Disclaimer: see chapter one.
Chapter twelve.
The dark clouds slid silently over the heavens and the full moon appeared, like a ghostly galleon sailing across the sky. The treetops in the Forbidden Forest swayed slightly in the wind and the Whomping Willow creaked quietly and bent towards the ground.
Dumbledore hummed softly to himself, an ancient and tuneless melody that he long ago forgotten. He half turned and stared at the girl in the bed. The change had not yet taken place. How often had he been faced with situations where he could do nothing but wait? Wait for the opponent to make his next move, wait for somebody to live or die.
He remembered, as if it was yesterday, that night when the Minister of Magic, almost at the edge of panic had called him and said that there was a werewolf child in a muggle-hospital. Not only that, this child belong to somebody who….well, Dumbledore had better sort this out, the Minister had said.
At first Dumbledore had been uncertain about how to address the situation. There were so many muggles who knew about the child that it would take much magic to make them all forget it. Besides, even if he made them forget….they already had pictures of the child, blood samples and documentations and so much more. Removing her from all the papers and peoples memory would just leave empty space that would eventually make them wonder what was suppose to be there. Muggles could be very resourceful and curious when there was something they didn't recognize. In any case, Dumbledore had never been comfortable with putting charms on unsuspecting muggles just to solve a problem.
He had presented him self as the child's grandfather and after days of interviews and questions he had been allowed to leave with the child in his safekeeping. He had to answer that he knew nothing about his son's mistreating, and that he hadn't known that he even had a grandchild. This made Child Protection Service a little uneasy, but Dumbledors charisma and trust-worthy personality had won.
At first he had tried to talk to the girl, but she didn't seem to be interested in speaking. She would mostly stare at him wide-eyed and scared and after a while Dumbledore realized that she wasn't used to interact with people.
Giving the child to her relative had been a risky business, but when it came down to it, Dumbledore strongly believed that blood was thicker than water and that families should stick together.
Lost in reminiscences he didn't notice that he night had almost passed and that the first ray of sunshine was breaking through the clouds. He frowned, for he had not heard a single sound and for a moment he worried that she might have died silently and alone while he was busy staring out the window.
He turned around, wiped his eyes and shook his head furiously. He had seen werewolves several times, their long bony bodies with slim limbs and short grayish fur. It wasn't what Rena had changed into, and he moved closer just to be certain his eyes weren't betraying him.
The creature looked more like a normal wolf than anything he had seen before. As it lay stretched out it was maybe 4 feet from snout to tail and measured about 30 inches at the shoulder. Muscles rippled under the fur and he could see them twitch slightly. It was mostly black with stripes of gray and a clear and the stomach was almost white. It still had bandages around its torso and over its right eye. The hair around the neck seemed thicker, almost like a mane.
Then day broke and Dumbledore turned quickly around, unable to see the change from wolf to human. But he heard it, the creaking of bones and the bending of joints and he could almost feel it, the slight change in texture.
When he turned around again, Rena had returned to her normal self, still lying in the same position as when he first walked in.
Dumbledore hesitated, and then took a step in her direction. Her chest was slowly rising and falling and color was returning to her face. For the first time in many years Dumbledore had no idea what was going on.
The school was busily humming with rumors about Rena and the upcoming Quidditch final. Most students seemed to think that Rena was dead and they wondered why nobody had made any type of announcement. The second year Ravenclaw class had been bombarded with questions several times and they could just repeat the same answers as each time.
"No I don't know anything"
But after during the day the rumors and buzzing diminished and the school returned to normal. Well, at least some things of the school.
The third-year Slytherins and Gryffindors spilled hurryingly up from the dungeons stairs, everybody marveling at what they had just witnessed.
"What was…."Ron seemed to struggle to find the right words "wrong with Snape?"
"It did look like he was a little preoccupied" Harry agreed. Hermione let out a low sigh and said.
"It looked like he wasn't there at all! Nothing he said made any sense, he kept dropping his book and his wand was shaking. I think…. he looked really upset."
"What does he have to be upset about…he isnt the one who has to take his exams soon" Ron muttered earning an angry glare from Hermione.
"As much as you might hate the idea, Ron. Have you ever considered the fact that Snape does have…you know, a life besides tormenting Harry and making our lives miserable."
"Yeah, right" Ron snorted, as if what Hermione was suggesting was completely absurd.
"I can just see him as a family man" he shuddered.
"He might be married for all we know!" Hermione continued "with kids!"
"Poor children"
Harry had never thought about Snape that way…he hadn't thought about any of the professors that way. To him they seemed to always be at school and did nothing else than teach. Hermione was so angry with Rons response that she stomped away, leaving a flustered Ron and a worrying Harry.
Hermione had cooled somewhat off as she entered the Great Hall and looked for a place to sit. The students at the Ravenclaw table were silently working, nobody speaking a word. The Slytherins were looking as foul as ever but even their spirits seemed to have been dampened somewhat.
She sat next to Ginny who was fervently scribbling something on a piece of paper. Hermione took out her books, Ginny dropped her quill and she bent down to under the table to retrieve it. When she didn't return, Hermione said anxiously.
"Is something wrong?"
"What if she is really sick or something?" Ginny said in a low voice " What if she is dying? I've never been really nice to her and she has helped me tons of times with my homework and lending me her notes. She always helps everybody…..you know in our study group or everything. She is really smart, and you know what-" she paused and drew a shuddering breath. "-Nobody ever talks to her if they don't want any help or want to copy her homework. She is always alone and I feel so rotten! " she exclaimed.
"Ginny" Hermione said fervently and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It isn't your fault that-"
"Well, then whos is it? I know she isn't in our house….but why should we only care about the people in our own houses? She is in my classes, I see her almost everyday" Ginny was growing more and more frustrated and desperate.
You are right Hermione thought, trying to sooth Ginny, why should we only care about the people in our own houses, or only the people in our classes. I hardly known anybody except Harry and Ron…and I have been in the same classroom as them in three years.
"Ginny…" Hermione said again " I am sure she is going to be okay. Otherwise…they would have said something, don't you think?"
"I suppose…." She paused for a moment and said.
"Do you really think she was attacked by Sirius Black?"
"I dont know…I suppose he could have….." Hermione trailed off.
"Luna…thinks something happened to her in the dungeons" Ginny said silently.
"What do you mean?"
Ginny explained what Luna had told her, how they had stumbled across Malfoy and his gang in the corridors and how the Slytherins, later, had lured her down into the dungeons.
"She believes they wanted to take revenge, but she's to scared to say anything. Anyways…she reckons Snape already found out who did it. Did you notice how he acted today? He was absolutely furious…over every little thing."
"What!" Lupin exclaimed surprised and slumped down in the chair. Dumbledore just nodded and folded his spidery hands in front of his face.
"A werewolf turning into a real wolf…." Lupin muttered, still dazed.
"It is just the description I can give and she changed back…. she must have an enormous source of will-power. I am going to ask Serverus if he has ever seen her doing that before…. though I highly doubt it since he would have brought it to my attention"
"But…how is still possible? She is a werewolf, right?"
"Yes. There is no doubt about. But I have theory….thought there are several points in it that doesn't add up. The werewolf form….that you experience is the state when the body and mind is trapped between man and beast-form. The wolf-form has some of the human traits like the ability to walk on hind legs. But…what if the wolf-form and the human-form make sort of agreement and allows the body to turn in a complete and full, a normal wolf" Dumbledore paused and the thought about what he had just said.
"That was what I first thought when I saw her…..but it doesn't make much sense"
"I agree…" Lupin said "There is just to much difference between man and wolf that such an agreement would ever be made…and even though we can twist the laws of nature and even take forms of animals, nobody has ever heard about an animal taking the form of a human."
"That is a dilemma" Dumbledore mused and looked at Lupin over his half-moon spectacles. He scratched his beard absentmindedly and furrowed his bushy eyebrows. "Is Rena a human who turns into a wolf…or a wolf who turns into a human."
"If the latter is true…then shouldn't see be able to change whenever she wants?" Lupin asked.
"This…puts Ms. Epans in a rather difficult situation….and also her uncle" Dumbledor said. "If her true nature is reviled…then she might be classified as a magical-creature and lose all human rights"
Lupin looked at the headmaster shocked. "What! You can't be serious?"
"I am afraid that I don't have much to say in that matter."
"Then we just have to make sure nobody finds out."
"Yes…" Dumbledore said slowly "even more secrets at Hogwarts."
