Ron kept pestering Erin on the way to Defense Against the Dark Arts that afternoon. "Come on Erin! You can tell me!"
Erin rolled her eyes. "Ron, if you don't want me to perform a silencing charm on you you'd better shut up." Erin looked around as they entered the room. "Where's Remus-uh, Lupin? He's usually here when we show up."
I don't know." Harry said. "Maybe he's in his study." The door to the room off the classroom was closed. Strange. Harry stared at it as he sat down at a desk and set out his books.
Erin sat down and noticed Ron sitting down in the seat behind her not wanting to incur her wrath probably. Not that she minded, she hadn't been joking when she said she would curse him. The other students began arriving. Erin began leafing through her book and glared at Malfoy when he came in. He whispered something to Crabbe and then looked pointedly at Erin and Harry. You'd think he'd have given up by now, everyone else had.
"I believe we are due to start Red Caps and Hinkypunks, today...they are very interesting little creatures...devilish little things."
Harry only glanced her way and smiled slightly. "Looking forward to it, eh?" He asked just as very purposeful footsteps told the room a person of authority was just arriving, but that didn't sound like the Professor. Harry looked up as Professor Snape strode quickly into the room, flicking his wand at the large windows as he strode by, as he passed each set of shutters slammed closed, darkening the classroom. When he reached the front he pulled down the view screen and gazed out over the sea of confused faces. "Open your books and turn to Page 394." He said sternly.
Erin looked at Harry questioningly and then at Snape. She was very worried about Remus and by her look she was sure that Harry knew what she was thinking.
Harry decided he should find out what was going on. Snape started towards the projector and Harry leaned forward. "Excuse me, Sir. Where's Professor Lupin?"
Snape sneered at the name. "That's not your concern, now is it Potter? Sufficeth to say that Professor Lupin finds himself incapable of teaching at the present time." He said coldly. "Page 394." And with that he moved to the back of the room where the projector was, ready to begin. Out of the corner of his eye he caught the Weasley boy still flipping idly from page to page. With a flick of his wand the boy's book snapped open to the correct page in front of the red haired boy.
"Werewolves?" Ron asked surprised.
"Werewolves?" Erin almost yelped and then blushed.
Harry glanced back at Snape curiously. "Yes. Werewolves." Snape told them.
"But we don't begin with nocturnal creatures for another two weeks." Hermione Granger said suddenly, seated on Harry' other side. It was like she had just appeared.
Ron gaped. "When did she get here? Did you see her come in?" He asked Harry and not wanting to look at Erin for fear she would turn him into something unnatural.
Snape glared at Hermione. "I don't recall asking you, Miss Granger." He turned. "Now can anyone tell me the difference between an Animagus and a Werewolf?"
Both Erin and Hermione raised their hands.
"Anyone? Well I would expect more of a 3rd year class."
"Sir, please, an Animagus is a wizard who elects to turn into an animal. Werewolves have no choice. They change during the full moon. They have no control. They would just as soon harm their best friend as an enemy. And they only respond to the call of their own kind." Hermione explained, to which Draco replied with a perfectly timed. "AWOOOO!"
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy." Snape said. "Miss Granger, that is the second time you have spoken out of turn. Are you incapable of keeping silent or do you just enjoy being an insufferable know-it-all?"
Erin was up in an instant. "If you didn't want to know why did you even ask?" She yelled at him. "Just because a student knows an answer and just because you have an animosity toward them doesn't mean you should be the bloody jerk you always are!"
Erin knew instantly she had gone too far in her anger.
Snape glared at her as she sat down. "Miss-Lyancomp, you will remain after class today so we may discuss this further." His tone implied much more than a discussion.
He cleared his throat. "All of you will write a 1,000 word essay on the different ways to recognize a werewolf paying close attention to the physical characteristics. To be handed in to me by Monday, do I make myself clear?"
The class groaned collectively. Harry sighed. "But Sir, it's Quidditch tomorrow!" He protested.
"Then I suggest you take extra care. Loss of limb will not excuse you. Page 394. Now a werewolf comes from the Anglo-Saxon 'wer' for man and wolf, thus man-wolf."
Ron hissed at Erin. "Erin, if Snape kills you can I have your candy supply?"
Erin glared at him and turned to face the front again.
Draco finished folding up the piece of paper, an origami crane and he raised it in his hands, blowing on it, sending the enchanted thing fluttering over to Harry's desk. Harry took and opened it to see a crude little scribbling, an animation of himself getting bludgeoned in the head during the Quidditch match tomorrow. Great. He glanced at Malfoy who just smirked and quirked his eyebrows at Potter.
After class Erin threw open the door to the classroom fuming. "Oh! Of all the bloody devils…you will not believe what that bastard did!" She closed her mouth and glared as Snape swept by them with another of his looks. Erin turned back to her friends who were staring at her open-mouthed. They had never heard her swear before.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
Erin kicked the stonewall trying to relieve some of her anger. "That-that-that-"She growled in replace of a word bad enough to say about him. "He gave me the most biased lecture on showing proper respect to people, all the time making subtle references to my blood line and then he gives me about 5 detentions...one every night for a week with him! And he took 20 points from Gryffindor! Oh, I was this close to cursing him! Or just showing him another side of me." Erin quieted at a look from Hermione. They still hadn't told Ron and Harry that they were Animagus'.
"I think it's probably for the best that you didn't do that." Hermione said, smiling sadly. That certainly wouldn't have improved things. "Maybe you could speak to Dumbledore about this." She suggested.
Erin sighed. "Maybe...I don't know what he can do though...Hey, Harry, I thought Oliver was having you guys practice tonight? Doesn't he go ballistic if you're late?"
Harry had completely forgotten. "You're right." He said flinching at the thought of letting the others down for practice. "I've got to go." He said glancing at his friends. "See you all later, then?" He moved passed them playfully bumping Erin's shoulder on his way by.
Erin turned and pushed him back laughing. "Get on with you! And no dive-bombing Fred and George!" She called after him.