The Cold Room

It could be said, Harry thought, that he could never get a break. It didn't matter what it was; really, things just never went his way. And when they did, they didn't last long. In fact, being left along for this amount of time was a blessing in and of itself a relief. Harry loved his friends, don't get him wrong, it was just that their incessant hounding over the last two weeks had gotten on his nerves.

And so, it was of no surprise to him when they went off on their own, leaving Harry to try and figure out how to take care of his problem by himself (though he did not know that they had gone to Lupin for help). It was in a secluded hallway of the castle that Harry found himself face to face with Draco Malfoy and goons.

"Well, well, well, it's the Potter brat! Where are you're friends, scarhead?" Draco laughed, Harry scowled, and he was going to hex him into oblivion if the Slytherin didn't shut the hell up!

"What's it to you? Haven't anything better do than get all buddy-buddy with a few Gryffindor's?" Harry replied.

"Like hell, Potter; I wouldn't hang out with you and you're pathetic gang for anything," Draco sneered.

"Than go to hell and see if I care," Harry replied he turned around and started to walk away. However, Draco wasn't in the mood to let his prey go anytime soon.

"Stop right there, Potter!" Draco yelled. Harry kept walking, he knew that Draco was a coward at heart. The hex, however, got him right where Draco had intended and Harry fell to the ground in pain, that hex…whatever it was, hurt! A lot.

"Draco Malfoy! What do you think you're doing?" the rebuke was from Minerva McGonagall who had just come down this hall way from professor Lupin's private rooms.

"Professor – I was just…"

"Spare me you're insolent ramblings, Malfoy! Thirty points from Slytherin and two weeks detention for attacking a student, who had his back turned to you," Minerva glared as she went and helped Harry to his feet. The boy wavered and Minerva held him against her.

"This will not be tolerated, Mr. Malfoy, you're father will hear of this and so willProfessor Dumbledore, if I see you anywhere near Mr. Potter again I shall have to reprimand you, hear me?" Minerva glared.

"Yes, Professor," Draco Malfoy replied. The Group of Slytherins and their leader beat a hasty retreat.

"Potter, are you all right?" Minerva asked.

"Not sure…." Harry tried to explain.

"Come, to the hospital wing with you," Minerva replied. She steered Harry in front of her but kept a firm hold on him so that he wouldn't keel over suddenly. Harry meekly let his Professor do as she wanted; she'd only give him detention if he didn't.

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"What is the prognosis?" Minerva asked.

"It is a mild form of the Curiactus curse, there wasn't much hate behind it and Harry will be all right in a couple of day's, I've given him a sleeping potion so you might want to make sure he gets all of his homework from classes," Poppy replied.

"I'm glad I caught them when I did, who knows how bad it could have gotten," Minerva said.

"Dumbledore should know, this is bad Minerva, Mr. Malfoy is following in his fathers footsteps," Poppy replied.

"I know, I know, but….Lucius Malfoy said that he had been bewitched, his son can pull that same stunt if he has a mind too," Minerva replied. She glance down at Harry, who was sleeping peacefully.

"I understand, but Albus should at least know," Poppy replied.

"I shall tell him right now," Minerva replied and turned away from her friend and the boy on the bed between them. Albus would know; she would make him understand these events thoroughly.

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Remus woke to a trey of watered down soup a glass of water and a goblet by his bed side. He also woke to the scowling face of Severus Snape. The man wasn't scowling at Remus, of course, but at something else. Remus sat up in bed and picked up the bowl of soup. Even though it was a bit weak, it was till good.

"So, what have I missed?" Remus asked as he picked up the goblet of Wolvesbane potion.

"Only the fact that Potter got into an altercation with Malfoy," Snape sneered.

"Who gave the first hex?"

"It wasn't a hex, it was curse, and Malfoy can be put into Azkaban for it," Snape replied.

"What? He used one of the unforgivables?" Remus looked up with something passing through his eyes that Snape couldn't quite fathom.

"Yes, it was a mild form of the Curiactus curse, Potter is in the infirmary as we speak," Snape replied.

"I trust that you're going to do something about this?"

"It's all ready been done – Albus is seeing to it, these are grounds for suspension or termination from Hogwarts," Snape replied.

"I know, I – don't know what to say…"

"Than spare me you're boring talk," Snape said. Remus set the empty goblet down and took up the water.

"Is Harry all right?" Remus asked, that uncontrolled feeling came to his eyes as he said this. Snape raised an eyebrow but otherwise did not move from his place.

"Minerva said he would be; Poppy is keeping him for a couple of days,"

"Good, any sort pain from that curse hurts," Remus said.

"I suppose you are talking from experience," Snape grunted.

"As are you," Remus replied quietly. Snape didn't say anything as he rose from his chair and left the room. He knew the horrors of Voldemort and what that meant for the Wizarding world, but most importantly he knew how much it hurt if he failed the Wizard.

Remus laid back down in the warm covers – he had been asleep for a while now and he didn't want to go back to sleep anytime soon. His dreams had been major flashback to the times he had in school and before Lily and James had been murdered. But his thoughts once more turned to Harry. That feeling raged in his chest, and he knew that if he had been present when Harry had felt that pain, that he would have torn Draco Malfoy apart!

Harry did not deserve to live through anymore pain – not ever!

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Monday raised its ugly head and blew a raspberry in Harry's face with as much spittle as it could manage. Harry was fighting off a head ach as he made his way to Defense that morning; his body hurt worse than if a Bludger had beaten him up during a Quidditch game, and he could feel the bone searing pain deep in his limbs and he wished that he could just go to the tower and lay down.

Ron and Hermione didn't let Harry leave their sight – they went to breakfast with him, then to the classes that they all had together before Hermione had to rush off to Muggle Studies or Arithmancy, while the boys went to Divination and study hall. Then they all went to Lunch and now they were going to Defense.

"You think Lupin is feeling any better?" Ron asked.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Oh – we talked to him on Friday, he seemed very sick," Hermione said.

"I wonder why he's sick like that every month," Ron said.

"Maybe he has a wizard illness," Harry said, remembering the things Hermione had said about Wizards not getting sick by muggles and so forth.

"I wonder about that also, I've just been so busy that I couldn't look anything up," Hermione said with a sigh. They were at the class room now and they took their seats.

Moments later, Professor Snape entered the room, flicking the shutters across the windows. He sneered at the class as he set up the old time film projector. No one dared say a word, but Harry raised his hand, he was a Gryffindor anyway!

"Please, sir, where is Professor Lupin?" Harry asked.

"That is not you're business, Potter, now, turn to page 164 in you're books," Snape said. The class quickly ruffled through. Hermione gave a squeak when she saw it.

"Sir! We've just learned about Redcaps, we haven't even gotten to Werewolves yet," she said.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for talking out of turn, Miss Granger, now…" Snape began to explain the Latin root words of Werewolf and then began on the dark creatures habits and so forth.

Harry was scanning his chapter when a particular phrase came to his attention – Werewolves are know for their keen senses of protection, if a Werewolf has children they will protect the children from anything they deem a threat. Sometimes, a Werewolf will adopt a person and then they will become parental over the person.

Looks like Werewolves can be…all right…if they didn't bite you! Harry thought. He had never met a Werewolf, and now he wondered if he really wanted too.

The rest of the class was boring and by the end of it, they had a two foot long essay on the chapter and on Werewolves in general. Snape sneered at them with a pleased look in his eyes.

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A/N – This seems to be the best place to stop – I can't remember the exact page Snape gave to the class, and I was going my movie version, not by the books. I should have looked it up but I didn't want to go digging for my books! Lol! Sorry, I know I'm lazy! But hey, you all got a second chapter in one day! How do like?

I know that I said that Lupin is going to adopt Harry, and he will, I promise! I've put in some –Er—hints in this chapter. I'm sure you all will figure it out!

Have fun guessing what I put in!

Ta,

Poppy