Disclaimer: see part one.

Chapter three.

"Rena….what happened today, has it happened before?" Professor Dumbledore asked and took a seat next to her bed.

"Never so…intense" she said and shuddered at the memory.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…sometimes I feel the wolf…lurking at my mind. As it draws nearer to a full moon, the feeling…the power of the wolf grows stronger. I can control it…. force it into submission…but …" she stopped talking and looked down at her hands.

She still had dirt under her fingernails from clawing at the earth. She couldn't remember exactly what happened, but it was like she was somewhere in her own mind watching her own body. It felt as if she lost control of her actions, like there was something inside her wanting to burst out.

"When did it start?" Dumbledore asked.

"Summer I think…. a few weeks before school."

"I started making twice the dosage," Professor Snape explained.

"Wait…." Lupin said and scratched his hair "how come….." he trailed off and looked towards professor Dumbledore for an explanation. The headmaster looked at Snape and the potion master crossed his arms across his chest. There was something about his posture that reminded Rena about a fox protecting its territory.

"Shes my niece" he said sternly.

Lupins eyes widened in shock. It had never accrued to him that Snape had family, the sheer thought of there being more Snapes was almost revolting. But he subsisted his comments and instead stared at Rena with a new interest.

She did not look anything like Snape at all, and he thought the girl lucky for not inheriting any of the Snape family traits. She was slim, maybe even a too thin and bony but still muscular. Her bangs hung down over her brown eyes and her hair was a shade of black…he seemed to have seen before. She didn't have Snapes hooked nose, greasy hair, pasty skin or… Suddenly he chided himself for thinking such thoughts and shook his head.

"How does it feel, Rena?" Dumbledore asked carefully.

Rena hesitated before she answered. She knew what this was leading to; when she first felt the symptoms she had started reading about it. Sometimes the wolf took over and the human part lost control. When that happened the body would stay in wolf-shape and not return.

This was what they feared.

And that was she feared to, not for her own part. She was afraid of losing control and hurt someone, what if she had lost control outside today? What if she had lashed out on the students hurt them or even killed them. She shivered by thought and in her mind she pictured her self in the middle of a pool of blood and thorn body parts.

What would they do to her? Lock her up in some deep dungeon? Pump her full of relaxing medicaments so she didn't have the strength to do anything? Tie her up with chains made of silver? Or would they let her lose in the Forbidden Forest and then she would roam until her mind went crazy and she forgot her human part.

There had to be a way to cure this, to control the wolf.

She shrugged. "Like I have to flue or something" she lied. "Or have eaten something my stomach does not like"

Professor Lupin looked at her intently and she avoided his stare and turned her gaze to her uncle. She couldn't read his expression. He was looking at Professor Lupin as if he was being a fussy student or a nasty insect, in her uncle's opinion they were both the alike. There seemed to be some unresolved issues between them, a mutual agreement on hating each other.

"Hm…."Professor Dumbledore mused.

"When were you bitten?" Lupin asked breaking the sour tension that hung in the air.

"I don't remember" Rena said slowly and cast a look in her uncle's direction. He was slowly shaking his head. "I was very young"

"I did have some troubles during my teens as well" Lupin went on "but never as violent as you did….maybe it has something to do with you being so young when you were bitten. I'll need to research it" He rose from his chair.

"Ill talk to you later" he said, and Rena wondered to whom he was referring to.

Professor Remus Lupin paced his office slowly, hands on his back and his head bent. It was a long time since he had met another werewolf and he had never met anybody this young. He saw down in his chair and ran a hand through his thin hair and then sighed deeply.

Maud Rena Epans.

Epans you did not need to be a genius to see that it was simply Snape spelled backwards. The thought of Severus nice came back to haunt him and he laughed a little at the thought. Uncle Severus.!

He had read in her school files that Snape was listed as her guardian, besides that there stood nothing else. The strangest thing was that there wasn't listed a date of birth. They were hiding something and he got just as curious as what they were hiding as why they were hiding it.

Rena had hardly looked at him since she got released from the Hospital Wing and every time he tried to get a word with her she ran away. Even Snape was showing some other emotion than hate, he seemed worried.

Her violent sickness was also alarming him. He had heard about people who were overcome by the wolf blood and never returned to their human form. But Rena had almost been in the stage of changing, in broad daylight! When they had brought her into the Hospital Wing her ears had lengthened, her eyes had turned to amber and fur was covering her hands.

Suddenly he heard a sound from the corridor. He opened the door and saw Harry Potter wandering alone in the corridor.

"What are you doing?" he asked, "Where is Ron and Hermione?"
"Hogsmeade" Harry replied sourly.

Lupin considered this for a moment and then said, "Why don't you come in."

When Harry left Lupins office later he was feeling much better. Harrys spirit, had been soaring ever since the superb Quidditch practices, but as the first week of Hogsmeade approached it had been ebbing away. The school had been full of excited talk about what they were going to do once they reached Hogsmeade.

Since his uncle had not signed the permission slip and because Sirius Black was after him Harry wasn't allowed to visit the city with the rest of his friends.

Ron tried to cheer Harry up by talking about the Halloween feast, but Harry could not seem to be excited about anything. He had gloomily watched his friends leave full of promises to bring him sweets.

Talking with Lupin had certainly cheered him up, but seeing Lupin drink something Snape had made was throughout alarming. There had been a look in Snapes face Harry had liked…less than normal. He had looked at Lupin loathingly and at Harry warningly.

Maybe Professor Snape was trying to poison Lupin? Maybe he even could have poisoned Rena that day? Harry needed to share his thoughts with Ron and Hermione when they returned.

When he rounded the corner towards the library Harry walked straight into her. If Professor Lupin could be described as ill, Rena looked like she was ready to drop dead. Her face was in a ghastly pale condition, her eyes were almost completely black and she had large circles under her eyes. He suddenly remembered the last time he had seen her, when she had been twitching and retching blood on the school grounds.

"Sorry" Harry muttered, somehow unable to meet her gaze.

"Its all right" she said and started to gather the books she had dropped.

"You are doing a lot of reading" Harry stated.

"Y…yes. Advanced Potions you know"

Harry picked up a particular large book; it was bound in red skin and was frayed at the edges. "Um…that one belong to Professor Snape" Rena quickly snatched it out of his hands. "I better go return it to him" she muttered, and then she disappeared the down the corridor towards the library. Harry stared at her for a long time and then shrugged.

Harry listened to Ron and Hermiones eager telling of Hogsmeade. They had visited the Derish and Banges, the shop that sold wizard equipment, Zonkos Joke Shop were they, of course, ran into Fred and George and the Three Broomsticks for foaming mugs of Butterbeer.

Hermione who sensed Harrys sullen mood quickly changed the subject before Ron started telling about the sweetshop.

"Did you get any work done, Harry?" she asked.

"No. Lupin made me a cup of tea in his office and then Snape came in with some strange smoking goblet and Lupin drank it"

Rons mouth fell open "he drank it? Is he crazy?"

"Maybe Snape is trying to poison him?" Harry said. Then he told them of ill Lupin had looked and he elaborated his theory that he maybe had poisoned Rena has well.

"She looked just as ill as Lupin" Harry ended.

Ron stared at him with wide eyes and it looked as if all his conspiracy theories had come true. Hermione on the other hand gave a loud annoyed puff and said.

"Honestly. You think Professor Snape would poison a teacher just to get the job! Do you really think he would have done it in front of Harry! And why would he want to poison a student!"

"I do not know…." Ron started but Hermione cut him off "and don't say he did it to get back at Rena for interrupting him in class. If he really was that sour, we would be dead long ago"

Harry had to admit that after listening to Hermiones words of wisdom his ideas seemed too far-fetched to be true.

"I still think Snape is up to something," Harry said. Hermione looked at her watch and said, "we better hurry down, the Halloween feast will be starting in five minutes"

"I would like to see you after class, Mr. Potter" Harrys head shot up from his notes and he answered automatically "Yes, sir."

"In trouble again, Potter" Malfoy leered and Grabbe and Goyle sniggered.

"Did I do anything?" Harry hissed to Ron.

Ron shrugged and answered "I dunno…probably wore the wrong socks or something. Ill wait for you outside."

The class ended and the students hurried to escape from the dungeons as quickly as possible. Harry saw Ron and Hermione send him a worried glance, while Malfoy drew his hand across his throat and grinned evilly.

Harry quickly swooped his books down in his bag and then slowly walked towards the desk. Professor Snape was sorting some papers and he seemed oblivious to the fact that Harry was standing in front of him. Harry waited anxiously a few minutes and then cleared his throat.

"You wanted to see me professor."

"Yes, Mr. Potter" He looked up from his papers and stared at Harry with his narrow eyes filled with dislike as ever.

"This is about your essay, Mr. Potter" Professor Snape said "You did…. and I will be the first to deny it, extraordinary well" his lips curled, but it wasn't the malevolent grin it used to be. "I am going to take a wild guess, and say that you did not do this work on your own. Mr. Potter"

Harry tightened his fists and wondered if Snape was going to accuse him of cheating.

"I had help sir, if that is what you mean" Harry said slowly, wondering what Snape wanted.

"Indeed, and it was not Miss Granger who helped you either. Tell me Mr.Potter, when did you get on friendly terms with Miss Epans?"

What was this all about, Harry wondered.

"I….I met her once, sir. In the library and she helped me" he paused and added what he hoped Snape wanted to hear " I am not on friendly terms with her, professor."

An emotion flickered across Snapes face and he seemed to relax a little.

"Very well, Mr. Potter" he said and the tone of his voice suggested that Harry better keep the relationship that way. This made Harry wanting to do the complete opposite.

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