Every wolf needs a moon
By Talia-Rose
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter so don't sue me. This story is set during the Marauders time at Hogwarts. And I have a sneaking suspicion that this chapter is going to be confusing… more for me than anyone else. Also, I just want to congratulate any other grade twelve students from Queensland in Australia who survived the QCS exams last Tuesday (31st of August) and Wednesday (1st of September)… all I have to say about that is that the topic we had for the writing task was crap.
Chapter Ten: A small truth.
Over the week that the students from Saint Luthors were visiting Hogwarts, the once close relationship between Sonya and her cousin Nathan had completely deteriorated. She refused to forgive him for trying to undermine the developing relationship between herself and Remus.
His actions had also affected the relationship that Sonya had with her other cousin, Andre and had caused her to refuse to go and stay at the family château in the south of France though her friend Janie was going to stay there for a couple of weeks. Andre was somewhat disappointed but he understood that while Sonya was fighting with Nathan, it was best that they stayed apart.
"Well Miss Sonya Delcot, this school you're attending now is quite a change from Saint Luthors." Professor Sliskovitch sat down next to Sonya in the empty classroom. "How do you manage to keep your secret so well from all the other students?"
She shrugged, "I am very good at disguising my gift from other people. There are but a handful in Hogwarts who know about that side of me. Professor, what was my mother like when she was my age? No one in the family will tell me so I thought that you would."
"I taught your mother, yes. She was a smart girl and very well behaved… quite unlike your father and yourself sometimes. Bethany always did as she was told though the werewolf blood that ran in her made it hard for her sometimes. She didn't always know when she was going to be affected by the moon's pull. That was one thing I noticed about you Sonya, you are sometimes influenced by the moon though not very often."
"Did my mother ever… you know… change?" Sonya looked over at the Professor.
Professor Sliskovitch nodded slowly, "She did but unlike full blooded werewolves, Bethany had control over her change which meant that she could remember everything when she changed. It isn't unusual for werewolves to forget who they are when they change but your mother could always remember. Tell me Sonya, when you change, do you always remember who you are?"
Sonya paused, cocking her head to the side in thought. "No, sometimes I do forget who I am when I change though at the back of my mind I always know that I am human. But more often than that, I am inclined towards staying in my Animagus form. Changing back is always the hardest thing."
"That is the werewolf blood in you. I know that the Delcot family preaches on and on about keeping your particular line pure so that the Animagus gift is not tainted but they forget that the Delcot and Delune lines are unique because of the fact that they are a goodly mix of werewolf, Vampire, wizard, witch and Animagus. That is what makes your gift so powerful."
There was the sound of footsteps and Professor Dumbledore entered the room. "There you are Professor Sliskovitch! Your students are waiting for you in the great hall. It's time to return to Saint Luthors."
Edita ruffled Sonya's hair and stood up, "Remember Sonya, it is the unusual mix in your blood that makes you unique and powerful. Embrace it. Your family doesn't realize that the only way you are going to pass that gift on is if you keep mixing."
"How do you know these things Professor?" Sonya asked as the teacher followed Dumbledore out of the room. "You seem to know so much about the Delcot and Delune family."
"I had an older brother who was a werewolf and he in turn had a daughter who was part werewolf and she had a daughter with a very special gift." The woman smiled over her shoulder.
Professor Dumbledore chuckled, his blue eyes glittering, "Edita I don't think that her family would be to happy if they found out that you were telling Sonya that it is easy to get out of it."
She shrugged, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that that was what I was doing. Well, I guess that breaking free is easy so long as you're prepared to be somewhat shunned and struck from the family."
Sonya smiled faintly and stood up to follow the two professors out of the room. It wasn't her intention to trail them all the way to the great hall in order to see the Saint Luthors students leave but for some reason, she felt the need to do so. When she got there, Sonya almost gagged at the sight of her friend Catalina getting rather… close… to Severus Snape. Walking over to Leo and Tuathal, she bowed dramatically and murmured.
"I hope that their attachment doesn't go to far. My reputation would not stay safe if it was found out by my dear friends here at Hogwarts that one of my friends and distant cousins was planning to date their most hated target." Licking her lips, Sonya cast a dark look towards Nathan.
Tuathal arched an eyebrow at her. "Sonya, when you think of it that way you should remember the fact that all pure blood families are related. Which means that technically-."
"Technically everyone is related even if it is distantly and unless we all marry Muggles, we're only aiding in the downfall of the Wizarding world by inbreeding? Yes, I am quite aware of that Tuathal which is why I really don't want to have to ever get married or have children."
"But what about the Delcot heritage? Shouldn't that be passed on so that the gift does not completely fade from existence?" Leo asked, her amber eyes thoughtful.
Shaking her head, Sonya wondered at the mood that had suddenly descended on her. It was unusual and depressing thoughts clouded her mind in such a way that she was overcome by the difference to her usual 'chipper' self. "After what Nathan had the nerve to say to Remus, I couldn't give a rats ass about the Delcot heritage. The gift can go to that hell that Muggles are often talking about. Either that or You-Know-Who can curse it to the end of all time."
Snape must have heard her last line because his head darted up and he stared at her darkly before turning to Catalina. "Is she always inclined to out bursts like that?"
The dark haired girl smiled faintly. "My dear cousin is strange… even for one of us but she is a Delcot and even though I am a Delune, we are meant to watch out for each other. I am surprised though, that she was placed in Gryffindor. Her father, well, he was in Slytherin and it is normal that Delcots are in Slytherin. Must have been the Delune; we're normally sorted into Ravenclaw with the occasional Hufflepuff. But never a Gryffindor."
"Stop spreading that around Cat, I doubt that Hogwarts would want people to think that their sorting hat has finally lost the plot." Sonya chuckled, grinning at Catalina. "I think that the hat probably put me in Gryffindor because I'm brave and stupid."
Zackariah heard her and started laughing, "You're the last person I'd call stupid Sonya Jane Delcot. The cause of your problem is the fact that you're not inclined towards focusing your mind on doing your schoolwork."
"Me? Do my schoolwork? Have you gone completely insane Zackariah Jamison?"
Her old school friends laughed and Snape looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. He might like Catalina Delune but he wasn't sure that he liked the company she kept. Perhaps there was just a side to all these seemingly cheerful people that he couldn't see. Either way, Snape and his friend Lucius Malfoy had some interesting information to give to their Dark Master. Could well be that Saint Luthors wasn't such a bad school after all. Most of the students there came from backgrounds that were persecuted by the rest of the Wizarding world and the Dark Lord would probably find that there were plenty of willing followers among their numbers.
"You're going to keep in touch with me aren't you Severus?" Catalina asked quietly while the rest of her group gathered around Professor Dumbledore and Professor Sliskovitch.
He nodded, "Of course Catalina. Of course…. And you must get back to me on that little suggestion that Lucius made. You know which one I mean don't you? Yes, of course you do. And don't worry, I'll try to keep an eye on Sonya Delcot for you."
She patted his arm gently, smiling as she walked off. "You're such a good boy Severus. I can't understand why you're wasting your time at a school like Hogwarts when you could be at Saint Luthors among others like you. After all, the Balkans' do happen to be the home of all kinds of dark things."
Nathan glared at Sonya, trying to get her attention though she was clearly ignoring him. She had refused to speak to him even once since the previous Sunday and her friends Sirius, Peter and James had delighted in tormenting him about it. Obviously they weren't aware of the full extent of the Delcot-Delune family's power. If they had been, they would have cowered away from him. The biggest problem with the situation was that Sonya was now refusing to have anything to do with the family beyond Marcus and Hillary Smithers – the closest link that those two had to the family was the fact that Hillary was Sonya's fathers sister.
"Sonya, could we please talk? It's important." He placed a hand on her arm and attempted to get her to turn around. "Stop acting like a stupid fool and speak to me Sonya. You can't stay mad at me for the rest of your life."
She spun around, her eyes darkened with hate. "Want to make a bet about that Nathan? I assure you, I can remain angry with you for the rest of eternity. In fact, I plan to remain furiously angry with you for the rest of eternity and beyond that. And if I wasn't such a decent human being, I would curse you into infinity."
He paused for a moment. "This could be considered a start, at least you're talking to me again."
Her hand lashed out and she slapped him. "These are the last words I'll ever speak to you Nathan. I hate you. Get it? I hate your guts and I wish that you had never come here."
Everyone stared at her in a mixed array of amusement, horror, amazement and shock as she spun around and stormed out of the great hall. Though the two professors were not at all surprised that Sonya had snapped like that at her cousin. Nodding to Professor Sliskovitch, Dumbledore handed her the portakey and bid the Saint Luthors students farewell.
"And I hope that the rivalry between Saint Luthors and Hogwarts will continue to exist on an academic level but not a violent one." Professor Dumbledore smiled cheerfully as the students took hold of the portakey along side their transfiguration professor. "Remember, the key to the future is peace and cooperation and it starts with you young people."
"Sonya?" Hagrid looked up at the sound of a shrill whistle.
The hawk Rybe flapped her wings and flew out of the open window, circling around her mistress once before landing on Sonya's' wrist. Rybe chirped happily, ruffling her feathers while Sonya gently stroked her wings with her opposite hand. Walking over to stand in the door, Hagrid watched the young woman sit down on the ground to talk to her beloved hawk.
Throwing her wrist up in the air, Sonya sent Rybe off into the air and smiled at the sight of the bird circling around the Forbidden Forest. She saw her fold her wings and plummet down out of sight. Standing up to dust herself off, Sonya grinned faintly at Hagrid before walking over to him and nodding when he asked if she wanted a cup of tea.
"You know, Dumbledore is aware that that bird belongs to you. He said to me the other day, 'Well Hagrid, what are you going to do when Miss Delcot goes home for the holidays and takes her bird?'. I replied that I would be absolutely fine because you'd be bringing her back to me when the next school year started." Hagrid told her while he was making the tea.
She arched an eyebrow, "Why would the good Professor be concerned about you coping without my Rybe?"
"I wouldn't know. You'd have to ask him that if you really want an answer."
"Hagrid! You've grown attached to my hawk!" Sonya laughed, taking the cup of tea he handed her. "Fancy that. I'll have to get the address of where mum and dad got Rybe from so I can get you one. Though considering your size, I think an eagle would be better for you."
Hagrid rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well I did see this lovely eagle flying over the forest one day. It was lovely. Fawn underbelly with darker wings."
Blinking at him, Sonya froze. He didn't notice her reaction and continued to describe the eagle he had seen. Probably a good think that he hadn't because the nervousness that had suddenly descended on Sonya replaced the strange depression that had hit her earlier. Frowning, Hagrid suddenly realized that she was talking to him and peered at her with a funny expression.
"Are you alright Sonya? You look a little pale and you haven't touched your tea."
She shuddered and blinked, clearing her mind. "What? Oh, sorry Hagrid, I must have spaced out. My mind's be wandering on my quite a bit lately. You were saying about this eagle you saw?"
Hagrid frowned even more. "Your mind has been wandering a bit lately? That can't be a good thing Sonya. Have you spoken to Madam Pomfrey or Professor Dumbledore about it?"
"No, I haven't actually. But I'm sure it's just the end of year stress getting to me a month early. All the professors seem to be piling homework on us at the moment; it's almost as bad as last year with our OWLs. Thank Merlin that there's only one more year to go after this one." Sonya smiled brightly.
Peering at her again, the half-giant shook his head. "I don't know but you're probably right about that. Those professors always seem to panic at the end of the year and hand out so much work as if they're worried that they haven't done enough during the rest of the year."
"That's so true." She chuckled. "So how has my dear beloved Rybe been keeping herself these days?"
"Funny thing about that. You see, every now and again she just disappears from the hut. Gets up and flies off without any clear reason of why. Then when she returns, she always looks happy and content. Doesn't try to bite me finger of when she gets back either."
Sonya smiled faintly. She knew that Rybe would often join her when she went for a fly in her eagle Animagus form but Hagrid didn't. Perhaps she'd have to remind Rybe that she was meant to stay with Hagrid and not go flying off for any apparent reason. "Yes, that's strange. Maybe there's a nice male hawk of her kind out there that and she's sneaking off like a naughty teenager to meet him."
They exchanged looks and burst out laughing at the idea…. And for a moment, Sonya felt relaxed and it was as if the year hadn't happened yet.