Fierce looks were tossed around the room, cast from fearful and angry eyes. Remus Lupin absorbed the majority of these glares, and did his best to look pitiful, but not to an atrocious extent. With Sirius as a friend, he knew what looks would get him out of trouble and what looks would just get him more of it.
Of course, he looked pitiful anyway. Sickly and sleep-depraved as he always was after full moons, he really couldn't have looked any more awful if he tried. Add a pair of ragged, dirty robes and an unkempt mop of hair, he was quite a site to be seen.
So, of course, he was not only seen, he was practically examined.
The eyes that were casting him looks of utmost agitation belonged to the staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They were all once his co-workers, and most of them had even been his teachers at one point. It was very difficult to meet their looks of wrath without feeling like an eleven year old again.
"So," Transfiguration professor Minerva McGonagall said, breaking the uneasy silence. "So."
Not much more could really be said.
McGonagall looked more sickened than angry, but her eternally stern expression never wavered. Her lips were pursed impossibly tight, he noted. She always did that when things were out of her control. James, Sirius, Peter and himself had spent enough time in her office to realize that. Her facial cast was shared by the majority of the room, except for professor Severus Snape, who's face wore a malicious little smirk. Sirius, still a large mutt, paced behind his friend and began to hackle when he caught Snape's look, but Remus 'accidentally' kicked him. This was bad enough, the last thing needed was a fist fight between the two old enemies.
"Sit down Remus." Dumbledore said firmly, but not unkindly.
Lupin was all too glad to oblige. He had been standing through his entire story (not that it was all that long), and his knees were beginning to wobble with nerves.
"What happens now, sir?" Professor Flitwick asked, his voice more shrill than usual. "Werewolves have been sent to Azkaban for biting wizarding children. This is much, much worse."
"I think that we all agree that Remus cannot go to Azkaban." McGonagall said slowly, thoughtfully. "He plays an active role in the resistance. If we were to send him to Azkaban, we may as well just hand over our plans to Voldemort." She flinched slightly as she finished speaking.
"Minerva is quite correct." Dumbledore said warily. "Not that I would have handed Remus to the dementors anyway. It was not intentional."
Snape looked displeased. "What about the pup? All muggle wolves are to be exterminated within a month of the bite, by order of Ministry law."
"No," Remus said so vehemently that several wavering gazes snapped up to his face once more. "She's just a child. It would be like killing any of the students here." Several nods and whispers of agreement met this statement, but Snape's scowl just increased.
"Are you sure she's still alive?" Dumbledore asked gently.
Lupin hesitated. "The girl was alive when we left her. Having been bitten, she'll be in and out of consciousness, while her system adjusts to the abrupt changes. We don't know her whereabouts as of right now."
"Well then, you'd better find her." Dumbledore replied. His usually amused expression turned sober. "Find her soon, before the ministry. Or I fear the consequences will be much too dire for reckoning. Everyone else," He glanced around the room and gave each staff member a piercing look. "Will not tell a soul of this." His eyes began glinting merrily once more. "Meeting adjourned!"
----------------
In and out of consciousness was probably the best way to describe Lj's afternoon. Incoherent dreams of wolves and witches proved to be interesting, but got annoying fast. Scattered memories of the mid-morning excursion to the hospital proved a bit more surprising, and much more aggravating.
"-blood on her shirt-"
"-doesn't mean it's hers. Could be the dogs."
"It's real, that's for sure. And human."
"-won't know that for sure until testing comes through-"
"-no puncture wounds. The skin didn't break. How could it be hers?"
Those were the scattered bits of conversation she managed to pick up and remember in her state of muddled consciousness. She glanced at her shoulder again. Bruised, but even that was fading fast. No bite mark. That bewildered her. She checked it as soon as she woke up after her first blackout, and there were teeth marks. How else to explain the blood on her shoulder?
She was thoroughly awake by 5 o'clock, and after showing no signs of falling unconscious again was allowed to go out to the grocery store with her father, mainly to see if she would be able to handle school tomorrow.
"What do you think? Peas or corn?" Her father asked intently, mowing the shopping cart down the isle like a madman.
"Corn," She answered, bored out of her skull.
Her father made to ask her another question, but was interrupted by the most inhuman, awful sound her hearing had ever picked up. It was like a drill was being taken to her ears. Lj dropped to her knees and clutched her head in pain as her eardrums throbbed. It seemed to go on forever, but as suddenly as it started, it stopped.
Then she realized everyone in the isle was staring at her.
"Lj!" Her father hissed frantically. "What's wrong?"
And then it hit her. No one else had heard it.
"Nothing." She smiled shakily. "Just a bit dizzy from this morning, I guess." Standing and brushing the dust off her jeans, she blinked a couple times and smiled weakly at the staring crowd. They turned and went about their business, muttering about lunatics.
"Go stand up by the counter. I've just got to get some bread, then we'll leave. No school tomorrow." Her father took off quickly.
Lj smiled. No school tomorrow, and the only price she had to pay was looking like a total fool in public. She shrugged. It could be worse.
But then there was that noise...
It happened again, but this time she was prepared. She grabbed the edge of a shelf and made her way towards the source of the sound, trying to look indifferent but failing miserably, sure that blood would start running from her ears at any moment.
"Jonathan!" A woman pushed past her, unperturbed, and made up the isle where her son (presumably) was standing over a barrel.
"Take that out of your mouth! You don't know where that's been! Now we'll have to buy it!"
She tore the object from the boy's mouth. The sound stopped.
Lj gaped.
The woman grabbed her son roughly and pulled him away from the isle. "Honestly, what good is a dog whistle if you don't have a dog."
Lj's stare went unnoticed as the mother and child left the store. Instantly, she strode up the isle and stopped over the barrel. "This can't be," She mumbled frantically, "It's like something out of that crappy '80's werewolf movie."
The barrel was filled with small, shiny dog whistles.
She bought one and waited for her father at the exit.
Of course, he looked pitiful anyway. Sickly and sleep-depraved as he always was after full moons, he really couldn't have looked any more awful if he tried. Add a pair of ragged, dirty robes and an unkempt mop of hair, he was quite a site to be seen.
So, of course, he was not only seen, he was practically examined.
The eyes that were casting him looks of utmost agitation belonged to the staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They were all once his co-workers, and most of them had even been his teachers at one point. It was very difficult to meet their looks of wrath without feeling like an eleven year old again.
"So," Transfiguration professor Minerva McGonagall said, breaking the uneasy silence. "So."
Not much more could really be said.
McGonagall looked more sickened than angry, but her eternally stern expression never wavered. Her lips were pursed impossibly tight, he noted. She always did that when things were out of her control. James, Sirius, Peter and himself had spent enough time in her office to realize that. Her facial cast was shared by the majority of the room, except for professor Severus Snape, who's face wore a malicious little smirk. Sirius, still a large mutt, paced behind his friend and began to hackle when he caught Snape's look, but Remus 'accidentally' kicked him. This was bad enough, the last thing needed was a fist fight between the two old enemies.
"Sit down Remus." Dumbledore said firmly, but not unkindly.
Lupin was all too glad to oblige. He had been standing through his entire story (not that it was all that long), and his knees were beginning to wobble with nerves.
"What happens now, sir?" Professor Flitwick asked, his voice more shrill than usual. "Werewolves have been sent to Azkaban for biting wizarding children. This is much, much worse."
"I think that we all agree that Remus cannot go to Azkaban." McGonagall said slowly, thoughtfully. "He plays an active role in the resistance. If we were to send him to Azkaban, we may as well just hand over our plans to Voldemort." She flinched slightly as she finished speaking.
"Minerva is quite correct." Dumbledore said warily. "Not that I would have handed Remus to the dementors anyway. It was not intentional."
Snape looked displeased. "What about the pup? All muggle wolves are to be exterminated within a month of the bite, by order of Ministry law."
"No," Remus said so vehemently that several wavering gazes snapped up to his face once more. "She's just a child. It would be like killing any of the students here." Several nods and whispers of agreement met this statement, but Snape's scowl just increased.
"Are you sure she's still alive?" Dumbledore asked gently.
Lupin hesitated. "The girl was alive when we left her. Having been bitten, she'll be in and out of consciousness, while her system adjusts to the abrupt changes. We don't know her whereabouts as of right now."
"Well then, you'd better find her." Dumbledore replied. His usually amused expression turned sober. "Find her soon, before the ministry. Or I fear the consequences will be much too dire for reckoning. Everyone else," He glanced around the room and gave each staff member a piercing look. "Will not tell a soul of this." His eyes began glinting merrily once more. "Meeting adjourned!"
----------------
In and out of consciousness was probably the best way to describe Lj's afternoon. Incoherent dreams of wolves and witches proved to be interesting, but got annoying fast. Scattered memories of the mid-morning excursion to the hospital proved a bit more surprising, and much more aggravating.
"-blood on her shirt-"
"-doesn't mean it's hers. Could be the dogs."
"It's real, that's for sure. And human."
"-won't know that for sure until testing comes through-"
"-no puncture wounds. The skin didn't break. How could it be hers?"
Those were the scattered bits of conversation she managed to pick up and remember in her state of muddled consciousness. She glanced at her shoulder again. Bruised, but even that was fading fast. No bite mark. That bewildered her. She checked it as soon as she woke up after her first blackout, and there were teeth marks. How else to explain the blood on her shoulder?
She was thoroughly awake by 5 o'clock, and after showing no signs of falling unconscious again was allowed to go out to the grocery store with her father, mainly to see if she would be able to handle school tomorrow.
"What do you think? Peas or corn?" Her father asked intently, mowing the shopping cart down the isle like a madman.
"Corn," She answered, bored out of her skull.
Her father made to ask her another question, but was interrupted by the most inhuman, awful sound her hearing had ever picked up. It was like a drill was being taken to her ears. Lj dropped to her knees and clutched her head in pain as her eardrums throbbed. It seemed to go on forever, but as suddenly as it started, it stopped.
Then she realized everyone in the isle was staring at her.
"Lj!" Her father hissed frantically. "What's wrong?"
And then it hit her. No one else had heard it.
"Nothing." She smiled shakily. "Just a bit dizzy from this morning, I guess." Standing and brushing the dust off her jeans, she blinked a couple times and smiled weakly at the staring crowd. They turned and went about their business, muttering about lunatics.
"Go stand up by the counter. I've just got to get some bread, then we'll leave. No school tomorrow." Her father took off quickly.
Lj smiled. No school tomorrow, and the only price she had to pay was looking like a total fool in public. She shrugged. It could be worse.
But then there was that noise...
It happened again, but this time she was prepared. She grabbed the edge of a shelf and made her way towards the source of the sound, trying to look indifferent but failing miserably, sure that blood would start running from her ears at any moment.
"Jonathan!" A woman pushed past her, unperturbed, and made up the isle where her son (presumably) was standing over a barrel.
"Take that out of your mouth! You don't know where that's been! Now we'll have to buy it!"
She tore the object from the boy's mouth. The sound stopped.
Lj gaped.
The woman grabbed her son roughly and pulled him away from the isle. "Honestly, what good is a dog whistle if you don't have a dog."
Lj's stare went unnoticed as the mother and child left the store. Instantly, she strode up the isle and stopped over the barrel. "This can't be," She mumbled frantically, "It's like something out of that crappy '80's werewolf movie."
The barrel was filled with small, shiny dog whistles.
She bought one and waited for her father at the exit.