up in a devious smile. "Of course, it'll still burn and leave a nasty bite mark, but as long as a full dose of the potion has been ingested within twenty-four hours, the victim won't be affected."
Caroline gaped at him, blinking a few times as she tried to form a coherent thought. "It's a cure," she finally managed to say. "You have a cure for werewolfism."
Klaus' eyes shone with triumph as he nodded. "Yes, for many years now."
"Klaus, this is huge!" A happy smile lit up her face as she uncurled her legs from beneath her chin and set her feet on the ground. "We need to get this to the Ministry immediately. My father-"
"Your father has known for years," he snarled, a flash of gold illuminating his eyes. The venom in his voice gave her pause. She turned to him warily, tucking one leg beneath her as she cradled her injured arm to her chest, their knees almost touching as they faced each other on the plush couch. She looked over at him warily, waiting for his temper to recede. It took him a minute before his irises stopped glowing and incisors returned to their human size. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, dirty blond tendrils curling just behind his ears. "What do you know about your father's opinion on wolves?"
Caroline's face darkened at that. "I know he hates them enough to send his own daughter to the rehabilitation facilities."
"They're not rehabilitation facilities," he spat angrily, eyes flaring as his hands curled into fists, nails briefly lengthening to claws before he forced his wolf back down. "They're torture camps where they experiment on human beings." Seeing how his chest heaved, she moved her arm slightly over to take his hand in hers, squeezing it gently to bring him back to her. He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath to steady himself before opening them again to reveal they had returned to their normal cobalt. "Horrible things happen there and yes; he hates us enough to send you away without a moment's hesitation. That man from Hogsmeade who was attacking you, I take it that was one of his?"
"Damon Salvatore," she replied sadly, the sting of betrayal still fresh. "I've known him since he moved over from America the year after I graduated. One word from my dad and he turned on me."
Klaus' tone held not a shred of remorse as he said coldly, "Well, he's dead now, so that won't be happening again." She just nodded and looked down at her bound arm morosely. "Your father is well aware that I have a cure, but he has no interest in using it. He doesn't trust it despite my many offers to allow him to try it in his camps and see for himself. He sees us as lesser beings, no different than the way many view house elves or goblins or giants. His idea of a cure and mine are two entirely different things. He doesn't want to see us living alongside the normal magical community. He wants us contained. And, if he had his way, he'd see us exterminated."
Caroline gulped as a chill raced down her spine; she didn't doubt him for a second. She'd spent her entire life hearing her father spew anti-werewolf propaganda. His hatred of the wolves helped get him elected and kept him in power. Witches and wizards feared what they couldn't understand. Ever since Voldemort's defeat, anyone viewed as a threat to the magical community as a whole was treated as less than human, vermin who must be stomped out. While she knew how much hatred her father harbored, she never imagined he would turn his back on a cure… or on her.
"He didn't hesitate," she confessed quietly, unable to meet his eye. Klaus waited for her to continue, still holding her hand as his thumb gently traced circles against her smooth skin. He tried to keep things professional, albeit friendly, between them, but he'd never forgotten what he'd lost, what he still craved. "He didn't even stop to process what happened. He just saw the bite and called for his men to grab me. I ran and Disapparated to Hogsmeade, but Damon grabbed me and came along for the ride. I didn't think I was going to make it, but then you came…" Her voice trailed off as she wiped away a stray tear, sniffling. "I just kept thinking as I was running and throwing curses that I had to get back here, that you would know what to do." She finally looked up at him, eyes shining with vulnerability that made his heart clench. "You're the only person who has ever stood up to him publicly."
"Yes, and for very good reason," he replied darkly. Reluctantly, he let go of her hand and got to his feet. He retreated to his closet only to return a moment later with a small, black onyx box with a magical lock. Sitting back down beside her, he tapped his wand to a silver lock in the shape of a serpent. "Alohamora." The tiny snake sprang to life and the box popped open. His breath caught at the sight of a moving photograph of a young girl with bright blonde hair and sparkling cerulean eyes, a wide smile on her lips. She was dressed in Slytherin robes with a large, pointy hat on her head. She looked no older than seventeen, if that. He turned the box around so Caroline could see it. "I take it you remember her?"
Caroline nodded, reaching for the photo, but he reflexively pulled it back and she dropped her hand. "It's your sister, Rebekah. She was three years behind me. We were friends." Looking up at his sorrowful expression, she could see the pain of years of torment etched in every line upon his face. A heavy realization settled over her, the weight of it tangible in the air. "How old was she when she was sent away?" she asked quietly, once again taking his hand as he stared down longingly at the moving photo.
"Seventeen," he replied sadly, unable to look at the image of his lost sister any longer. Closing the box, he set it on the side table and turned back to his professor. "It was at the start of her seventh year. I had just returned to teach Potions." She nodded her head, knowing he'd held the position before her, hiring her as his own replacement when he became Headmaster only a few years later.
Klaus was the youngest man to lead the school in a millennium, a feat some attributed to his family name, but she knew better. He'd worked his way up and provided the next generation with stability during a time when the magical community was redefining the standard of what it meant to be human as well as powerful. A bastard borne of his mother's infidelity with a half-blood, he stood against the last of the Death Eaters and helped cleanse his house of Voldemort's mentality. Despite being only three-quarters magical, he was everything a Slytherin should be: cunning, devious, manipulative, impossibly brilliant but also slightly insane. He teetered the line between genius and madness, one often feeding into the other. As she sat with the taste of his Wolfsbane still fresh on her lips, she was more grateful than ever that he'd been crazy enough to find the cure she never knew she'd one day need. The only thing that outweighed her gratitude was the knowledge of why it was necessary as realization sat heavy on her shoulders.
"She'd chosen to transform and was frolicking harmlessly through the Forbidden Forest when a classmate saw her while sneaking out to see what goes bump in the night," he continued. shaking his head ruefully; he clearly blamed himself and it made her heart hurt. "The Wolfsbane was working by then, but the Minister wouldn't hear of it. He accused me of lying simply to save her and threatened me with Azkaban if I didn't let her go." Gazing at him with a sympathetic expression, she reached over to take his hand. He pulled it away, her pity a burn against his flesh as guilt tore him apart. "I've provided him with more than enough proof over the years to warrant testing it, but he always responds that it's a lie and reiterates his threats to imprison me should I speak of it again. Fortunately, he knows better than to challenge me when he believes I've told no one else."
Caroline could feel the wolf beneath her skin, but she found it didn't terrify her any longer. It was so wrong that her father wouldn't even consider using a known cure, but she honestly wasn't that surprised after the way he'd turned on her. "He still has her," she whispered sadly, catching the way his jaw tightened in her peripheral vision. "My father. He's holding her to keep you from going public."
Klaus nodded, anger curling his hands into fists. "Yes," he replied curtly, "but it's a double-edged sword. He holds my sister, but I hold the school. He knows that were he to remove me from power, I would stop at nothing to expose him for the monster that he is. It brings me great joy to know that he lives with the knowledge that one day, I will find a way to get to her. But for now, we find ourselves at an impasse. He continues to garner hatred for the werewolf community while I continue to build an army of us willing to prove my Wolfsbane makes us no different than anyone else."
"An army?" She released a dry, humorless laugh. "You make it sound like you're preparing to go to war."
When he looked over at her, the Headmaster had a dark gravity about him that sent a chill racing down her spine. "I am."
Caroline felt all the air rush out of her lungs in a whoosh that made her head spin as she gaped at him with wide, fearful eyes. "But… he's my dad." Her voice sounded small even to her as she gulped down the emotions battling for dominance. While she'd seen it for herself, she couldn't understand how Bill could go from love to hate in the blink of an eye.
Klaus' eyes flashed angrily, wolf gold ringing his irises. "What kind of a father turns his back on his daughter without a moment's thought to the alternative he knows is out there?"
"You can't just pick a fight with the Ministry!" she argued, unwilling to let herself get lost in Bill's betrayal with so many questions left unanswered. "Battling means pain and fighting and senseless death. Whatever he's done, the Minister is still my father. I can't just stand idly by and watch you wage war on him!"
"He went to war with me the minute he stole away my sister!" the Headmaster shouted, jumping to his feet as he began to angrily pace the emerald antique carpet of his office, wolves embroidered around the edges in silver. "Do you have any idea what happens behind closed doors at the camps?" His eyes were wild as he gesticulated with his arms, rage vibrating off of him in waves. All she could do was mutely shake her head, unsure if that was an answer she wanted but knew she had to learn. "Think back on your history lessons about the origins of our species. Magical blood is inherently different than Muggle and has been since time began. The reason they can't be affected by our venom is because a werewolf is a creature rooted in magic. Do you understand what that means, hmm? Think about it."
Caroline looked away, a silent dread filling her chest with ice. She felt her heart begin to pound and couldn't bring herself to look up. At her averted gaze, Klaus dropped to a crouch before her and tugged her arms to make her look at him, his tone emphatic as he demanded she listen to the terrible truth. "The wolf and the wizard are inextricably linked, Caroline. The only way to remove one is by destroying the other."
The Headmaster watched as his Potions Mistress struggled to make sense of what she was hearing. He could see denial on the tip of her tongue even as the desperation in his topaz eyes implored her to see reason. She dry swallowed and shook her head, fighting against the harsh reality of her father's unspeakable acts. "No, no, he wouldn't…" Her voice trailed off lamely as bile rose in the back of her throat, stomach doing backflips.
"Yes, he would, love. And he has." His nodded his head solemnly, tone iron and unyielding. "When he gets his hands on one of us, he uses the camps to strip every man, woman and child with werewolf blood of all magic. By the time he's done with them, they are no longer witches and wizards. And as if that wasn't bad enough," he continued, unadulterated loathing painting his growl, "he Obliviates all memory of who they once were so they can never speak of his betrayal. That's why he keeps them. Rebekah is nothing but a shell, lost somewhere between reality and madness." Roughly dropping her arms, he got to his feet and towered over her. "Along with everyone else who has fallen victim to his bigoted hatred. That's who your father is. Tell me again that you would defend him."
While her eyes prickled at the truth of his words, Caroline shook her head and inhaled a shaky breath. If he was right about what went on in those facilities, there was too much work to be done to give in to the grief of losing the father she thought she had. Finally looking up at him as he stood over her, he saw reality sink in. Sitting beside her on the sofa, he crossed one leg over his knee and waited for her to gather her thoughts, the muscles of his face relaxing as his expression softened. She still trusted him. Pulling out her wand, she used a summoning charm to call a glass from a nearby cherrywood cabinet to her and filled it with cold water with a quiet, "Aguamenti." She sipped at it lightly until her heart stopped hammering against her ribcage.
The witch gazed around his office, letting her eyes fall on different magical items. She'd spent an inordinate amount of time there, far more than any other teacher, but for the first time, she realized how many wolves decorated his space. A large green tapestry of one stitched in silver hung on the wall and there was a line of them marching in intricate carvings on the lip of his large cherry wood desk. Gazing over at the empty bottles of potions, she noticed the glass stoppers on several were also wolves. Even the emerald knobs on a glass cabinet full of trinkets held the same shape.
How had she never seen it before?
Everything finally started to make sense. Her father had never liked her working at Hogwarts. She'd assumed in the beginning that it was because he was angry she wouldn't be following his footsteps into politics. Not a visit home went by that he didn't offer her some new position at the Ministry. As the years went on, he'd become even more vehemently opposed to her employment at the school as Klaus began to speak out against the camps. He had many rivals he'd go on rants about, but none seemed to bother him as much as the Headmaster. And now she knew why. There was no way he knew Klaus was a wolf himself or he never would have allowed her near him, but he knew he was related to one. For Bill Forbes, that alone was enough to warrant hatred. It pained her that she'd been so blind to what was right in front of her.
Finally looking over, Caroline nodded her head. "Okay, I'm in. Tell me everything."
Placated, Klaus' shoulders slumped as he relaxed against the cushions. Suddenly, he just looked tired, as though he'd explained this a thousand times to no avail. "Do you know what happens when someone is Obliviated?"
Caroline nodded; the stories about Gilderoy Lockhart had been passed down student to student ever since his wand backfired in the Chamber of Secrets. His was a cautionary tale. "Yeah, total amnesia, general confusion, an inability to form new memories-"
"General confusion," he snorted with disdain. "General insanity is more like it. There's a reason Lockhart ended up in St. Mungo's, love. The man could look in a mirror and not know his own face staring back at him." He shook his head and sighed heavily, dragging his hands down his face. "Victims who suffer total Obliviation are completely incapable of caring for themselves. They forget to eat, bathe; hell, they would forget to breath if someone wasn't there reminding them to inhale." He gazed at her in his peripheral vision, eyes darting to the side. "So, you can see why it's impossible for the Ministry to allow them back into society even as regular Muggles."
The Potions Mistress nodded her agreement. "So, they just lock them up and throw away the key. That's disgusting." Her eyes narrowed as anger began to fill her. "They have no right to do that to people. How do we stop them?"
Klaus turned to face her, tucking one leg beneath him as he considered her thoughtfully. "You grew up around the Ministry. Tell me, what do you know of the Department of Mysteries?"
Caroline let out a low whistle and shook her head. "Not a lot. I mean, I know the stories about the veil and the Hall of Prophecy like everyone else. Beyond that, they keep it all very quiet. I'm not sure even my dad knows everything that goes on it there."
"He knows enough," he replied darkly, jaw clenching as he ground his teeth together, resisting the urge to let his incisors elongate. "My brother, Elijah, once worked for the Ministry in the Department of Finance. Bill fired him when he was caught snooping around the Department of Mysteries, but not before he figured out one very important secret." He inhaled a deep breath as he fought back rage at his brother's termination. They'd been so close. "There's also a Hall of Memory." The witch's eyes widened in shock at that, mind spinning at the possibilities of the implication. "Much like prophecies, memories have to go somewhere, at least temporarily. They're not as strong as they once were, but the wisps remain in a little ball even after Obliviation. Most of the wolves have their balls shattered so they can never be restored, but your father is holding my sister's hostage."
"He knows that as long as there's hope you can get Rebekah back, you won't attack," Caroline deduced smartly. "But is there even a way to restore a memory? I mean, is it like a Pensieve?"
"Unfortunately, no; it's not like a Pensieve." A smirk curled his upper lip, eyes flashing with mischief. "But it can be done. My brothers, Elijah and Kol, have been working on a spell ever since Elijah was fired. They've nearly got it perfected. Soon, the time will come that we'll be able to get her back. She won't be a witch, but she'll know us again and be able to think clearly. We can take care of her from there." He sighed, a wistful expression on his face as he thought about the sister he hadn't seen in years. "Unfortunately, that's only part of the equation. That's why I've been gathering forces. Once we have Rebekah's memory ball, we'll be able to make our move against the camps, and then the Ministry itself."
"We?"
Klaus nodded, his smirk returning. "You're hardly the only wolf on my potion, sweetheart."
Caroline blinked a few times in surprise, but she supposed that made sense. "How many are there?"
"Hundreds," he told her proudly, making her gasp. "I've been silently producing it for years and sharing the recipe with every wolf I can find. Some have turned it down, but nearly all have been happy to get it. The outliers remain a problem."
That did not make sense to the witch. She'd barely begun to transition, but she could feel her body wanting to break and shape itself into something new. The mere thought of such a loss of control, a loss of self, terrified her. She was nothing if not a complete and utter control freak. "Why would anyone turn it down?"
Klaus shrugged as he subconsciously moved closer, his knee brushing hers. "I suppose they have their reasons. Some enjoy the savagery and want others to share in their fate. I imagine once all is said and done, the Ministry will pass legislation to regulate laws regarding those who refuse the potion. It's likely those who intentionally bite others for the fun of it will end up in Azkaban."
Caroline shuddered at that. While Dementors hadn't been seen in public since the war, she'd heard enough stories to put the fear of Merlin in her about what they could do to a person. She vividly remembered obsessing over casting the perfect Patronus Charm just in case. "I can't say I disagree with that. I guess refusing it should be considered a crime just like any other. I can't imagine anyone being too happy having to deal with… this." She gestured at the empty bottle, grimacing again at the taste and not looking forward to her next dose in twenty-four hours.
"You'd be surprised. Many of us enjoy being wolves." Her eyebrows lifted in surprise and he chuckled. "Wait until I teach you to transition. There's a power in being able to run as a wild beast. The Forbidden Forest is a wonderful place for creatures such as us to roam free without risk of being seen. You'll see." He squeezed her knee affectionately, smiling at her fondly even as she gulped. "There are other advantages as well. You'll soon begin to notice your senses heightening, your muscles growing stronger. Your vision and hearing will become more acute than ever, and you'll be able to see even in the blackest night. Our magic becomes stronger, our spells more powerful than other witches and wizards. Once you learn to control your wolf, you'll begin to pity those who don't share in our gifts. While it isn't necessarily something I would feel comfortable sharing, I have no regrets that I was bitten."
The new wolf looked over at her elder contemplatively. Perhaps he was right. She'd known Klaus since she was eleven years old; he was many things, but an optimist wasn't one of them. If he could sit beside her and extol the virtues of werewolfism, it was definitely worth considering. His smile was gentle as he watched her processing everything and it reminded her of the boy he'd been. In one night, her world had been turned upside down; but no matter how much everything changed, some things remained the same. She looked at his hand still resting on her knee. Reaching down, she took it in hers and smiled back at him, both of them idly wondering if this was the thing that would bring them back together.
Caroline sighed wistfully. As tempting as it was to voice her thoughts aloud, she was too consciously aware of all she still needed to know to let herself get too distracted. "You'll teach me?" she asked with a small smile, bringing them back to the matter at hand.
"I'll teach you," he promised squeezing her hand.
"Okay. I trust you." A moment of quiet understanding past between them before she inhaled a deep breath and prepared for an answer she may not like. "So, what's your plan?" she asked nervously, nibbling her lower lip. "How long before…"
"Before we go to war?" he asked with a humorless laugh, shaking his head, a few tousled curls clinging to his forehead. "I wish I knew. I have more than enough support to take down the camps, but that can't happen until I find a way to physically get in to the Ministry. Their defenses have increased tenfold since the war. I don't have anywhere near the numbers we'd need to breach their security by going through the front door, and there's no way to sneak in without someone on the inside. We can't move forward until Rebekah's memory ball is secured. Until we have the strength to take it by sheer force, we remain at a standstill."
"Is that all that's stopping you?" she asked with a coy smile as an idea occurred to her.
Klaus quirked an eyebrow at her tone; it was one he knew well. "Do you know something I don't?" he asked curiously, her palm hot against his. He could feel excitement coming off of her in waves. "Perhaps something that doesn't involve waiting an unknown number of years to make our move?" For the first time, he saw her irises bleed gold, bringing about a wicked smirk beneath his gruff stubble.
"I know a way to get in the Ministry of Magic." A mischievous smile that would have made even Salazar Slytherin proud curled the corner of Caroline's upper lip, sapphire eyes flashing deviously. "But my father isn't going to like it."
A/N What do you think? Did everything make sense? Please leave me a review! (No concrit please.) See you soon!