Chapter 4: Til Death Do Us Part

They landed in a heap in the Grangers' practice. Emma was wearing scrubs and was ready to start. She immediately ran to Remus. Three gunshot wounds. Moony howled grunted as all of them made significant effort to put him on the gurney. Blood dripped down his injuries. Sirius was absolutely broken. Moody said the words she dreaded the most, "Silver bullets."

Emma wanted to scream. She and Remus had grown so close that she actually felt like they had grown up together as actual brother and sister, and now his life was in her hands. She was not a healer nor an experienced trauma surgeon. What if he couldn't be saved? Daniel rushed to put on a surgical gown and put on gloves over his bloodied, injured hands. They pushed the werewolf to the small room they used for minor in-office procedures. It was sterile, but they had mostly basic supplies. Daniel cut off Remus' clothes and began disinfecting to cut and start trying to dig around for the bullets. This was like working in a warzone. There was one wound on the man's left shoulder, one had grazed what seemed to be a kidney, another one went through the man's lower ribcage. Alastor did a few spells to sanitize the room and everyone in it.

Emma just thought of one thing they could do. Try to remove the bullets and all the fragments possible and do dialysis to clean the blood. But could they use regular blood? Fuck! She began attempting to remember Lily's notes. She had read them a couple of years ago after Remus was done. They needed supplies.

"Tonks! Go to the nearest hospital and get me a dialysis machine! Make sure nobody sees you! Sirius!"

The man was crying against a clearly uncomfortable Moody. Cassandra had rushed to the bathroom to throw up. "Sirius! FOCUS! Go with Tonks and get blood that matches him, as much as you can, okay? Go!"

The two soldiers took off with their orders after Sirius forced himself to keep going. The last thing he wanted to do was to leave his husband. Alastor had put on a disposable surgical gown and gloves and threw his staff away. "What do you want me to do?"

"Take this like so, and pull the tissue. Dan, get the light. Let me do the tightest spaces. Your hands are too big."

Remus was struggling to regain control over his actions. The wolf kept trying to push Daniel and Emma away with his claws. Alastor did a few spells to hold him steady. They only worked because the werewolf was significantly hurt and weakened.

"40 units of O neg," Sirius said as soon as they got in. He was holding a big box full of blood. "What can we do?"

"Go get goblin healers and Healer Tonks. Right now. Go!" Alastor barked at them.

"We may need a magizoologist too," Tonks said, pulling her uncle away.

Emma didn't even ask what that was. Daniel rushed to get everything set up to start the machine. The only reason he was glad Remus was hurt was that needles did penetrate his skin with ease. Emma would feel guilty about robbing a hospital of their universal donor blood later. They kept working harder than ever. They needed to save their friend. A hospital was out of the question. They were now sorry they hadn't invested in a full OR.

Hours away in Hogwarts, Harry and Hermione shot up from their beds and ran to the common room.

"What happened to Remus, Harry?" Hermione asked with trepidation, her hand on her chest.

Harry saw that Hermione was terrified and tried to calm her down regardless of his own fear. "Maybe it was just a nightmare, Mione."

"Harry! You know it wasn't. I felt pain here, here, and here," Hermione pointed at precisely the places Remus was shot.

Harry grimaced. He had felt pain in those exact places, "But Hogwarts is safe… right?"

"Honestly, with what happened to Draco, I don't think so. Let's go to Remus' room," Hermione said, wishing she already had the Marauder's Map.

The kids ran to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and went to the back of it to knock on Moony's door. They started yelling and pounding when there was no response. Both kids took off, and as they left the classroom, they crashed into Professor McGonagall, who was coming back from a long walk she needed to take after the infuriating conversation with Filius.

"Auntie, Uncle Remus is hurt!"

"What?! How do you know that? He is not even at Hogwarts," Minerva replied, grabbing their clammy hands and walking them to the Gryffindor common room.

"Wait, where are we going?" Harry protested, sharing a worried look with Hermione

"To your common room, where I know you will be the safest. I need to call on The Family to find out what happened," Minerva explained. She took a shortcut using the portraits and had them in front of the Fat Lady with record speed. "Get in and stay in. I will let you know what I find out."

"But Auntie-"

"No buts. Go," the sternness in McGonagall's voice. "Do not let anyone in or out until I come back," the professor told the Fat Lady, who nodded decisively.

The Grangers used 10 units of blood in an hour. They were aghast. Half those units in around 5 hours would be a massive transfusion. They worked hard, but there were tiny fragments they couldn't reach. The silver didn't just cut through tissue. It acted like acid, burning the flesh. Tonks had returned quickly with two goblins who began using runes and healing enchantments while the Grangers worked. Sirius brought Andy and another person no one knew, a magizoologist by the last name of Scamander, who brought wolfsbane. He hadn't had blood that would be compatible, but he had other instruments that he thought would be useful. Alastor did not accio the fragments because that could potentially cause an even more significant hemorrhage. Remus kept coming in and out. His heart stopped at some point. They had to revive him with an electric discharge twice as strong as they would use on a regular person.

Outside in the waiting area of the Grangers' office, Cassandra was shaking like a leaf. Throwing up had made her feel a bit better.

Scamander suggested that another werewolf biting Moony would help. What people referred to as the poison was -according to his studies- a source of strength for werewolves. The problem was that they didn't know a werewolf like Remus that they could trust. Something had dawned on him. The magizoologist's eyes widened, and he turned abruptly and left without a word. He remembered he had kept some samples from his last study. Scamander came back a few minutes later to a paler, weaker Remus and did several diagnostic spells. The werewolf was dying soon.

Sirius seemed to understand whatever look flashed on Scamander's eyes. He pulled the man away from the gurney.

"Spit it out, man!"

Scamander blinked rapidly showed Sirius a few vials of thick deep red, almost black liquid. "This is isolated werewolf poison from a case similar to his. But I think it's too late."

"What were you going to do?"

"Ask for a volunteer to be injected with this and go through an accelerated transformation to bite Remus and strengthen the wolf in him. It's crazy, I know. It has never been done. No one would want to become a were-"

Sirius didn't even need to think about it or the possible risks that were far too many to count. He immediately lifted a shield around him and Scamander. Then he pulled his sleeve up so that Newt could inject him. "Give it to me. If Remus dies, I don't want to keep on living."

"Sirius, no!" Tonks yelled as she tried to break through the shield, but it was too late. She was trying to break the protection. "You will die! Sirius! Stop it!"

Alastor alternated his helping of the Granger with his attacking of Sirius' shield while yelling profanities.

"The transformation will be accelerated and very painful. One vial would turn you into a werewolf. I have no idea what four will do… I expect you will become a werewolf faster than anyone ever before. As soon as you transform, the wolf will take over. These silver chains will be wrapped around you to keep you a bit restrained. Once you are ready to help Lupin, you will bite him, push your poison into him, then down the wolfsbane…" Scamander said, hurriedly looking around the room. "Try not to bite anyone else."

Tonks was terrified, but she rushed to tell the goblins, who immediately covered the Grangers with silver alloy armor. Scamander was forced out of the force field as soon as he pushed the isolated werewolf poison into Sirius' veins, and he rushed for cover, pulling Tonks with him behind the goblins' shields. The goblins created protective barriers and prepared to fight. Werewolves and goblins were natural enemies; however, even for the experienced warrior, what happened inside that bubble would haunt them and all those present for years to come.

Sirius held his head and screamed in agony. He fell to his knees in pain, and his skin seemed to bubble as if it was boiling from the inside out. His heart raced faster than ever before. Thick, powerful muscles began to form as the man writhed in pain. The muscle fibers were being snapped all over his body at once. Thick fur grew all over Padfoot's body. His eyes progressively got yellow and kept getting lighter until they were almost white. He grew about a foot taller. Sirius tried to instincts in, but he could smell fresh blood, and the animal threatened to take over completely. From the gurney, Remus groaned a weak 'Sirius.' This sounded like a scream to his newly heightened senses that were picking up all the smells around him, all the sounds of the city outside the building.

The pain in his husband's voice made his brain fight harder to tame the wolf than in any savage Legilimency attack. The physical pain he could deal with later. All that mattered was for Remus to survive. As he thought this, his heart constricted excruciatingly, so much so that he thought he had died. The transformation took 3 minutes that felt like hours. It was a good thing that his husband had described, in detail, what transforming was like. When he finally got up, shakily, he felt the cold air and the silver chains burning him through his torn clothes. His hands looked like claws.

Sirius grabbed the wolfsbane and removed the cap while lowering his protective field. He took three powerful strides towards his husband. Daniel had pulled Emma away, and the goblins immediately included the humans in their protection. Padfoot was forcing all other powerful instincts to bite everyone in that room out of his mind. It hurt. He caressed Remus' hair. His husband opened his eyes briefly, and he looked at Sirius in absolute shock. The new werewolf bent over and bit his husband's neck carefully. He willed the poison out of his fangs as much as he could, as fast as he could. After a few seconds, Remus' eyes opened. His heartbeat was slowing down.

Sirius kept pushing poison as fast as he could, and he began feeling faint. Andromeda had left to get Madam Pomfrey and, using highly specialized surgical spells, both witches managed to remove the silver fragments without causing more damage. Sirius kept pushing poison until his knees gave out, and he lost consciousness. Scamander rushed to force-feed him more Wolfsbane potion and tie him up with the help of the goblins. Once Padfoot was restrained, the Grangers immediately set into closing Remus' wounds. They cauterized, cleaned, and closed everything to the best of their abilities. It had been a strange endeavor as Remus started reducing in size, and so did his body and organs. As soon as Sirius fell down, his husband's vitals began to normalize.

While Remus was stable and still restrained, the Grangers took great care in removing the dialysis machine. The hemodiafiltration had apparently worked, but whatever Sirius did had saved him. Madam Pomfrey, who had stayed back until now, began to cast spells over Sirius. His body was quickly going back to normal. The healer removed the silver chains and restrained him the traditional way, with thick leather ties. Tonks left the room as she saw Remus' face grimace in pain. It was all too much.

Alastor was brick red with rage. Once the last stitch was put in, he took off his surgical gloves and grabbed Scamander by the neck, harshly pushing him against the wall and pressing his wand against the man's neck. The goblins watched, entertained, as they picked up all their weapons and tools.

"How could you be so stupid, Newt!? This has never been done before! The consequences will be permanent and could be fatal!"

"If I had done nothing, his husband would have died, and he would have died shortly after. He told me he wouldn't want to live without Remus," Scamander replied.

"Ever the bloody sentimental, aren't you? I am a mandated reporter for the Ministry. You know that! I have to press charges for willful endangerment of wizards and magical creatures. You can lose your license," Alastor barked.

"I know. Report me if you have to. All I did was in hopes that both of them could survive, and I would do it again. Moody, the transformation took. Since Black is also an Animagus, I thought perhaps his core would reject this, but it didn't. It embraced it," Scamander pushed off Moody's wand. "Let the DMLE take care of me, will you?"

"You would have done much better as an Auror, you know," Moody said to the man.

"No, I wouldn't have," Newt said, "I am not a violent man."

Alastor growled something under his breath that sounded like 'You should be.'

Tonks had sent a note to the manor as she tried to calm Cassandra down. The woman was crying uncontrollably. She kept saying that the priest was dead, and Remus was dying because of her. Tonks wished she could say that wasn't the case, but it kind of was… unintentionally, of course. Minerva had gone to Potter Manor and then flooed to the Grangers' with the Potters. Augusta knew nothing, and Sirius didn't pick up the phone. When McGonagall stepped through the fireplace, she found a stranger crying her eyes out on Tonks' shoulder while the young Auror patted the woman's head awkwardly.

"Where is Remus?" Charlus asked in a rush.

Daniel and Emma came out of the room knackered. They thanked the goblins and returned the bloody armors. The goblins bowed to them and left after greeting Lord and Lady Potter. Cassandra had turned pale at seeing the child-sized, burly creatures covered in blood.

"Charlus, Dorea," Emma greeted them with a nod. Her knees felt weak. Daniel wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her sit down.

"Where is Remus?" "Where is Sirius?"

Alastor pushed Scamander out. "Tell them. You tell their parents what a stupid thing you did, Newt!"

"Scamander?" "Their parents?" was heard simultaneously. Newt almost fell over with the push.

"Tell them!" Moody insisted with a growl pushing Newt forward with his staff.

Scamander looked conflicted and apologetic. He avoided looking at anyone. "Mr. Lupin was dying. You see… I-I did a study a few months ago on the healing properties of what people call werewolf 'poison'… Meaning the substance that comes out of their fangs when they bite people and turn them..."

"Dying?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Dorea asked with exasperation.

"I had a few samples of the poison. I-I thought it was worth a shot to try to save Mr. Lupin. I told Mr. Black that what I suggested would entail a fast-paced painful transformation, but he just told me to give it to him, so I injected him with the vials."

"You injected werewolf poison into Sirius?!" Dorea turned pale. Her legs felt weak all of a sudden.

"Vials as in plural?" Emma asked, whatever little color on her face quickly vanishing. She was glad she was sitting down.

"Is he alive?!" Charlus asked with fright.

"He is. I am sorry for doing something this drastic, but I did it to try to save Lupin's life," Newt looked up briefly.

"How so?!" Charlus demanded.

"Once Black transformed, he… Um… He bit Mr. Lupin to give him as much as he could of the poison. Then I made him drink wolfsbane to put the wolf inside him in check. He gave his husband so much of it that he lost consciousness," Scamander explained.

"Of all the imprudent things you could have done…" Alastor whacked him in the back of his head. "Why not inject Remus directly?"

"Because the doctors were cleaning his blood with a machine. It would have gone to waste and probably ruined the machine in the process," Scamander reasoned.

Dorea and Charlus shared a look. Their children were alive, and that was all that mattered. "Did you check them over now? How are they doing?" Dorea asked.

"Both their wolves are alright. As for their human side, Lupin will need a very lengthy recovery. He shouldn't be out and about for a few months at least. He had silver bullets inside him for a significant amount of time. It got in his bloodstream and touched his organs," Scamander said.

"Mr. Scamander, I will have you know that I was able to take each and every fragment out," Madam Pomfrey said. Andromeda, while pale behind her, nodded decisively.

"I know. I don't doubt your expertise, but please don't doubt mine. I have had to nurse many a werewolf back to health. The silver bullets were inside Lupin for a long time. He will be weak, probably weaker than he was after his first transformation. The next transformation will be one of the most painful of his life. The wolf will want to push out the remaining toxins of the silver. He will try to attack himself to bleed it out. Also, his wolf may fight off the effects of Black's wolf biting him. I would recommend for the doctors here to keep cleaning out his blood with the machine they were using before," Newt looked at the Grangers, who nodded a bit in shock still.

"What do we need to do now?" Charlus asked.

"Help them recover… For Lupin: strengthened essence of dittany to heal the bite. Phoenix tears are pricy, but they would be the best choice to avoid scaring. Good food, almost raw, mostly meat and bone broth. Rest and wolfsbane in small doses. Say 15 milliliters every two or three days. More or less, depending on how he reacts. As far as I know, there is no record of this been done before, so we are in uncharted territory. The effects of a werewolf biting someone who is already a werewolf haven't been studied. For Black, a sip of wolfsbane every twelve hours, for at least a week," Scamander stopped at a gasp from Professor McGonagall.

"That will kill him!"

"Professor McGonagall, it's so good to see you," he shook the woman's cold hand. "It will not. He received the equivalent to 4 times the poison any bite victim usually gets, and he survived."

"4 times?!" Charlus sat down on the coffee table. Dorea felt nauseous.

Alastor smacked Newt again, but harder. Scamander rubbed his head and stepped away from Moody.

"It takes about an hour for a bite victim to transform. We needed a quicker transformation. It took three minutes," there were several gasps around him. "I was expecting around fifteen minutes, but apparently, the morphing speed is potentially increased with that much poison," Scamander said thoughtfully.

"Can we see them?"

"Yes, but keep them restrained. I have to go feed my animals. I will come back later to check on them," Newt said.

"How much do we owe you?" Charlus asked.

"Nothing, Lord Potter. I may lose my license for doing this… Let's wait it out."

Charlus nodded but decided that he would help Scamander. After all, House Potter was in his debt.

Minerva went back to Hogwarts as soon as possible. She had to reawake the Fat Lady. When she went in, she found Harry and Hermione asleep on the couch. They looked so sweet. The stern professor took a second to commit the scene to her memory.

"Harry, Hermione," she shook them lightly.

"A-Auntie," Hermione rubbed her eyes while Harry sat up slowly. Both kids hugged her tight.

"Remus did get hurt. So did your Uncle Sirius, but they will hopefully recover. I can't tell you much more. They are stable and under Daniel and Emma's care. Madam Pomfrey is there too."

"Can we go see him?" Harry asked, his eyes tearing up.

"When the doctors say he's allowed, visitors. For now, just go back to your beds," Minerva kissed the top of both their heads.

The children nodded sadly and went their separate ways.

In the Grangers' office, Emma wrote an email to order surgical equipment. This wouldn't happen again. They needed to be prepared for everything. Her husband decided to go back to train in trauma surgery. He had done some of that in the army, but he needed to be on top of his game. Remus could have died. She kept feeling nauseous in waves. She had never been so stressed in her life as a doctor. Daniel was checking Remus and Sirius' vitals. Charlus and Dorea were holding their hands. With each passing hour, Sirius' fur was receding. Lord and Lady Potter were very concerned. The next few hours would be crucial. With four times the regular dose, would Sirius have a more challenging time than Remus controlling his instincts? Madam Pomfrey had left the required potions and returned to her duties. There was very little she could do at this point. It was a waiting game.

Minerva took a couple of pepper ups to balance out her sleep deprivation. She gave the password to the gargoyle and found Filius still in his pajamas having breakfast with an angry-looking Eileen.

"Excuse me," she began. "I didn't know you would be busy."

"No worries, Minerva, I was just leaving," Eileen dabbed a napkin on her mouth. "Perhaps you can talk some sense into him. I am done trying," the woman said, ripping her hand away from Filius'.

The Headmaster sighed and motioned for Minerva to sit down. "Professor, will you have some coffee?"

"No, thank you. I am just here to inform you that we must find a replacement for Professor Lupin for at least the rest of this year. It could be permanently; we still don't know," McGonagall said with a frown.

"What?! Why? Did something happen?"

"Yes, he used his time off yesterday to help a friend. There was an altercation, and he got hurt, seriously hurt. He needed extensive surgery."

"When did this even happen? Where?" Filius downed the rest of his coffee and shook his head harshly. It was much too early for this.

"Last night. The surgery went on until around four in the morning," Minerva sighed. She still felt tired.

"But what actually happened? With his condition, very few things can hurt him…"

"Silver bullets happened, Filius. Three of them," McGonagall was growing exasperated.

"Is he at St. Mungo's?"

"With respect, Filius… Are you daft? When you get hurt, where do you go?"

"Gringotts. St. Mungo's isn't skilled in treating patients with dwarfism."

"And you think they would treat a werewolf?! Hermione Granger's parents did muggle surgery on him, then Scamander helped us with the wolf part. Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Tonks went there to help and hand out treatment, but she's already back. Healer Tonks stayed there. All we can do is wait," she left out Sirius's involvement. No one needed to know that he was now a werewolf. It was information given on a need to know basis, and Filius didn't need to know.

"Good point. How is dear Newt?" Filius asked. He had always liked the magizoologist.

"He seemed well… Do you need me to help you find a temporary replacement for Remus?"

"No, professor. I actually have received a couple of resumes that may help me fill out the vacancy," Filius smiled happily. The last thing he wanted was to have to go through dozens of curriculums.

"Who, if I may inquire?"

"Quirinus Quirrel and Gilderoy Lockhart," Filius replied.

"Hmm, if I were you, I would post a classified on the Prophet. There are better professors out there," Minerva grimaced.

"But you are not me, my dear Minerva. I will let you know who I choose."

McGonagall closed her eyes, so she could roll then, and took a deep breath. "Have a good day, Headmaster."

Ronald Weasley was having a shitty day. The night before wasn't that good either. Stupid Crabbe and Goyle had to speak ill of Gryffindor. It was his House. He didn't care what the dumb hat had to say. Ron had promised his parents he would find a way into Gryffindor, and so he had gone to the Library to do some research as to how he could have the hat's decision overruled. This would have proven an easy endeavor had he had any manners. He went in, loudly, demanding the librarian to stop what she was doing and help him find essentially a way to turn back time because, as she had replied to him after giving him detention, the hat's decision was irreversible.

He was now suspended due to his row with Crabbe and Goyle, but he was sure that the reason he got punished was that horrid Draco Malfoy. He couldn't attend classes for a week. His parents asked the Headmaster to let him stay in the castle, and he agreed, thank Merlin! Scabbers was looking sicker now that they were living in the dungeons. This struck Ron as weird. Didn't rats live in dark, humid places?

Scabbers had run away during their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Now, it was not leaving his room at all. Ron hoped he would finally have his own room in Hogwarts, but he had to share with three Death Eaters. He sighed. Skimming the books, which took forever, as he wasn't a fast reader, proved futile.

Remus Lupin had never felt worse in his life. Every inch of his body felt like it was hit by bludgers, repeatedly. He couldn't move. As soon as he started trying to open his eyes, he realized two things. Everything itched horribly, and he couldn't open his eyes. The desire to scratch himself bloody was consuming him. He tried to say something, but only a faint groan came out.

"Remy? Oh, he's waking up! Newt, Emma!" Dorea caressed his skin. He wished she would scratch him.

Emma ran into the room. By now, it had been over eight hours after the surgery. Dorea and Charlus had, at some point, fallen asleep. Dan was sleeping on the couch outside. That was probably why no one noticed how terribly swollen Remus was until now.

"Daniel! Come quickly!" Emma said as she rushed to get anti-histamine on a syringe. Newt came in fast and held her hand right before she put the medicine in Remus' IV.

"Doctor Granger, don't,"

Emma gave Scamander a look that would wither the healthiest flower. "Let go of me! You will not tell me how to treat my patient!"

"He's my patient too. At least half of him is…" Scamander countered, but immediately let go. "The wolf needs to fight the toxins without help. It will strengthen him."

Emma checked Remus' airways, "He can only get stronger if he's alive, and his throat is closing up."

"Intubate him and let his body fight the invader," Newt suggested.

"I am not going to unnecessarily intubate a patient," Emma said. She took an epinephrine vial, took the recommended dose, and injected it into Remus.

The effect this has could not have been more extreme. Remus sat up straight, tearing his stitches, and his claws came out. This sudden movement pushed Emma away and into the instrument tray, which clanged. Dan, who had awakened slowly, didn't manage to catch her. She fell with an oof. Scamander placed a silver coin into Remus' forehead, it sizzled, and he fell back down to his pillow with a grunt.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Daniel asked Emma as he helped her up.

"I-I don't know… I am dizzy," she replied. The doctor was looking green.

"That's what I was trying to avoid," Newt said. He took out a notepad and scribbled some notes with a pencil. With his wand, he closed up the wounds again with an episkey.

"Watch it, will you? You may be new here, but we protect women and children first always."

"Sorry, I was observing behavior."

"Observ- You idiot! They are dangerous until they go back to normal! What if he had bit Emma? Or anyone else here?" Daniel wanted to punch Scamander.

Sirius complained and let out a breathy "R-Remy…"

"Hi, son," Charlus kissed Padfoot's forehead.

The younger man opened his eyes slowly, "Ch-Charlus? W-Water," he begged.

Dorea filled a glass and helped him drink with a straw. She had to restrain herself from jumping. When Sirius' chopped lips opened, his fangs were still huge and sharp. Sirius took slow sips.

"Remy?"

Charlus pulled Remus' claw-like hand over to Sirius'. "He is still alive."

Sirius sighed happily and intertwined his long-nailed fingers with Remus' hand. His other half could only moan in pain. No words came out.

"Remy. We're a-alive. I p-promised."

"Sirius, son, how could you be this reckless?" Dorea asked, holding his other hand. Tears glistened on her beautiful eyes. "You could have died!"

"Dory… F-Forgive me. I-I had to r-risk it. We said 'til d-death do us p-part… I-I m-meant that," Padfoot said with a lopsided smile in between pained grimaces.

Dorea understood, and she quickly squeezed her husband's hand so he would stay quiet. They couldn't object to that.

Daniel and Emma left the room. He was concerned about his wife. She hadn't been on top of her game, and that was very unlike her.

"Love, go home and rest… You look tired. Get Neesy to give you one of those nutritional potions and get some sleep, okay?" Daniel kissed her forehead.

"I think I'm coming down with something…"

Daniel felt panic starting to rise. "Sweetheart, you didn't get sprayed in your mouth or eyes when Sirius bit Remus, did you?"

"What? No… darling, I am sure I didn't. I would have already transformed, don't you think?" Emma said. Her brain was racing. Damn it. It couldn't be. She needed to go home.

Tonks had left for the academy, and Cassandra was still sleeping in their office. Emma shook her awake.

"Cassie? We are going home. I'll explain everything there, okay?"

Cassandra nodded and stood up. Emma stepped into the huge fireplace and pulled her into it. A handful of a strange powder and a few words later, and they were in one of the most lavish yet tasteful mansions she had ever been in. Emma almost fell over as they stepped out of the fireplace.

"Are you alright?" Cassandra asked with a frown, holding her by the waist.

A small, strange-looking creature wearing a house-keeping black uniform with a white collar and apron popped out of nowhere. Cassandra jumped.

"Missy Grangy," Neesy said. She could now speak better, but it sounded loving to her. The elf snapped her fingers, and Emma was levitating to the sofa. "You shouldn't be using the floo."

"W-What? Why?"

"Because… Who is this?" Neesy asked before diagnosing Emma in front of a stranger.

"This is Cassandra, D-Dan's sister," Emma explained. "Cassandra, this is my friend Neesy. She is a house-elf. Anything you need, just call for her."

"Could I please shower and change? That weird blood dried on me…" Cassandra asked.

Another elf appeared to show Cassandra to a guest room. Once they were alone, Neesy sat on the edge of the couch and summoned a cold rag to put on Emma's forehead. There was a cup of tea floating beside the sofa.

"Missy Grangy… I thought you knew. You are pregnant. That's why you can't be using the floo," Neesy explained with a smile.

Emma's heart pounded so intensely she felt it in her head. It was impossible… She couldn't be pregnant. After Ajax, they decided not to try again. How far along was she? Was the baby okay?

"Neesy, that's not… Are you positive?" Emma said.

"Almost, I can do a test," Neesy offered. Emma nodded, so she hovered her hand over Emma's lower abdomen, sparks came out of her hand, and they glowed purple. "You are pregnant. Around two months."

"Is the baby okay?"

"It feels tired and agitated. Did you fall down?" Emma nodded, turning pale. "Have this infusion. It will calm your down and make you sleepy. Then have this potion," Neesy handed her the cup and a vial. "Potion will help with nausea and the baby's nutrition."

"Neesy, please don't tell anyone. I have suffered losses before, and I don't want to get Daniel's hopes up, alright?" Emma requested as she took the tea and the potion without question. She trusted Neesy.

"Of course, Missy Emma, but you need rest and good food. If you want to eat anything special, just let me know, and I will prepare it," Neesy patted her mistress' hand.

Tolanthe moved Emma to her room as she slept. When she woke up, her husband was sitting down next to her filling out some forms on his lap.

"Hey," Emma smiled sleepily.

"How are you feeling, love?"

"Much better, I needed the rest. Plus, Neesy took great care of me… What's all that?"

"Forms to go back to train in trauma surgery. I refuse to have something like what happened yesterday happen again without us being entirely ready for it. Charlus has insisted on creating a hybrid hospital. He talked to Lady Longbottom and Lady Greengrass and some other people we don't know. They are going to put an exorbitant amount of money into it. They insist on taking care of all species, so they will hire experts from all over. Charlus and Dorea want us to run it. Are you up for it?" Daniel finished that question with a hopeful tone.

Emma took a deep, slow breath. She nodded. "I'll be glad to help. But we need to talk about the practice. It will not be worth it to keep it open if we will only be there a few hours a week."

"Of course, I'm going to get some dinner downstairs. Stay here; I'll bring you something."

"Thank you," she smiled and snuggled back into the soft sheets.

"You can either start giving a damn about all students equally, Filius, or we will pull our child from Hogwarts. I have no doubt that the Grangers and Lady Longbottom will follow," Severus stood in front of the headmaster with a hurt Draco.

"I care about them, Severus. But I cannot take a hammer to hundreds of years of tradition," Filius frowned and sat down. "My position as a headmaster is already precarious because of my condition, and you know that."

"Then step down and let someone else do it," Snape replied without missing a beat.

"Are you after my job too? Like Minerva?"

"Are you mental? Neither of us wants your job. Minerva barely survived being Headmistress with the Elf Massacre and the Lord and Lady Underground scandals! All we want is for you to do your job. We are not asking you to do something out of the ordinary. The things we are requesting are your responsibility," Severus paced until Draco took his hand and pulled him down to take a seat.

"Headmaster, I wish to be moved. I don't care if I must stay in a classroom or in a different House. I just want to be able to sleep without fear that someone will attack me. Can I floo to and from my home to attend classes? It's in Hogsmeade," Draco requested.

"No, Mr. Black. After those scandals, the Ministry closed in on us more. Apparition, the floo network, portkeys, they are all forbidden here."

"Then let me move to a different room. Can I stay with my dad?" Draco looked up at Severus with a smile.

"No, Mr. Black. That would not look good. It would seem like there is favoritism. Not to mention that those who don't know Severus is your stepfather may think that something else is afoot."

"Like what?" Draco asked with wide, questioning eyes.

"Don't you answer that!" Snape crossed his arms and frowned deeply.

"Students may think you and him are involved," Filius replied anyway with a very meaningful gesture.

Draco was deeply insulted in his stepfather's stead. "You know what headmaster? I am going down to have breakfast. This conversation is clearly pointless. I have been at Hogwarts for 48 hours, and I have ended up needing the infirmary two nights out of two! This is supposed to be a safe place for kids!"

"Mr. Black, do not take that tone with me! The infirmary is for sick students, not spoiled students struggling to adapt."

Draco opened and closed his mouth several times. His magic exploded the sandglass next to the Headmaster, "I am not struggling to adapt! Those misfits are making my life here hell, and you don't care! As the scion of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, I demand that you do not besmirch my or my family's name to cover for your many faults as a headmaster and as a responsible adult who has hundreds of children in his care! Lord Black and Lord Lupin-Black will be informed of what little regard you have for the life and safety of their heir."

Severus placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "Absolutely. You are also no longer welcome for Christmas in our home. My mother may want to spend the holidays with you, but we don't."

Filius frowned and turned around to close his eyes and take a deep breath. That had hurt. He was already hanging by a thread with Eileen. "Understood."

Harry and Hermione were having breakfast quietly. Neville was still shocked; his friends had somehow felt what happened to Remus. Bonds were weird. Draco came in and sat next to Hermione, carefully putting down his porridge and tea. Her energy could always make him feel lighter. He had dark circles on his otherwise pale, perfect skin.

"Hey,"

"Draco, we thought you would come to get us," Harry said. His friend had clearly not slept well.

"Well, it did happen again, but Dad came to help me right away when I touched the amulet," Draco moved his food around but didn't eat. The kids all smiled at hearing Draco call Severus Dad.

"Um… Something else happened last night," Hermione pulled Draco closer. "Uncle Remus and Uncle Sirius got hurt."

"What!? How!? But Uncle Remus is in the castle…"

"No, apparently he left to go help a friend. Something went wrong, and they got hurt. Aunt Minnie says they are stable and may get better with time, but we can't see them until the healers say it's okay," she explained hurriedly. Draco didn't need more bad news after the night he had.

"I will write to them."

"Let's write to my parents. They can explain, or rather, they better explain. I feel they are involved somehow," Hermione said, crossing her arms.

"Yes, but who will teach us instead?"

"Students!" the Headmaster used a sonorus charm.

"Those of you who have Defense Against the Dart Arts today and during this week have that class as a free period. There was an incident, and professor Lupin will be unable to teach for an extended time," many students groaned loudly at this. Remus was well-loved. "However, we will have his replacement next week. I suggest you use these free periods to do your homework."

"A replacement?!" Draco whisper shouted. "I thought he was stable!"

"He is! Aunt Minnie wouldn't lie about that," Hermione said resolutely.

"Well, we have our first periods off then…" Neville sighed. He wanted to learn as much defensive magic as possible.

"We are up to date with homework, right?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Yes, we are. Sirius didn't manage to send what I requested before he got hurt, so our revenge will have to wait…"

Neville coughed up some orange juice. "Revenge?" he asked, growing pale.

"Practical jokes, sorry," Hermione smiled in a way that said she was everything but sorry. Harry felt her mischievous streak grow within their bond.

Harry smiled at her. He was glad to see her come out of her academic element and pursue other interests. "How about some time by the lake? We can play hide and seek or something muggle… to irritate the nazis," Harry winked at his friends.

"Uuuuuh, we should keep calling them nazis. Many of them won't even know what that means," Hermione replied with a naughty smirk.

"Yeah, let's do that. What do you say? Owlery, then hang out by the lake?" Draco suggested.

"Sure," his three friends replied.

"Master! A letter from Hogwarts,"

"Give it to me…"

Dear Mr. Quirrell,

I received your resume a few months ago. I need to know if you are still interested in the position of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Our current professor is on medical leave, and we don't know when he will return. I'd like you to come and take over for as long as the professor is out. It may be months or up to a year. If you are still open to working for us, please let me know when is the earliest you can start.

Filius Flitwick

Hogwarts' Headmaster

Order of Merlin, First Class

"Pack your bags, Quirinus. You are going to Hogwarts. The first part of our plan is starting," Gellert smiled evilly.

"B-But then… The m-merge-"

"It will happen tonight. It is a great day to do this. The planets' alignment will help us," Grindelwald made a note on a notebook in front of him.

"But m-master…" the wizard grew paler by the second. He was terrified.

"You gave us an Unbreakable Vow, Quirrell. We are moving forward with this, and that is final," Albus said in between sips of his tea.

In a guest room at Potter Manor, Cassandra collapsed into the queen-sized bed and brought a pillow to her face. She screamed with all her might. This was too much. What was this place? Where was she? Who were all those people and creatures? She was open to the unexplained, but this was way too much.
At least I am alive, she thought. I need a shower and a stiff drink. A friend of hers was taking her of Callie while she could have her sent to England. She wished she had a set of clean clothes, and out of the blue, a folded pajama set, complete with a robe, fuzzy slippers, and a hair tie, materialized next to her. She jumped and put a hand on her chest. Deep breaths,she reminded herself.

She came out of the magnificent shower fifteen minutes later. She was now clean. The same creature that walked her to her room was waiting outside her door with a small silver platter and a glass halfway full of firewhiskey.

"Missy Grangy sent you this. She figures you need it," the elf smiled shyly.

"Thank you. Is she alright?" Cassandra took the glass.

"She is resting. Master Grangy wants to see you in the study when you are ready," the elf replied.

"Can you show me to the study?"

"Take my hand,"

She did as requested and was shocked to find herself in a study. Had she just been teleported? What the hell?! She was going to ask the creature, but it vanished before she could say anything. Daniel came in a couple of minutes later with his own glass. He hugged her and kissed her forehead.

"Cassie,"

"Dan,"

"Have you tried the firewhiskey yet?" Daniel asked as they sat on the plush sofa.

"No, I was a bit scared."

"It's good. Just take slow, small sips," her brother replied.

She followed his advice. "Uh! Strong! I like it."

"You must have a lot of questions," Dan began.

"I do, but I don't even know where to start…"

Daniel took a deep breath. "Let me start at the very beginning… On Hermione's fifth birthday, we were at the church by our home, talking to our priest. Most parents did RSVP for it, but no one showed up. My baby was inconsolable. Father Martin was quite good at dealing with children who struggled to adapt and make friends."

"That's so sad, Daniel. I am so sorry for her," Cassandra interrupted.

"Yes. Thank God that's in the past. Anyhow, we heard something and saw the altar cloth missing. So, we went to check it out. We expected a homeless person seeking refuge, but what we saw was a stray dog and a little boy. Both were hurt and little more than skin and bones. The child was hypothermic and…"

Daniel told his sister everything. It took a couple of hours, but he persisted and answered all her questions. Cassandra went through most emotions that a person can go in that time. She wanted to see her niece. The girl probably didn't even remember her.

"This is so much…"

"I know."

He went on to tell her about the creatures and about the knowledge he had on lycanthropy and what it meant as well as what he knew about magic history and magic itself. Then it was her turn to tell her story. That involved significant profanity from Dan and lots of tears from both. They agreed to see their parents the following day, provided that Emma felt better and could take over watching Remus and Sirius.

The days passed with Draco sleeping in the Infirmary as he had warned the Headmaster. Hermione had possed, and he tended to agree that the man would not come to check whether he did sleep in his bed or not. The rest of the week went by without any problems and with the children writing to their parents to tell them all that had happened. It was now the first day of class with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

Quirinus Quirrell had an offputting appearance. He was sickly pale, and his robes had a disgusting chemical smell. His head looked ridiculously big with the turban he wore. He had a severe stutter, and his teaching was confusing. Two students had been hurt in their first practice because of his strange instructions. Hermione was not one to question her professors' methods. Instead, she tried to adapt to whatever method they used, but this man… He had no methodology for his class at all.

Professor Quirrell seemed like he was permanently scared of being attacked by anyone. Every time someone would move suddenly, he would let out a little scream and would have to take deep breaths for a while. His stutter made his lesson challenging to follow. Draco was perplexed. How could they think this man, who seemed like he was about to have a mental breakdown, was a suitable replacement for uncle Remus was beyond him. The wizards had learned about mental health from the Grangers, and they didn't play with that. However, if the man was doing poorly. He should be in therapy. He kept looking at Neville, who seemed torn between feeling pity, considering his parents, and wanting to leave since this was a waste of time.

Harry was struggling differently. As soon as the professor looked at him, he felt his scar twitch in a bad way. The most confusing part was that when the professor walked away, his back to the boy, he felt the twitch a bit more intensely. Hermione looked at him quizzically, and she had stopped writing her notes. She was scratching her forehead.

"You n-n-need to w-write a-an essay o-on the P-P-Protego charm for n-n-next class. T-That is all f-f-for today. Y-You may g-go," the professor said, waving his hands at them so they would leave.

The four friends took off. They had a free period before lunch, and they wanted to get started on this essay, which was the first real homework they had to do. On their way to the Library, they ate their fruits from breakfast. The friends greeted the Librarian warmly and went to a nearby table to work on their assignment.

"Harry, what is up with Professor Quirrell?" Hermione whispered while they browsed books.

"I don't know, Mione. He makes me feel weird," the boy replied.

"I felt that too. Also, his class is a mess," Hermione sighed with a blush. "Poor Hanah and Ernie. They will be sore and have bruises from that."

"Couldn't they have hired someone more…"

"More Remus-like?" Draco offered, looking up from his pile of books with a sigh.

"Less jumpy?" Neville added, "and that's coming from me," the boy chuckled.

The friends laughed, covering their mouths to quieten the sound. They began writing their drafts in companionable silence after that. By the end of the free period, they were done with their homework. All they had left to do was proofread and fix some minor details

Far away, two men stared at their instruments to gather data on their soldiers. Quirrell wasn't the best, but since they needed someone expendable, he would do the work. His stuttering and sickly appearance were things they decided to add to his character, so he would seem like the least dangerous person in the castle. Luckily, Filius wasn't that much of a helicopter headmaster. All accounts said that he just busied himself with administrative issues. Apparently, most things flew right under his nose. That was what they needed: a well-intentioned but lax headmaster. Had McGonagall taken charge, Quirrell wouldn't have stood a chance to be recruited. She was too strict and wanted to change things. Dumbledore stood and walked towards the kitchen without a word. He needed something sweet. The witch never understood that the status quo was a thing for a reason.

Quirinus was filing paperwork due to the incident with his two students getting hurt. Dumbledore never mentioned anything about all this bureaucracy. Filius did tell him off, but lightly. As he submitted the scroll, he remembered that he needed to feed his… other half. He put on a black cloak, covered his turban wrapped head with a hood, and took off towards the Forbidden Forest as soon as the afternoon was dark enough. He hoped to find either a unicorn or a phoenix to drink from and calm down the beast sharing his body. It felt like it was trying to claw its way out of his head. His skull was pounding, and his neck was killing him. Quirinus' head weight had doubled overnight, and his neck was struggling to keep up.

It took around a month and a half for anyone to notice Professor Quirrell's feeding trips. Hagrid was used to the typical food chain effect in the Forest. However, lately, unicorns were being killed by something else. The magnificent creatures were not usual victims of predators. Unicorns were all that was kind and pure, but if you tried to kill them, their healing blood would curse you to half a life poorly lived. Hagrid wasn't sure who was attacking the unicorns, but he started keeping track of them and decided to put some in a pen behind his house to keep them safe.

Consuming unicorn blood was so taboo that there was very little written on it. This is why Quirinus thought that as soon as he stopped feeding, he would be fine. He didn't want to feed on the blood. It was horrible, and he felt awful, harming an innocent being like that. The unicorns would always look at him with judging, reproachful eyes as he took all their blood. Nightmares plagued him. He was getting jumpier and jumpier. He kept feeling the monster behind his head would soon take over his body entirely. The more blood he consumed, the stronger it got.

Quirrell wanted to finish his task so he would not get himself killed from his Unbreakable Vow. He was not looking forward to all the bad things he would have to do. Quirinus wasn't a horrible person. However, he owed Dumbledore a life debt from the previous war. He had no choice. Harming children was no fun for him. Quirinus didn't particularly like them, but he didn't want to hurt them either. He would much rather be indifferent to them. His mission in Hogwarts was to retrieve an object his masters wanted, but it wouldn't be in the castle until after Christmas break.

Professor Quirrell hoped not to have to resort to Hagrid's pen. That would significantly increase his chances of getting caught. Once he got the thing they wanted, he would be free. Quirinus had promised himself he would never do anything wrong ever again. He wanted to leave England. Perhaps MACUSA would hire him if his reputation survived this debacle. Quirinus sighed as he dabbed his mouth with the back of his sleeve. He was sick and tired of having to do his own laundry. He couldn't just allow elves to do it because they would grow concerned. After the elf massacre, the little creatures had become more suspicious of everyone. Unicorn blood was a pain to wash off. Most shirts were stained. Luckily the coldest months were near and him wearing several layers was common.

Draco had decided to go for a walk with Neville. Harry and Hermione wanted to stay by the lake and skip rocks. The girl had actually gathered breakfast foods in a picnic basket. The kids were finally feeling more at ease with the short message they received the previous night which informed them that both Remus and Sirius had survived their first post-surgery transformation. Barely, but they were going to get better with time. The grounds at Hogwarts were magnificent. During the weekends, they had a lot of time to do nothing. Since they all kept up to date with their assignments, they didn't need to use time on their weekends. Neville asked him if they could just go around the lake and back. It was growing colder each day. Luckily, Hermione had taught them how to do a warming charm on their clothes. Otherwise, they would be quite chilled. Draco looked at Harry and Hermione at a distance, how they laughed and had fun. It was extraordinary to think they were married. But they were so happy with each other, it was all that mattered.

Neville sighed next to him, "They are good for each other."

Draco nodded. "Yes... They are lucky. I don't imagine having to find a wife the normal way would be easy or fun."

"You will have no problems with that…" Neville looked down.

"Why do you think that?" Draco asked with a frown.

"You are a Black."

"But, I am a former Malfoy…"

"Nah, by the time we leave Hogwarts, no one will even remember you were related to that family. You are proving yourself a Black every day," Neville smiled.

"Thanks. I really hope so," Draco waved at Hermione, who was motioning for them to join her and Harry. "You will do fine too, Nev. Honestly."

Neville didn't look like he believed him much but nodded.

The boys joined their friends who had already set out their picnic, complete with a tablecloth and a single cushion for Draco. Even after years of hanging out with his wild friends, he was still a stickler for propriety and taking care of his clothes. They shared a meal discussing their classes. Hermione had chosen the only spot by the lake that kept them hidden from prying eyes and protected from chilly winds, but where they could still see passersby. As she took some dry branches to start a fire, she saw something weird. Hermione motioned for the boys to stay quiet as she craned her neck from behind the bushes.

Professor Quirrell was coming out from behind the fences around the Forbidden Forest. His cloak was torn and bloodied. His turban was almost coming undone. There was something weird under it. She would have expected hair… not a bloodied mouth. She was about to gasp when Harry covered her lips with his shaky hand and pulled her back, but not before she noticed that the man's cloak was stained with something that, according to her reading, could only be unicorn blood. They all stayed frozen, silent, and in hiding until the man could no longer be seen.

"What the hell was that!?" Draco broke the silence.

"H-He has a mouth under his t-turban, or are all my nightmares just coming to life?" Neville asked with a shaky voice.

"That isn't the worst…"

"What was that paint on him?" Harry asked. The silvery, almost glittery substance was strange.

"Unicorn blood…" Hermione said with a pained grimace.

"What?!" Draco's eyes widened in horror.

"You didn't see it?" Hermione asked.

"Of course, I didn't! I was too worried about the second mouth on the back of his head!" Draco was paler than usual. Neville's mouth was hanging open.

"B-B-But it can't be… Taking a unicorn's blood is-" Neville began.

"Horrible?" Hermione interrupted.

"Criminal?" Draco added.

"Dark?" Harry asked. "If I recall correctly, people who take a unicorn's blood are like cursed, no?"

"Yes. But think… why would a professor of 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' of all things want to have anything to do with a unicorn's blood?"

"To be a competent professor, he must at least have his OWLs and NEWTs. Meaning he has to know the implications of consuming their blood…"

"Consuming?! You don't think he d-drank it, do you?" Neville asked with fright.

"Well, I don't think he was finger painting!" Hermione replied, exasperated.

"B-B-But that means he is cutting his life expectancy by half at least…"

"Why would anyone do that?" Harry was a bit green. The whole prospect was disgusting.

"I don't know…. Maybe his life is not that great?" Neville suggested, looking at Hermione who shrugged.

"Library?" Draco asked the girl with a lifted brow.

She seemed dubious for a few seconds. "Yes... No. Owlery. We need to tell The Family."

"But what if we're wrong?"

"Then let's go talk to my dad. Aunt Minnie is visiting Remus."

"And then the Library?" Hermione asked with a pout.

"Yup," Harry said fixing the girl's scarf so it covered her neck properly.

They quickly picked up their picnic and left. Severus told them he would do some digging. The mention of unicorn blood had startled him, but the mention of a mouth on the back of Quirinus' head was worse. Surely, they just thought they saw that. It made no sense, but he would start finding things out. The first step was to get eyes on Quirrell. Current Hogwarts' elves wouldn't do it. He sat down and penned a short missive to Charlus Potter. The manor had elves to spare, and no one would notice a foreign elf at Hogwarts, and it was the best, most discreet way to gather information.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you are safe and healthy wherever you are. I am grading student's writing for the foreseeable future so the next chapter will take a while. -Lux-