Chapter 7
She woke up and had a nasty taste in her mouth. Like blood… but old… and her mouth and hands were covered in something made of cloth. She realized she was in the Hospital Wing since everything was stiff and white. She turned over and saw Ron Weasley trying to tear a muzzle off of his face with mitten covered hands. She then remembered what had happened and paled… she was a werewolf… and she had attacked him…
He groaned in frustration when he realized it was tied behind his head and she heard Madame Pomphrey talking to someone before coming out and screaming.
Ron recoiled when he heard Madame Pomphrey scream. He realized his hearing was better and couldn't think of why it would be. He figured out the thing on his face was a muzzle and then his eyes got wide.
"I'm a werewolf I was bitten… where is the other wolf?" Ron says as Artemis and Alexander enter.
"The other 'wolf' is beside you. Good job of talking through that muzzle by the way." Artemis says making the muzzle and mittens disappear from both of their hands and feet and faces.
Ron turns to one side and no one is in that bed so he turns to the other and… "YOU?!?! IT WAS YOU WHO ATTACKED ME?!?! Cho?"
"Yes." Cho, who had come back as flying professor and Quidditch referee when Madam Hooch had taken a professional Quidditch job, says biting her lip and then asking for a huge thing of mouthwash, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.
"That's an odd request." Madame Pomphrey says.
"Not really if you factor in how she looked last night and how Ron looked last night and the fact that Ron said she attacked him… she can… taste that fact at the moment." Alexander explains and Madame Pomphrey rushes off to get the stuff. "That might take her a little while as I hid all of that stuff last night, sorry Cho, but we need to be alone right now."
"The two of you both saw something you shouldn't have and whether you remember it or not… we must make sure you do not tell. Cho is a werewolf… we're not sure even she knew as most of our recent cases don't really remember it all that well… Ron you must not tell anyone this. You may tell of your new… state to your closest friends namely those in the you know what. Cho you must tell no one that you saw Ron create storms on the lake. This is a guarded secret." Artemis says.
"Yes sir I won't tell." They say at the same time.
"Good." Alexander says. "Cho would you like to join in the fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters? If so would you like to join the OOP&F?"
"Yes and yes, sir." Cho says and Alexander asks her to roll up her right sleeve to her elbow and she does.
"Ok perfect." Alexander says.
A bright light hits her forearm. It lingers for a moment and then it disappears. When it leaves a mark is left. It is a Phoenix and a Falcon meeting in flight. Their tail feathers meet F on the falcon's and P on the phoenix's. Above it in Phoenix Tear like letters are the words 'The Order' below the tail feathers near the wrist are the words 'Sworn against evil in the fight of dark and light'. They almost circle up to the words 'The Order'.
"Welcome to the Order." Alexander says. "Tell anyone and you will be Obliviated along with anyone you told and whoever they told… it is a quite long process so please keep this a secret."
"I will." Cho says.
"Good." Alexander says and points his wand where Madame Pomphrey has been searching muttering something under his breath.
"Finally! Here they are Cho." Madame Pomphrey says bringing out the requested stuff and Cho runs over to the bathroom to thoroughly wash her mouth out.
"Sorry I didn't find you soon enough Ron." Artemis says guiltily.
"Don't worry about it you didn't know." Ron says. "The only way it's your fault is if you locked those doors." Artemis' face falls and Ron laughs. "I'm just kidding you Artemis."
Artemis chuckles weakly. "Well you are fine you can go Ron."
"Thank you I think I will." Ron says and starts to leave but thinks of something. "Wait will I still be able to use my Animagus form?"
"Yes since it is a special form. If it was just any old animal you wouldn't be able to." Alexander says.
"Ok thank you I have some people to see." Ron says unusually happy for someone who has just been cursed to turn into a horrid werewolf every month at the full moon.
Ron wandered through Hogwarts for a while that morning glad it was the weekend. He was thinking of how to break the news to Harry and Hermione because it wasn't very tactful to just walk up and say 'Hey, Harry, 'Mione I'm a werewolf' because it wouldn't work.
He decided to act like Hermione for once and went to the library to study up on just what it meant to be a werewolf… that might help him know what to say.
Ron found knowing what he'd researched did nothing but make him worry. He had wondered if the whole silver thing was true because it might be neat to only be able to die because of silver. So he checked Hairy Snout, Human Heart (referenced to in Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them) out of the library and found somewhere private to read it.
He did and found it odd that he'd actually enjoyed reading something. He found out the silver myth was indeed fact… But he then thought about what the forks and knives and spoons were made of in the Great Hall and he was worried. He also wondered about his increased hearing and smelling senses and his more strength (he'd pushed the library door open like normal and it slammed a bit loudly into the wall) and how that would affect him. Ron also made a decision to just tell his friends and then they could help him figure it out and as a backup plan he'd owled Professor Lupin and told him to keep it quiet from Harry and the others until notified Ron had told him he had told them.
No one had seen Ron since he'd stormed out on Hermione. Hermione had gone back to common room still crying two hours later and talked to Harry asking him to see if Ron had gone to the dorm. Harry had been in the common room since dinner and told her he hadn't seen Ron. Hermione told him what happened and they had been in such a state neither ever thought to check the map.
They finally went to bed though Harry secretly stayed up waiting for Ron who never showed and Harry seemed a little bit back on the paranoid/insane side when he came down to the Common Room. The reason… he had looked at the map and seen the person he still harbored feeling for and the missing person run into the tunnel that led to the Shrieking Shack and thought bad things of his friend. Well that and the fact that the poison, from the Jeweled Snake, which killed Harry's nerves up to his elbow, had also had a small effect on his mind as it was what was used to make him turn evil in the first place.
Ron came into the Common room that evening to find a worried Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and even Drake waiting for him.
"Hello everybody sorry I was gone I had to, please don't gasp 'Mione, do some research." Ron says.
Hermione almost gasped but settled with letting her jaw drop. Everyone else however gasped just to make Ron mad.
"Yes. I've done research on something that… now… affects me… Can we please go somewhere else? This isn't something anyone else needs to hear." Ron says.
The others agree and Ron takes them to the room he hid out in to read the book. "Well… the what affects me now that I have been researching is Werewolves." Ron waits for everyone to get it and is shocked to see Harry pull out a silver stake. "Harry… buddy… Why do you have that out? Why do you have that at all?"
"Two birds with one stone. I can kill both evil vampire and evil werewolves with this." Harry says approaching Ron with the stake.
"Yes… I could understand that." Ron says moving backwards away from Harry. "But I'm not an evil werewolf." Ron coughs as he hits the wall and looks at Drake and Ginny and Hermione like do something will you he's insane again.
"Yes you are. You're an enemy of Him and an enemy of Him is an enemy of mine." Harry says and Ron decides to press his luck since everyone is doing nothing.
"Harry you are not a servant of You-Know-Who." Ron says secretly thinking he hates the insane Harry caused by the Jeweled Snake.
"No? Then what am I?" Harry asks.
"A person orphaned by him." Drake pipes up knowing how to get this Harry riled up. When Harry turns Ron goes to restrain Harry holding back a bit so he didn't hurt Harry too bad but Harry turned and pressed the flat end of the silver stake against Ron's face.
"ARGH!" Ron screams in pain with his face burning and grabs Harry's hands to tear it away. But Harry is unusually strong so Ron just drops to the floor and kicks Harry's shin as Drake charges into Harry's shoulders and that send Drake and Harry smashing into the ground hard with a loud crack as Harry's ribs crack and Drake's head hits the ground hard.
"Drake!" Ginny screams.
"Drake?" Ron says shakily as he stands up still holding his face. "Oh my." Ron grabs Drake's collar and pulls him up to see his head is almost quite literally split open. "Oh no. To the Hospital Wing. Someone grab Harry I'll take Drake." Ron runs out with Drake as Hermione and Ginny grab Harry and chase after him.
They arrive in the Hospital Wing a couple minutes after Ron. Ron is arguing with Madame Pomphrey to check Drake first and not worry about 'my bleeding (which it was literally doing) face'.
"My injury is nothing he hit the ground head first with the force of his weight and a running start. He was intending to hit Harry who had gone nuts and I kicked him in the shin so Harry fell forward when drake smashed into him offering no resistance or time to keep his head from hitting the ground. So… WORK ON HIM!" Ron yells at Madame Pomphrey.
"Now see here, Mr. Weasley, this is my Hospital!" Madame Pomphrey yells back. "50 points from Gryffindor!" Madame Pomphrey did work on Drake anyway but because she was now mad at Ron. "Mr. Dragonheart will be fine. He will need to stay here for a while. Ms. Granger, Ms. Weasley set Harry down over there. What happened to him now?"
"Ribs I think." Ginny says. "Drake was going to tackle him when Ron tripped Harry and Drake landed on Harry while he slammed his head into the ground and we heard a crack…"
"Well then I will check him out." Madame Pomphrey says walking over to Harry.
"Well… Harry is acting a little crazy… be careful." Hermione says.
"I can handle myself quite well." Madame Pomphrey says healing Harry's cracked ribs. "He is fine."
"No he's not… at least not mentally. Anyway I apologize. My face is really starting to bug me." Ron says.
"Ok everyone else out I'll examine him but they all have to stay now shoo." Madame Pomphrey says and the others leave.