1.1 Werewolf-Part 7-Danielle's POV
I couldn't believe it when I read in the Daily Prophet that my best friend was a werewolf. At first I was just like, 'Oh My God! My friend's a werewolf!' I didn't really think about what I was going to do, or if I'd still be her friend. It wasn't a possibility really. I mean, she wasn't there for me to be friends, or not friends, with. So I just tried to ignore it. Everyone at Hogwarts was talking about it, and me, because I had been her best friend. The thing that bothered me most is that the article said she'd killed someone. The Harriet I knew wouldn't have killed someone, or at least, I didn't think she would. I was kind of scared too. I'd spent a whole year sharing a dormitory with a [b]werewolf[/b] ! I couldn't believe I hadn't realised it. She had disappeared a lot, with excuses of migraines, or sick relatives to visit. I never even noticed that it was the full moon every time. And every time I asked about her, or her relatives, she had all the answers, she had something to say, to cover it all up. She could have told me!
But mostly I tried to forget it. She wasn't there anymore. I hoped she was safe, because although I wasn't sure I wanted to be her friend, or did I mean '[u]its[/u] friend'- I was never sure, I didn't want her (it?) to be killed. I tried to tell myself it was nothing to do with me. But then I got the letter.
At breakfast in the Great Hall, the post arrived. About a hundred owls all swooped in, and one started coming towards me. I recognised it; it was Harriet's owl! I took off the letter, and the parcel and the owl flew away. I hesitated before opening the letter, but eventually I slit open the envelope and read it.
'Danielle,
I'm safe, but I won't tell you where, in case you're not my friend any more. Even if you aren't, can you please read this book, and send it back. The owl will find me.
~Harriet~'
The handwriting was shakier than her usual writing, as if her hand had been trembling, like she was scared. My hand was trembling as I read it, and I knew I was scared. It was stupid really, being scared of reading a letter, because it was written by a werewolf.
So, the parcel was a book, and she wanted it back, so I couldn't be [i]dangerous[/i] or anything. Slowly I took off the paper, carefully, peeling off the spellotape, instead of just ripping it all off. It was a very scrappy looking book, as if it had been read a lot, and the title in half worn-off golden letters on the spine said 'Hairy Snout, Human Heart'. I read the back, and decided to give it a try. I loved reading, and even if it wasn't that great, it'd be something to do. None of the other Ravenclaw girls wanted anything to do with me, as if they thought lycanthropy was contagious, like because I had been friends with a werewolf, there must be something wrong with me too. So I didn't have anything to do, or anyone to talk to.
Two-and-a-half hours later I was still reading. I skipped dinner, to carry on reading it. I had nearly finished, and I now understood why Harriet had chosen it to send me. If that was what life was really like for werewolves, I felt really sorry for Harriet, and ashamed. I felt ashamed for myself, and for all the witches and wizards, with their prejudices and hatred for werewolves. I understood that werewolves weren't evil, that they weren't monsters, but they just had problems, like it was a terrible disease that only affected them once a month. I turned over the last page. THE END. I flipped it shut. It was a great book. It was well written, descriptive, moving, [i]real[/i] . In fact, it was possibly one of the best books I'd ever read. I turned it over and looked at the cover, to see who'd written it. There was no author's name. Just the title, 'Hairy Snout, Human Heart'. Nothing. I looked on the inside of the cover, and where usually you find a couple of paragraphs about the author, it just said
'The author of this book, 'Hairy Snout, Human Heart', wishes to be anonymous. The reason for this is, that it is a true story. All the events are real, though character names have been changed, for privacy.'
I wondered if the anonymous author had written anything else, they should have. I was surprised I hadn't heard of the book before, it was so good, it should have been a best seller. Then I realised. No one would want to buy a book by a werewolf. I wouldn't have wanted to before, probably. I never though of werewolves as people, just as animals. I could see why Harriet had kept it a secret.
There was this new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher too. Apparently he taught here the year before I came to Hogwarts: Professor Lupin. He's a really nice teacher, but people say he's a werewolf too. They said that Professor Snape told everyone that Lupin was a werewolf, when he was here before, but he's come back because of You-Know-Who. All of my year, and lots of the older ones too (except the Slytherins) had been saying he couldn't be a werewolf, because he was so quiet, and polite, not at all wild or dangerous. And then a lot of the Griffindors said that there was nothing wrong with werewolves anyway. I suppose [b]Harriet[/b] did tend to be a bit, well, unpredictable. I mean, if one of the Slytherins called her, or anything, she just slapped them, or cursed them. But if Harriet had turned out to be a werewolf, maybe Professor Lupin really [i]was[/i] one too.
I decided to send a letter, replying to Harriet, as well as returning the book. I tried to be as truthful as possible in the letter, but I didn't want to offend her.
'Dear Harriet,
Thanks for the book, it was really good, and I enjoyed it a lot'-
No, I couldn't send that, it sounded wrong. 'enjoyed it a lot' I mean, it just sounded as if the book meant nothing. I tore off that piece of parchment, and tried again:
'Harriet,
Thank-you for lending me the book. I have read it, and I can see why you sent it me. I am glad you are safe, and I understand why you thought I might not want to be your friend, but it doesn't matter, I am still your friend. Please keeps writing to me, I miss you loads.
~Danielle~'
I didn't mention about her being a werewolf, or anything like that. I was trying to forget that part, and just treat her how I did before. I felt sorry for her, but I knew I mustn't make it seem like I pitied her. I had to think of her as the same person I was friends with last year, because she hadn't changed. I had changed, by knowing what she was.
I sent the letter, and the book back, with my owl, hoping the letter would be OK.
Everything went fine, for a few weeks. I wrote to Harriet, she wrote back. Neither of us ever mentioned her [i]condition[/i] . We were both trying to pretend everything was OK.
'Danielle,
I'm so glad you're still my friend. I miss having nobody to talk to. Thank- you for getting my book back so quickly, did you manage to read it all in one day? It took me over a week the first time I read it, though I was only seven.
It's very lonely here; I have a few people who come to visit me, but not very often.
~Harriet~'
Only seven when she read it? She must have been bitten when she was seven, or younger! That was terrible. I had thought of how it must have been for her at Hogwarts, but as a young child… How did she cope? I could never have done that, for six years, having to lie, and cover up the same horrible secret. Pretending everything was OK.
Well, everything was [i]OK[/i] now, but not great. I mean, it's not exactly ideal having to write to your friend, because she's in hiding, and can't tell you where she is.
'Harriet,
I was just wondering where you are. Do you think I'd be able to meet up with you sometime? It's just, I don't have anyone to talk to either, because you are my only real friend. Now you've gone, nobody talks to me. I understand if you can't tell me where you're hiding, but if you can, I'd like to see you.
~Danielle~'
In the end I asked her where she was, and to my surprise, she said she was [b]at Hogwarts[/b] . I wrote back.
'Harriet,
You're actually here? At Hogwarts! Why haven't I seen you? I know it's hard, with you having to stay hidden, but surely I can see you. Whereabouts are you exactly?
~Danielle~'
'Danielle,
I'm in the staff tower. You know, it's like a separate house, where all the teachers have bedrooms, and the staff room and stuff. There's a spare room at the top, which they put me in, and another smaller dungeon at the bottom of the tower where I go ########### sometimes. I'll ask if you can visit me there, but I don't know. Nobody knows I've been writing to you, and I don't know if they'd approve.
I'll try.
~Harriet~'
That was the only letter where she mentioned about being a werewolf, and she crossed it out, but I could still tell what it said.
So I hoped she'd be able to arrange with the teachers, so I could visit her. After a couple of days, something went wrong.
I'd been keeping the letters in the top drawer next to my bed, with my books. In the middle of the night I woke up, and Orla Quirke was standing there, looking through my drawer.
"What are you doing?" I snapped at her.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I wanted to borrow a book, I spilled ink all over my copy of 'The Standard Book of Spells, grade 2', and I was trying to get my charms homework done, it's due in tomorrow morning."
"Oh, OK." I muttered. "You can borrow it," and slowly I ignored the sound of quill scratching on parchment, and fell asleep.
"Danielle?" She asked, on the way down to breakfast. "Have you heard from [i]Harriet[/i] lately?" I gasped, and spun round.
"What-?"
She interrupted me. "You know, it could be dangerous, keeping in contact with a [i]werewolf[/i] . It's already killed one person, how do you know you aren't next?"
"Harriet is not an 'it', she's a human." I glared. "You knew her last year, how can you speak about her like that?"
"The Daily Prophet didn't call her human." She said, smiling. "Though they did offer a one hundred galleon reward for anyone who told them where she was."
"You wouldn't do that!" I gasped. "You know what they'd do…"
"Oh yes. But does it really matter? They do the same to hippogriffs and manticores, so what's the difference?"
"Harriet is a person, like you, like me. If anyone tried to execute you, people would do something to stop it. Just because she got bitten, it doesn't make her an animal. Only once a month. She's as normal as anyone else is the rest of the time. Don't you get it? She isn't an animal, it's like a disease, or a curse, or something, that only affects her at the full moon. Please don't tell anyone. If you help them find her, that's murder!"
"I'll think about it." She said. Then she just walked off, and I sank to the floor and sobbed with my head resting on my knees. I didn't go down to breakfast. In the end I ran back to the dormitory and wrote a letter to Harriet.
'Harriet,
I'm so sorry, Orla saw your letters, and she's threatening to tell. Be careful, and I'll try to persuade her not too. It's my fault; I should have destroyed the letters, or something. I'm really sorry. I hope you'll be OK.
~Danielle~'
I couldn't believe it when I read in the Daily Prophet that my best friend was a werewolf. At first I was just like, 'Oh My God! My friend's a werewolf!' I didn't really think about what I was going to do, or if I'd still be her friend. It wasn't a possibility really. I mean, she wasn't there for me to be friends, or not friends, with. So I just tried to ignore it. Everyone at Hogwarts was talking about it, and me, because I had been her best friend. The thing that bothered me most is that the article said she'd killed someone. The Harriet I knew wouldn't have killed someone, or at least, I didn't think she would. I was kind of scared too. I'd spent a whole year sharing a dormitory with a [b]werewolf[/b] ! I couldn't believe I hadn't realised it. She had disappeared a lot, with excuses of migraines, or sick relatives to visit. I never even noticed that it was the full moon every time. And every time I asked about her, or her relatives, she had all the answers, she had something to say, to cover it all up. She could have told me!
But mostly I tried to forget it. She wasn't there anymore. I hoped she was safe, because although I wasn't sure I wanted to be her friend, or did I mean '[u]its[/u] friend'- I was never sure, I didn't want her (it?) to be killed. I tried to tell myself it was nothing to do with me. But then I got the letter.
At breakfast in the Great Hall, the post arrived. About a hundred owls all swooped in, and one started coming towards me. I recognised it; it was Harriet's owl! I took off the letter, and the parcel and the owl flew away. I hesitated before opening the letter, but eventually I slit open the envelope and read it.
'Danielle,
I'm safe, but I won't tell you where, in case you're not my friend any more. Even if you aren't, can you please read this book, and send it back. The owl will find me.
~Harriet~'
The handwriting was shakier than her usual writing, as if her hand had been trembling, like she was scared. My hand was trembling as I read it, and I knew I was scared. It was stupid really, being scared of reading a letter, because it was written by a werewolf.
So, the parcel was a book, and she wanted it back, so I couldn't be [i]dangerous[/i] or anything. Slowly I took off the paper, carefully, peeling off the spellotape, instead of just ripping it all off. It was a very scrappy looking book, as if it had been read a lot, and the title in half worn-off golden letters on the spine said 'Hairy Snout, Human Heart'. I read the back, and decided to give it a try. I loved reading, and even if it wasn't that great, it'd be something to do. None of the other Ravenclaw girls wanted anything to do with me, as if they thought lycanthropy was contagious, like because I had been friends with a werewolf, there must be something wrong with me too. So I didn't have anything to do, or anyone to talk to.
Two-and-a-half hours later I was still reading. I skipped dinner, to carry on reading it. I had nearly finished, and I now understood why Harriet had chosen it to send me. If that was what life was really like for werewolves, I felt really sorry for Harriet, and ashamed. I felt ashamed for myself, and for all the witches and wizards, with their prejudices and hatred for werewolves. I understood that werewolves weren't evil, that they weren't monsters, but they just had problems, like it was a terrible disease that only affected them once a month. I turned over the last page. THE END. I flipped it shut. It was a great book. It was well written, descriptive, moving, [i]real[/i] . In fact, it was possibly one of the best books I'd ever read. I turned it over and looked at the cover, to see who'd written it. There was no author's name. Just the title, 'Hairy Snout, Human Heart'. Nothing. I looked on the inside of the cover, and where usually you find a couple of paragraphs about the author, it just said
'The author of this book, 'Hairy Snout, Human Heart', wishes to be anonymous. The reason for this is, that it is a true story. All the events are real, though character names have been changed, for privacy.'
I wondered if the anonymous author had written anything else, they should have. I was surprised I hadn't heard of the book before, it was so good, it should have been a best seller. Then I realised. No one would want to buy a book by a werewolf. I wouldn't have wanted to before, probably. I never though of werewolves as people, just as animals. I could see why Harriet had kept it a secret.
There was this new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher too. Apparently he taught here the year before I came to Hogwarts: Professor Lupin. He's a really nice teacher, but people say he's a werewolf too. They said that Professor Snape told everyone that Lupin was a werewolf, when he was here before, but he's come back because of You-Know-Who. All of my year, and lots of the older ones too (except the Slytherins) had been saying he couldn't be a werewolf, because he was so quiet, and polite, not at all wild or dangerous. And then a lot of the Griffindors said that there was nothing wrong with werewolves anyway. I suppose [b]Harriet[/b] did tend to be a bit, well, unpredictable. I mean, if one of the Slytherins called her, or anything, she just slapped them, or cursed them. But if Harriet had turned out to be a werewolf, maybe Professor Lupin really [i]was[/i] one too.
I decided to send a letter, replying to Harriet, as well as returning the book. I tried to be as truthful as possible in the letter, but I didn't want to offend her.
'Dear Harriet,
Thanks for the book, it was really good, and I enjoyed it a lot'-
No, I couldn't send that, it sounded wrong. 'enjoyed it a lot' I mean, it just sounded as if the book meant nothing. I tore off that piece of parchment, and tried again:
'Harriet,
Thank-you for lending me the book. I have read it, and I can see why you sent it me. I am glad you are safe, and I understand why you thought I might not want to be your friend, but it doesn't matter, I am still your friend. Please keeps writing to me, I miss you loads.
~Danielle~'
I didn't mention about her being a werewolf, or anything like that. I was trying to forget that part, and just treat her how I did before. I felt sorry for her, but I knew I mustn't make it seem like I pitied her. I had to think of her as the same person I was friends with last year, because she hadn't changed. I had changed, by knowing what she was.
I sent the letter, and the book back, with my owl, hoping the letter would be OK.
Everything went fine, for a few weeks. I wrote to Harriet, she wrote back. Neither of us ever mentioned her [i]condition[/i] . We were both trying to pretend everything was OK.
'Danielle,
I'm so glad you're still my friend. I miss having nobody to talk to. Thank- you for getting my book back so quickly, did you manage to read it all in one day? It took me over a week the first time I read it, though I was only seven.
It's very lonely here; I have a few people who come to visit me, but not very often.
~Harriet~'
Only seven when she read it? She must have been bitten when she was seven, or younger! That was terrible. I had thought of how it must have been for her at Hogwarts, but as a young child… How did she cope? I could never have done that, for six years, having to lie, and cover up the same horrible secret. Pretending everything was OK.
Well, everything was [i]OK[/i] now, but not great. I mean, it's not exactly ideal having to write to your friend, because she's in hiding, and can't tell you where she is.
'Harriet,
I was just wondering where you are. Do you think I'd be able to meet up with you sometime? It's just, I don't have anyone to talk to either, because you are my only real friend. Now you've gone, nobody talks to me. I understand if you can't tell me where you're hiding, but if you can, I'd like to see you.
~Danielle~'
In the end I asked her where she was, and to my surprise, she said she was [b]at Hogwarts[/b] . I wrote back.
'Harriet,
You're actually here? At Hogwarts! Why haven't I seen you? I know it's hard, with you having to stay hidden, but surely I can see you. Whereabouts are you exactly?
~Danielle~'
'Danielle,
I'm in the staff tower. You know, it's like a separate house, where all the teachers have bedrooms, and the staff room and stuff. There's a spare room at the top, which they put me in, and another smaller dungeon at the bottom of the tower where I go ########### sometimes. I'll ask if you can visit me there, but I don't know. Nobody knows I've been writing to you, and I don't know if they'd approve.
I'll try.
~Harriet~'
That was the only letter where she mentioned about being a werewolf, and she crossed it out, but I could still tell what it said.
So I hoped she'd be able to arrange with the teachers, so I could visit her. After a couple of days, something went wrong.
I'd been keeping the letters in the top drawer next to my bed, with my books. In the middle of the night I woke up, and Orla Quirke was standing there, looking through my drawer.
"What are you doing?" I snapped at her.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I wanted to borrow a book, I spilled ink all over my copy of 'The Standard Book of Spells, grade 2', and I was trying to get my charms homework done, it's due in tomorrow morning."
"Oh, OK." I muttered. "You can borrow it," and slowly I ignored the sound of quill scratching on parchment, and fell asleep.
"Danielle?" She asked, on the way down to breakfast. "Have you heard from [i]Harriet[/i] lately?" I gasped, and spun round.
"What-?"
She interrupted me. "You know, it could be dangerous, keeping in contact with a [i]werewolf[/i] . It's already killed one person, how do you know you aren't next?"
"Harriet is not an 'it', she's a human." I glared. "You knew her last year, how can you speak about her like that?"
"The Daily Prophet didn't call her human." She said, smiling. "Though they did offer a one hundred galleon reward for anyone who told them where she was."
"You wouldn't do that!" I gasped. "You know what they'd do…"
"Oh yes. But does it really matter? They do the same to hippogriffs and manticores, so what's the difference?"
"Harriet is a person, like you, like me. If anyone tried to execute you, people would do something to stop it. Just because she got bitten, it doesn't make her an animal. Only once a month. She's as normal as anyone else is the rest of the time. Don't you get it? She isn't an animal, it's like a disease, or a curse, or something, that only affects her at the full moon. Please don't tell anyone. If you help them find her, that's murder!"
"I'll think about it." She said. Then she just walked off, and I sank to the floor and sobbed with my head resting on my knees. I didn't go down to breakfast. In the end I ran back to the dormitory and wrote a letter to Harriet.
'Harriet,
I'm so sorry, Orla saw your letters, and she's threatening to tell. Be careful, and I'll try to persuade her not too. It's my fault; I should have destroyed the letters, or something. I'm really sorry. I hope you'll be OK.
~Danielle~'