Chapter 9: Of Werewolves and Men

Flashback

"Today, we will be discussing werewolves." Harry told his first year Gryffindor class.

Megan noticed Colin's face lit up. For some odd reason, the subject of werewolves had always fascinated him.

"Now, who can tell me what a werewolf is?"

Many people raised their hands

"Mr. Lupin."

"A werewolf is a person who develops wolfish qualities, and during the full moon, they become like a wolf not only in senses, but in looks as well. However, there are some distinct differences such as the length of the snout. According to what I've read, it's a very painful experience." Jeremy stated.

"Very good Mr. Lupin." Harry said.

Harry then went on to describe the differences between a normal wolf and a werewolf.

Colin raised his hand.

"Yes Mr. Lupin"

"Have you actually seen a werewolf?"

"Yes." Harry answered

Colin raised his hand again.

"Mr. Lupin?" Harry said with a laugh.

"What was it like?"

"Well, at the time, it was a little scary. He had forgotten to take the Wolfsbane potion that night due to some…events. Luckily, I had a friend who was an animagus. Werewolf bites don't affect animals. My friend kept the werewolf busy while we escaped." Harry told them seriously about that night changing a few details.

"Did you ever see that werewolf again?" Ariel asked.

"Yes. The next day. He apologized about what had happened. Actually, he quit his job because of what happened. I saw him again a little over a year later. We still keep in touch.. You have to keep in mind that werewolves are normal people with a "furry little problem"."

"Is he cured?" Colin asked remembering what Harry had mentioned.

"Yes." Harry said grinning. "And living a wonderful life."

Megan raised her hand

"Yes?"

"Who is he?"

"I'm afraid I'm not a liberty to mention any names."

End Flashback

"I can't believe it." Colin Lupin said to himself as he leaned against his locked door.

KNOCK KNOCK

Pause

KNOCK KNOCK

Pause again.

KNOCK KNOCK BANG KNOCK BANG POUND THUMP

"ALRIGHT!" Colin finally said. "Break the door down why don't you?"

Colin got up off the floor and unlocked the door to find his friends.

"Colin?" Megan asked surprised to see one of her best friends in his state.

Colin looked like a nervous wreck.

"What happened?" Ariel asked.

"Did you ask about the ghosts?" Vega asked him

Colin shook his head.

"Why not?" Adam asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." He said quietly.

Colin just looked down at the floor.

"I can't believe I didn't notice!" Colin suddenly sobbed.

"KIDS! LUNCH!" Molly's voice was heard.

"You guys go ahead. I'm not hungry." Colin said plopping down on the bed.

The rest of the gang looked at each other not knowing what to do. Colin was supposed to be the calm and collected one. The one with all the common sense. And also the one with the second biggest appetite. (First is Vega)

0000

"Hi kids" Sara said as the four children came downstairs.

"Hi Mum/Aunt Sara." They said confused.

"What's the matter?" Sirius asked.

"Colin's acting funny." Vega told him. "I had forgotten to ask you how you knew the ghosts of the Shrieking Shack and Colin had volunteered to go ask."

"When he didn't come back, we went looking for him and found him locked in his room." Adam continued.

"It looked like he had been crying or something." Megan added.

"Now he's not hungry." Ariel finished.

Melissa and Remus looked at each other in horror.

"Do you think he heard?" Harry asked them equally frightened.

"Heard what?" Ariel asked.

All of the adults looked at each other.

"I knew this day would come." Remus finally said. "Just not this soon."

"I'll talk to him first." Melissa told him. "To prepare him."

"Alright." Remus agreed.

"What?" Adam asked.

"We'll tell you when Remus is done with Colin." John told his son.

0000

KNOCK KNOCK

"Go away." Colin said.

"I have parental override." Melissa told him as she let herself in.

Colin looked away.

"So. How much did you hear?" She said going right to the point.

"Why wasn't I told?" Colin asked.

"Answer my question first. Then I'll answer yours." His mother told him.

Colin sighed.

Flashback

"I forgot to ask Dad how he knew the ghosts of the Shrieking Shack!" Vega realized.

"I'll go ask him for you." Colin volunteered.

"Thanks Colin." Vega said.

As Colin left, the rest of the gang got to talking about ways how Pettigrew could have become an animagus. When he got to the top of the stairs, he saw the adults standing around talking. Arthur, Molly, Joe, and Jennifer looked shocked.

"Our 7th year and their 5th" George told his mother.

"And my 4th." Ginny added.

"How come you aren't one Remus?" Jenny asked.

"Well, before Easter here discovered the cure, I had lycanthropy." Remus admitted.

"WHAT!" Jenny and Joe screamed

"Why did you think his nickname was Moony?" Sirius asked.

Colin ran to his room quietly with his father's words replaying in his ears repeatedly. He closed the door and locked it and remembered Harry's werewolf lesson.

End Flashback

It was now Melissa's turn to sigh.

"We didn't tell you so you wouldn't be frightened of your father. We weren't sure what you thought of…people with that problem. People nowadays are still suspicious and frightened."

"I wouldn't be frightened." Colin cried. "Ever since I was little, werewolves fascinated me. When I asked Dad about them, he paled. I thought he hated them. So, I did research behind your backs. I learned that werewolves were just ordinary people who became different once a month. Sure they went a little crazy, but after the development of the Wolfsbane, they…"

Colin couldn't take it anymore as he remembered reading about the pain involved in the transformations. He hated to think of his father in pain.

Melissa rubbed her son's back trying to calm him down.

"Shhh. It's okay." She whispered.

KNOCK KNOCK

Remus let himself in.

"Is he alright?" he whispered.

"He'll live." She told him.

"I was afraid he'd take it like this." Remus admitted.

"Actually, he's not scared of you." She told her husband.

"Then what's the matter?" Remus asked frightened.

"I'm not sure. He was talking about the Wolfsbane." She informed him. "Apparently, he's always been fascinated by werewolves and he did some research."

"Really?" Remus said interested.

Just then, Colin got up and went to his trunk. After opening it, he pulled out a book.

"This was the first book I bought by myself." He told his parents as he handed them the book.

THE LIFE OF A WEREWOLF by Thomas Lyncanth.

"According to the author biography," Colin said quietly, "he was the second werewolf cured."

"Yes." Remus told him. "I knew him. Not well, but I knew him. I can't believe he wrote a book on it."

Remus flipped through the pages.

"Is this why you're so upset? Because you think my life was similar to Lyncanth's?" Remus asked.

Colin nodded.

Remus put the book down and motioned for his son to take a seat.

"It wasn't like his all the time." The ex-werewolf told his son. "Lyncanth always had trouble finding a job. Even before the bite. And, I had Sirius, James, and even Peter by my side once I got to Hogwarts."

"They let you in knowing you were a werewolf?" Colin asked.

"Yes. Dumbledore was now the Headmaster. As long as I was kept away from the other students during the full moon, then I was welcomed." Just then, Remus laughed which confused Colin.

"I gave some of the lamest excuses for my monthly absences. That my mother was sick, I wasn't feeling good. I'm amazed the others didn't find out our first year like your mother and her friends." Remus explained.

Melissa was looking quite proud of herself.

"I didn't tell them because I was scared they wouldn't accept me. They had been my only friends since the bite. But they found out the next year. And they still accepted me. If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them." Remus continued.

"I take it Harry knows." Colin said.

"How'd you figure that out?" Remus asked.

"In class, when we were talking about werewolves, he told us to remember that werewolves were normal people with a "furry little problem."" Colin told his father.

"He's been talking to James." Remus smiled. "James used to call it my "furry little problem". People thought I had a badly behaved pet rabbit."

"Did the transformations really hurt that much?"

"Well, from the time I was bitten to my 5th year, yes. Then they started getting better as I got used to them. From 5th year up, I was able to keep my mind more. A few years later, Wolfsbane was developed."

"Were there any incidents?" Colin asked.

"Just one our fifth year." Melissa explained. "And that was Sirius' fault. Telling Snape to go to the Whomping Willow like that. What was he thinking?"

"That Snivellus was a greasy-haired, tattletale git that needed to be gotten rid of." Remus told her as he quoted one of his best friends.

Melissa raised an eyebrow.

"I was just repeating what he told me." Remus defended. "And how did you know about that?"

"Well, you guys were too busy with Snape, but the four of us…saw. I'll explain more later." She said before motioning towards Colin.

What she meant was that the girls had been in their forms. But she wasn't going to say that in front of Colin.

"When were you bitten?" Colin asked knowing that his mother wanted to change the subject.

"A long time ago when I was much younger than you." Remus told him. "Fenrir Greyback."

"Was he the one who bit you?" Melissa asked horrified.

Now Colin was practically white. He had read about Greyback.

"Yes." Remus admitted.

"Why?" Colin asked. "I read that Greyback purposely attacks people. He gets into position before the transformation and attacks after."

"My father, your grandfather, offended him." Remus explained.

"So Greyback bit you as revenge?" Melissa asked finally hearing the story.

Remus nodded.

"At least you made some great friends." She told him.

"Yes." Remus agreed. Then he laughed.

"What?" Colin asked.

"I just remembered something." Remus told him.

Flashback

Just after the Full Moon, James, Sirius, and Peter were walking towards Remus in the library.

"So. Remus?" Sirius said as they got up to him.

"Yes Sirius?" Remus asked taking his nose out of the book.

"We were just wondering how your mother was." Sirius said.

"She's alright for now." Remus said with a smile.

"Really?" James said. "Nothing…unusual?"

"No." Remus said a little uncertain.

"Are you quite sure?" Peter asked.

"What are you idiots getting at?"

"Quit playing us Lupin. We know." Sirius told him.

"Know? Know what?" Remus asked extremely nervous.

"Didn't think we'd figure it out. Did you?" Peter asked.

"We had to tell you." Sirius told the soon-to-be rat (both figuratively and literally)

"What these two mean Remus, is that we know of your condition." James told him.

"Wh…What condition?" Remus tried to act innocent.

"Oh C'mon. We use that act all the time around Minnie." Sirius told the werewolf. "Don't try it on us."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Remus told them looking away.

"Do you really think we care about that?" James asked. "So you have a furry little problem. Big deal."

"It is when you're contagious." Remus said no longer denying.

"So you admit it." Sirius said.

"Damn. Me and my big mouth." Remus swore.

"Moony. We don't care." James repeated. "You're our friend. We'll do anything we can to help."

"Really?" Remus asked with tears in his eyes.

"Really." The other three answered.

"Thanks you guys. Even though there is nothing you can do, this means a lot to me."

"One thing though." Sirius said. "Moony?" he asked turning to James.

"Why not? It can refer to both his condition and how he's always studying the moon." James said.

"I guess its okay for now. Just try to think of something better." Remus told him.

End Flashback

"They never did get me a better nickname." Remus said finishing the story. "Peter came up with "Wolfie", but we declined. Quickly."

Melissa was laughing at the story. Even Colin had to crack a smile.

"Were they always that crazy?" he asked.

"Actually," Remus told him, "They were crazier."

"Moony?" Colin said to himself. "I have heard that somewhere before."

TBC

Preview:

"Took you boys longs enough." Spica teased.

"We found out our first year." Lily said.

Sirius just stuck his tongue out at them.

"Question." Megan said. "You mentioned a silver cloak. What was that for?"