Chapter Three: And Now, Something Good to Look At.

The owl that came through his window seemed in a bit of a hurry; it glided in, dropped a rolled piece of parchment on Harry's upturned face, then glided out again. Harry fumbled with the parchment for a moment, then unrolled it and squinted under his glasses to read it. In curling, indigo-inked letters, it read:

Attention Mr. Harry Potter

(Griffindor House)

You have been transferred from Divination

(room 207-b, hall 9: Professor Trelawney)

To Advanced Occult Literature

(room 509-d, hall 2: Professor Wolf).

Potions will be held in the library until

further notice.

Please be advised.

Harry blinked at the twisting script. "Professor... Wolf?"

Draco stared at his letter, then glanced at Kiyoshi, who was sitting on his bed, staring out the window. "Occult Literature?" Draco wrinkled his nose. "Spellcasting is about ingredients and couplets, not—" he waved disgustedly at the parchment. "Literature. And who's Professor Wolf?" He turned to Kiyoshi, who was still gazing out the window with a lost look on his face, resembling a painting of a maiden from the Renaissance. "How about you, Kamagaki? Did you get one?"

Kiyoshi looked at him, then dug a rolled sheet of parchment out of his ill-fitting uniform and handed it to him. Draco unrolled it and squinted at the wandering script, which wasn't at all like the neat, if not twisting, print on his own letter.

Kiyoshi.

I'm sorry to have to leave you here for so long, but something has come up,

And I can't retrieve you as soon as I'd hoped. They're still trailing me like a

Bunch of foxhounds… If I can't get them off of my trail soon, I'll have to go

Into the Icelands to hide out for awhile, and that means you'll be stuck there

Unless I can manage to send someone. I'm rapidly running out of friends to

Help me, but I have my ways of getting what I need. In the meantime, lay

Low and try not to bring too much attention to yourself, or They might find

You. Don't worry, whatever happens, I won't abandon you. I'll find a way.

Get lots of sleep and remember to chew your food.

Nuncio.

Draco stared at the letter and read it slowly twice more, then raised his eyes to meet Kiyoshi's. "Who are you?" He asked, bewildered. Kiyoshi only reached out and took the curling paper back, rolled it, and stowed it safely away in his shirt. Draco looked him up and down, trying to figure him out. Somehow he knew that Kiyoshi had entrusted this information to him alone, and that he mustn't tell anyone, or…

"They might get me," Draco whispered. Kiyoshi nodded solemnly.

***

Professor Wolf was the kind of person people stared at.

He was tall and lean, and strode the chilled walkways of the school with a confident—almost arrogant—glide to his steps. Girls giggled and whispered to each other in tight groups when he walked by, then squealed to each other when he smirked and winked at them.

He stood out plainly from the other teachers—not only because of his manner, but because his skin was dark and rich as chocolate, a welcome change from the pale- and pink-skinned natives of the area. His eyes were slanted and glowed amber-honey, inviting, alluring.

Before his first day at the school was over, girls were clamoring to be transferred into his class. Draco watched them crowding around room 509-d and gave a disdainful snort. "I don't know what all the fuss is about," He said to Kiyoshi, who was standing quietly further down the hall, away from the commotion. "It's just a literature class. Girls can be so silly sometimes." Kiyoshi nodded. Draco smiled at him.

Hermione stormed past them and shoved through the group of girls, fuming. "I demand to speak to the Professor about this!" She was harping. "There is no reason to transfer me from Divination!!" She strode up to Wolf's desk as Draco and Kiyoshi watched from the doorway. "Why is this—this Occult Literature so important that you have to turn my schedule upside down?"

Wolf gave her a quick once over and folded his hands on top of his desk coolly. "Miss—" He began.

"Hermione."

"Miss Hermione, then. One cannot blindly make use of the Arts without first knowing a little history," Wolf purred. Draco could see plainly that the Professor's confident manner was making Hermione angrier by the minute. Even the girls outside the door had quieted to watch. "It is possible to learn a language without knowing the culture, yes, but there is no understanding, no link to the knowledge you have. It makes you a parrot, Miss Hermione. To fully understand and immerse yourself in your practices, you must know a little of the background. Now." He stared at her from beneath long lashes, his smile growing slightly. "If you still wish to be removed from my class and go on moving in your meaningless circles spouting your nonsense, by all means, be my guest. There are plenty of other students who would be more than glad to take your place."

There was a short silence as Hermione and Wolf matched gazes, then a chorus of giggles from the girls at the doorway. Hermione glanced their way, her eyes burning, the wheels turning in her frizzed head. Finally, she sighed and set her mouth in a hard line. She couldn't very well make a fool of herself in front of everyone, especially after Professor Wolf's speech. She set her shoulders and stood up straighter. "You make an interesting point, Professor," She said stiffly in a voice that said You've won the battle, Professor, but you've yet to win the War. "I'll remain in your class to see just what you have to show me." She smiled, baring all her teeth, eyes glinting. Wolf smiled pleasantly back, and the girls in the doorway sighed, falling into each other and fanning themselves. Hermione cast one last murderous glance at Professor Wolf, then stalked out.

"Class starts in an hour," Wolf called after her helpfully, then chuckled and started shuffling through some papers on his desk. The girls resumed their lovestruck giggling.

***

An hour later, Draco and Kiyoshi were sitting near the back of Wolf's class, watching as the Professor passed out books and wrote his name in scrawling white chalk on the blackboard. Harry Potter was sitting in the front, annoying little teacher's pet, casting nervous glances back at Kiyoshi. Some of the students were talking amongst one another, but they fell silent one by one as Professor Wolf turned and looked at the class with that same smirk curling on his lips. When all were quiet and attentive, he cleared his throat.

"I know that some of you may be upset that you were transferred from Divination with Professor Trelawney," He drawled, eyeing Hermione, who glared. "If you've not already heard, our friend Trelawney met with an—" Here his smile grew, and his eyes glowed. "Accident. Tragic, really, it just tears me up inside." He put his hand over his heart. "Walking out in the woods, Professor Trelawney was attacked by a pack of wolves. The trauma of it put her into a coma." He shook his head, still smiling, and turned to the blackboard.

"Excuse me, professor," One of the students sitting in the front row spoke up, raising his hand. "When do you suppose Professor Trelawney will return? In two weeks? A month…?"

Wolf turned to face the class once more, smiling. "Professor Trelawney will not return."

There was a shocked silence. Wolf's eyes fell on Kiyoshi, and the boy sank down in his chair, eyes wide. "You there," Wolf drawled, addressing Kiyoshi. "Thank you for volunteering to help with our first lesson. Come here, please."

Draco watched Kiyoshi as he stood and walked to the front of the class. He looked terrified, the first sign of emotion he'd shown since he'd appeared at the school. Wolf looked like a cat who'd spotted an injured mouse, ready for the kill. Kiyoshi reached the front of the classroom, and Wolf turned him to face the students. The boys eyes were wide and scared, and he was shaking visibly as Wolf laid a hand on his shoulder. He handed him a thick, leather-bound book, on the cover of which were the words Lupis Requiem. "I'd like you to read the prologue, please."

Kiyoshi opened the book and stared at the pages, his hands shaking. Sweat dripped off of his chin. After a long moment of silence, Draco stood up. "I'll do it, Professor Wolf," He said. The other students stared, shocked. Wolf's eyes narrowed.

"Sit down, boy," He ordered.

Draco slid miserably back into his seat, watching his friend stand in front of the class, looking whiter and sicker every minute. The students held their breath.

Kiyoshi slumped to the floor in a dead faint.

"Kiyoshi!" Draco cried, lunging out of his seat. The other students stood as well and craned their necks to get a look at the scene. Wolf looked annoyed.

"Take him to the hospital wing, then," He said, waving a hand dismissively. He shook his head. As Draco gently lifted Kiyoshi to his feet, he thought he heard the Professor mutter, "Lost him."