Diary of an Orphan (re-written)

by StrangeLittleWeirdo

Jenna grew up alone in an orphanage with no knowledge of who she was or where she came from. It wasn't until an owl arrived with a letter for her, and a man named Remus Lupin walked into her life, that she learnt she was so much more than she originally thought and her life would never be the same again.

9. Family Ties

Chapter 8

Family Ties

It felt strange to wake up once again in my bedroom at Moonlake Cottage after a year away at school. I turned my head on my pillow to look at my clock. It was past ten o'clock already. I hadn't realised I'd slept in so late. I pushed the duvet off me and sat up. I pulled the hair-band out of my hair and ran my hand through its long strands; gathering it up I began to plait it as I always did, tossing it back over my shoulder when I reached the tips. Getting dressed, I headed downstairs for breakfast. Lupin was already up and in the kitchen when I got there. As always he was sitting at the table with a copy of the Daily Prophet in front of him while he casually perused its pages. He looked up when he heard me entered.

'Morning, Jenna, did you sleep well?' he asked. I walked over to the table and took a seat next to him.

'Yeah, I'd forgotten how comfortable my bed was,' I said happily. 'I haven't slept that well since before my exams.'

'Good,' said Lupin. He pointed his wand at the cupboard. 'Cereal?' I nodded; he knew cereal was my favourite thing to have for breakfast. The box floated out of the cupboard as the milk flew out of the fridge to the table. 'It's good that you had a full night's sleep as we've got a lot of work ahead of us this summer.'

I took a bite of cereal. I gave Lupin a confused look by what he meant.

'What work?' I asked. 'I have some homework to do but that's all.'

'You asked to learn about your gift, remember?' said Lupin. 'At Christmas, after the full moon.'

'Oh.' I hesitated, having forgotten that I had indeed asked Lupin to help me learn how to use my gift. I swallowed my mouthful of cereal. 'Yeah, my gift.'

My gift: the ability to transform into animals. I hadn't really thought about it since I attempted to use it a few weeks ago when I went after Harry, Ron and Hermione who'd gone through the trapdoor. Changing into Mrs Norris had been very painful as had returning to my human form, making it an experience I was reluctant to repeat since then. As I sat there, however, I remembered the reason I had asked Lupin to teach me in the first place. I had inherited this gift from my Mum who could also transform into animals. Whenever the full moon rose and Lupin transformed into a werewolf, my Mum would change into a horse and keep him company during the course of the night. Though their abilities were different – one a curse, another a gift – the result was the same as both were animals and it was something that had strengthened the relationship between them, according to my Granddad.

I aimlessly stirred my cereal, staring into space as these thoughts rushed through my head. This gift was something that had bonded Mum and Lupin. Although I had now been under his care for almost a year I still didn't feel fully accepted by Lupin, as if there was something holding me back from getting close to him. Maybe learning to use this gift would be the thing that would finally remove that last bit of emptiness I felt.

'Jenna?' I looked up to see Lupin was watching me. 'Is everything all right?'

'Yeah.' I gave him a small smile. 'I was just thinking about some stuff.'

'You know you don't have to do this now,' Lupin told me. 'We can wait until you're older to learn how to control your ability.'

I shook my head.

'No, I want to do this,' I said. 'For Mum.'

A smile lifted the corner of Lupin's mouth. He was looking at me with the same kindness I'd seen many times before. It made me wonder if anything ever made him angry. Once I'd finished breakfast Lupin told me to change out of my jeans and into some looser clothes and join him in his study across the hallway when I was ready. He had something he needed to show me first before he would teach me how to use my gift.

Lupin's study was a small room at the front of the house. I had never been inside it before, feeling that this was Lupin's private room where he did whatever work it was he did until I learnt that he was a werewolf and was unemployed. It was a small square room that had only one window looking out over the front garden, a single lamp hanging from the ceiling as its only other source of light; a large desk sat beneath the windowsill with several strange whirring instruments sat on top of it; the walls were lined with bookcases filled with books on a variety of subjects including magical defence, magical creatures and potion making; and in the corner was a large empty tank that I assume had at one point contained some strange animal Lupin was examining.

Lupin was already in there when I opened the door. He had a large book in his hands and was looking through its pages for something. He waved me in and indicated for me to take a seat. I sat in silence for a few minutes while Lupin looked through the book. When he found whatever passage it was he was after, he handed the book to me and pointed at a paragraph about halfway down the open page.

Of all the advanced branches of Transfiguration, none is
more difficult than the Animagus transformation. Translating
to mean "Animal Wizard", an Animagus is a wizard who
has the ability to transform him- or herself into the form of an
animal through the use of Self-Transfiguration and Self-Charm,
requiring what could be years of training to perfect the
combination of spells and charms needed for a successful
transformation. If rushed or not completed, the Animagus
transformation can go horribly wrong, sometimes leaving
the wizard partially human, partially animal for the rest of their
lives.

The form a wizard will take once they have completed the
training is unknown and is limited to a single animal. It is said
that the form they take is a reflection of their inner selves in
a way similar to that of the Patronus Charm. After training has
been completed, a wizard will be able to change at will from
human to animal and back again. Those attempting the
transformation are required by law to register with the Improper
Use of Magic Office at the Ministry of Magic.

'An Animagus,' I read aloud. 'Is that what I am?'

'Not quite,' replied Lupin. He took a seat at his desk and faced me. 'But it is important to for you to know what an Animagus is to understand your gift.

'What you are, Jenna,' continued Lupin, 'is a lot more complicated than a simple case of spells and enchantments to change your form into that of an animal. For one thing, your transformation is not limited to a single animal, nor do you require years of training to be able to do it because it's something that runs in your very blood having been passed on to you after many generation of wizards.'

'So what exactly am I?' I asked Lupin.

'You are a Feramorph.' I gave Lupin a confused look. He continued. 'Many centuries ago, a wizard who possessed the strange ability to change his form and appearance became the subject of many studies and questions from other wizards. He was a Metamorphmagus, a rare ability that had never been seen before which allowed him to change anything about his physical appearance into that of another person or animal. Sick of being continually hounded, the wizard went into hiding as an animal and lived out the rest of life as one away from those who wanted to experiment on him. His ability was passed on through his children, both those he had had when he was human from his past life and those he had when he was an animal after he went into hiding, leading to the two strands of magical transformations.'

I nodded as I tried to comprehend what Lupin was telling me. It sounded very confusing.

'Both of these abilities are very rare. While his human children continued to use the term Metamorphmagus, his animal children, who felt shunned by their half-siblings because of their animalistic qualities despite also having a human appearance, took the term Feramorph that their father had created, which means "animal shape". When they were eventually discovered, the wizarding community were unsure how to react to them and so they were classified as half-breeds under the Classification of Beings and Beasts made by the Wizard's Council, now known as the Ministry for Magic, due to the fact that like werewolves they spent most of their time as a human but could transform into an animal as and when they wished, which in the Council's eyes was enough for them to be classified as a "beast". Their powers of transformation intrigued the Wizard's Council, and studies were done to create spells to help a wizard change their appearances into that of other humans or animals – hence how some of the Transfiguration spells and the Animagus transformation now exist – but they were never able to fully replicate the innate talent.'

'So I'm a half-breed in the eyes of the Ministry?' I asked. Lupin nodded. 'And these people inspired spells to be made to replicate their powers? But that doesn't explain how I'm a Feramorph.'

'As with all magical skills and talents, the Metamorphmagus and Feramorph abilities were passed on through the generations,' explained Lupin, 'but as more and more wizards began marrying into Muggle families and the bloodlines became mixed, the ability became dormant and it was forgotten about. While the Metamorphmagus branch was merely diluted by mixing with non-magical blood and their ability to change into full animals was lost, some do still exist today, the Feramorph strand disappeared almost completely. With no animal blood in the families of the original wizard's children, it died out.'

I wrinkled my nose at that. I didn't like the idea the only reason I was a Feramorph was because of a wizard some centuries ago doing something which nowadays would be considered illegal with an animal.

'I know it sounds unpleasant,' said Lupin, seeing my disgust, 'but bear in mind, this happened centuries ago. Back then it wasn't uncommon for inbreeding between wizard families in order to maintain blood purity and so human-animal relations were also overlooked. It is one of the more … distasteful attributes of being a pure-blood wizard, I'll admit. That some wizards were so repulsed at the idea of having Muggle blood that they only married other pure-bloods which meant they were marrying their own relatives.'

'Then how can I be a Feramorph if the ability died out over the years?'

'From what your granddad could find out when we discovered Tala had this ability, it was an ancestor of ours in the Lupin family that led to Tala eventually inheriting this gift, but we are unsure as to why it became active in her or why it is active in you as well. The Lupin bloodline lost its purity many years ago unlike some wizarding families like the Weasleys, who remain pure to this day, but that doesn't mean the ability wasn't present in our blood. My theory is that Tala's became active by accident when she fell into a river one day and she willed herself to change in order to stop from drowning.'

'What about me? The first time I transformed was when I was dreaming about being a dog.'

'Again, I have my theories,' mused Lupin. 'In your case, I think it might have something to do with your blood. You are a member of the Black family, one of the purest wizard bloodlines there is. According to the Pure-blood Directory, the Black family was one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a group consisting of only the purest blood families. You can trace the Blacks all the way back to the thirteenth century. It is possible that they are the direct descendants of the original wizard as I learnt recently that another member of their family is a Metamorphmagi. I believe that the combination of our two families is what reactivated the ability in you.'

This was a lot of information to take in. I could feel my head starting to hurt as I tried to comprehend it all. If I understood Lupin correctly, I was somehow descended through both my families from a wizard who could change his appearance at will, both human and animal, and so I had the ability to change into any animal I want but not change my appearance to make myself look like another human – that was limited to a Metamorphmagus only. Because of the stigma, these Feramorphs were labelled half-breeds by the Ministry and eventually died out until it somehow was reactivated in me but without any confirmed reason as to why it did.

'This all sounds really farfetched,' I said eventually. 'Me being descended from this wizard.'

'I know it does,' agreed Lupin. 'Your granddad did all the research he could into Feramorphs but there just wasn't that much information on them. The last known case of a Feramorph was sometime in the nineteenth century. It was only when the Animagus transformation was created that the Ministry decided to try and keep tabs on these wizards who could change into animals, recording what animal they changed into and any particular markings they had. The spells are illegal to do without registering beforehand due to how dangerous they are. If there were anymore Feramorphs, they used this chance to hide and registered themselves as Animagi and only listed one animal as the one they changed into.'

'And the only thing that makes me different from Animagi is that I can change into any animal I want?' I said. Lupin nodded.

'In the simplest of terms, yes,' he said, 'but there is a lot more to it than merely thinking of an animal's form and changing into it. You have to be willing to let your body transform otherwise it can be a very painful process and then willing to change back. The more you practice it, however, the easier it will become. Tala became so adept at transforming that she eventually learnt how to change only parts of her body at one time, not that she ever had the need to walk around with a tail. A part of me thinks she just enjoyed having one.'

I held in a laugh at that. If Mum really was as cheeky as Lupin and Granddad had always said she was, I wouldn't have doubted her walking around with a tail whenever she felt like it.

'There's just one condition,' Lupin added. I gave him a curious look. 'Because of it being such a rare talent, any who have been revealed to be a Feramorph have been shunned by the wizarding community due to its half-breed status. It is important that you don't tell anyone about what you can do unless you trust them. Your grandma told your mum the same thing that I'm telling you now: you are not to flaunt this ability in public, nor are you to tell anyone what you are for risk of exposure, unless you know they will keep your secret safe. Do you understand, Jenna?'

'Yes, Lupin,' I said.

After all Lupin had told me about what I was, I was once again reluctant to do anything about my gift. I didn't really want to be called a half-breed by other wizards and as much as I trusted Harry, Ron and Hermione, I thought it best not to tell them what I can do. It sounded like being a Feramorph was similar to being a Muggle-born; Muggle-borns were considered to have "dirty blood" for being from non-magic families and were sometimes referred to as "Mudbloods" because of it as I'd learnt from Lupin when I told him about Hermione. He merely chuckled at the fact she had beaten every wizard in our year in our exams, proving that what was said about pure-blood families wasn't necessarily true, and that she sounded like someone he used to know. Even so, it felt like I was being let off lightly with being merely called a half-breed compared to that. Either way it appeared that there was still a lot of prejudice in the wizarding world against those who were different. I couldn't be sure Harry, Ron and Hermione wouldn't react badly to my ability as well. I didn't want to lose my friends.

Transforming into an animal was a lot harder than I thought. It required a lot of concentration both on what animal you were going to change into and what the animal itself looked like to be able to successfully change into it, and if you weren't willing to let yourself change it caused you a lot of pain. It explained why the few times I'd transformed before had hurt so much, because I hadn't been fully willing to let it happen. Once you had managed to transform though, the changing back was equally as difficult. You had to focus yourself on your own appearance and once again willingly let yourself return to your original form. The whole process was very draining as it used both your energy and magic to be able to sustain the animal form due to the nature of it being an inherited ability while an Animagus had used spells to make the change happen and so it didn't tire them the same way whenever they used their animal form.

After Lupin had told me about what I was, we went out into the back garden so Lupin could teach me how to transform. He brought his copy of Fantastic Beasts with him as well as what looked like a Muggle book called The A to Z of Animals in Britain and Other Countries. Lupin got me to stand in front of him in an open space in the garden while he conjured a few objects for us to use if I managed a successful transformation.

'We'll start with something easy,' Lupin said, facing me. He tucked his wand into his inner robe pocket. 'Tala started with very basic animals when she first learnt how to transform before moving on to larger ones or attempting any magical beasts. It'll be less of a strain on your body if we keep to Muggle animals for now.

'Now, what I want you to do, Jenna, is clear your mind. Let every unimportant thought or worry leave you so that you can focus on what you are about to do.'

I closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and I tried to get rid of any thoughts I was currently having. I did my best to stop thinking about the fact I was going to be attempting to transform any moment from now but at the same time I couldn't help remember how that had felt the last time I'd tried to transform. The aching I'd felt in my bones and the burning sensation as they rubbed against each other.

'Try to relax, clear your mind,' I heard Lupin say again, 'and when you're ready, I want you to think about transforming into a cat. Picture it in your mind and picture yourself changing into it. Imagine yourself as the cat you've created in your mind and let yourself change into that cat.'

I remained where I was for a minute or so longer as I tried to push the last of my thoughts from my mind before imagining a cat to transform into. I imagined a black cat, nothing special about it as I tried to keep my thoughts as simple and as clear as possible. I could picture it in my head; a black body, legs and tail with amber eyes. The moment I had the cat clear in my head, however, my reluctance crept in again at the thought that this was going to hurt and I faltered. My bones suddenly began to burn and I screamed as they forced themselves to change.

'Immobulus.'

I felt my body freeze, the pain stopping. I tried to open my eyes but I couldn't. Lupin had done something that had frozen me in place to stop me transforming.

'Don't worry, Jenna,' I heard Lupin's voice say, 'I've Immobilised you to stop you forcing yourself to transform. You'll hurt yourself if you do so. On three, I'm going to lift the spell. Clear your head again and you'll stop the transformation. One, two, three.'

I cleared my head, getting rid of any remaining thoughts about the cat. I then felt my body release and I dropped to the ground. I opened my eyes to see Lupin kneeling in front of me. Gently he lifted my chin so he could check me over.

'Are you all right?' he asked.

'Yeah,' I sighed. 'I thought about the cat but as soon as I had to do it, I hesitated.'

'You won't transform unless you are completely willing to do so,' said Lupin gently, 'not without causing yourself great pain. I know it's an unpleasant feeling now but it will get easier.'

I frowned. How was this going to get easier if I couldn't even transform into something as simple as a cat without being afraid it was going to hurt? How would I ever be able to transform if every time I had to I hesitated and wouldn't let it happen? Lupin must have seen my frustration.

'Jenna.' I looked up at him. 'Why do you want to learn this?' Lupin asked me. 'What is it that makes you want to learn how to control your ability?'

'I don't know,' I shrugged. 'Because Mum could do it?'

'I can tell that's not the reason why,' said Lupin gently. 'You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Just take a moment to think about why you want to learn how to do this. Think about whatever it is that is making you want to learn how to use it. Let the reason be your only thought, and concentrate on it.'

I looked away and stared at the ground. Why was I doing this? I didn't have to learn how to change into an animal. What use was it going to be to me anyway? Feramorphs had died out many years ago. They were nothing but a piece of history. I was just a random anomaly because of my family history. What good was going to come of being a Feramorph?

For some reason Lupin suddenly appeared in my thoughts. I could remember him standing outside in the garden the night I found out he was a werewolf. He had looked so lonely standing in the moonlight as he waited for his own painful transformation to occur. He no longer had his sister to keep him company during these times and was left to endure it on his own. A wave of sadness for him rushed over me and I realised that was why I had to do this. I had to learn how to control this ability so that Lupin wouldn't feel so lonely anymore.

I closed my eyes a second time and cleared my mind. I brought up the image of the black cat once again and let it fill my head. I imagined every inch of it from the tip of its ears to the end of its tail and the pads on its paws. A strange tingling started in my fingertips as I thought about the cat and slowly I felt my body start to change, only this time I didn't feel the same burning as before. I felt my bones shift and twist for several seconds before the feeling seemed to vanish. I opened my eyes to find that I once again had lost all colour vision and everything around me was a strange grey.

Lupin beamed. Somehow I had done it. I had transformed into the cat I'd imagined in my head. Seeing his smile I closed my eyes for the third time. As Lupin had told me do so beforehand, this time I imagined myself so I could return to normal, except this time without the worry of whether or not I could do it. A few moments later I was back to normal kneeling beside Lupin on the grass.

'I knew you could do it,' said Lupin proudly. 'You just needed to remember the reason why you wanted to transform and you'd be able to do so.'

I smiled. It wasn't going to be easy but as long as I remembered Lupin was the reason why I needed to learn this then I needn't be so afraid of using my gift.

I knew even though I had managed to transform once successfully I still had a long way to go before I was anywhere near good enough to do it without having to put all my concentration into it. But with the next full moon approaching I had to get the basics of it down as soon as possible so I could convince Lupin to let me try and keep him company during it. Making a list of animals to try and change into, I used every free moment I had to practice transforming into them one by one until I had mastered each of them and could change into them with relative ease and without it hurting. Each time I transformed, I would think of Lupin and why I was doing this before bringing up the image of the animal I was attempting to change into and letting the process happen. With every attempt it got that little bit easier and the pain was soon replaced by that weird tingling sensation I'd felt the very first time.

The full moon arrived barely two weeks into the holidays. I watched as Lupin grew steadily paler and began to spend more of his time asleep in his bedroom. As the days past I waited for Lupin to bring up the subject of me joining him for the full moon but it never came. Each time I brought him something to eat or drink Lupin wouldn't respond and so I would leave it on his bedside table for him to help himself to when he could. I had almost lost hope until finally on Monday evening, when I was taking Lupin some dinner, that he was awake enough to talk to me.

'I know what you are thinking,' he said as I entered, his voice tired. 'I know you want to join me tonight when I transform.'

Braving it, I replied, 'Can't I? I've been practicing really hard.'

Lupin sighed. With a struggle he pulled himself up into a sitting position so he could face me.

'Jenna, it won't be safe,' said Lupin heavily. 'I could cause you a serious injury.'

'But I won't get infected if you bit me,' I reasoned. 'I'm protected if I'm in an animal form. And you said that someone had made a potion that would help you during the full moon.'

Lupin thought through what I said. After a moment's silence, he replied.

'There is indeed a potion, called the Wolfsbane Potion, that is meant to help a werewolf keep his or her human mind when they transform. However, we have left it too late this time to try it as you need to take it in the week proceeding the full moon.' Lupin shifted uncomfortably. 'As for your ability, I cannot deny you have made a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks since you first attempted it but you are still no way near as experienced as Tala was when she first took me on as a werewolf. I don't want you to get hurt.'

I held in a sigh. Lupin wasn't going to let me join him despite how much I'd practiced. On my list of animals I'd even purposely chosen to learn how to transform into a wolf so that I'd be like him during the full moon. The fact he wasn't going to let me do it made all my hard work over the last two weeks for nothing. I looked away from him, annoyed by his reaction.

'Surely that's my choice,' I muttered to myself.

Unfortunately Lupin heard me. I saw him narrow his eyes at me. I shrank back knowing I'd spoken out of turn. I watched as he stared at me as if he was seeing something in me that he recognised and had seen somewhere before. The look in his eyes slowly changed from confusion to realisation.

'Just like your mother …'

Lupin looked away from me and out of the window. Darkness had completely fallen now outside. I opened my mouth to apologise but before I could say anything, Lupin was already trying to get out of bed. He forced himself to his feet and took hold of a walking stick he had hanging on the headboard to help support him. He didn't say anything more to me as he put on his cloak over his pyjamas and proceeded to walk out of his bedroom. I followed, telling him he needed to get back into bed, but Lupin wouldn't listen to me. He struggled slowly downstairs and, flicking his wand to open it then leaving it on the hallway table, limped out of the front door. I chased after him into the front garden to find him standing there waiting in the darkness just like before.

'Lupin, what are you doing?' I panicked. 'You need to get back in bed.'

'No,' Lupin breathed. 'It's time.'

'Time for what?'

Lupin looked at me.

'You had better transform. I'll be gone in a matter of minutes.'

I don't know what I had said or done that made Lupin change his mind but it had worked. The full moon was revealed moments later as the cloud crossing it moved on and we were bathed in its white glow. I stood and watched as Lupin transformed in front me and listened to the same yells I'd heard before. Swallowing the feeling of fear I could feel trying to consume me, I closed my eyes and thought of Lupin. I was doing this for him; I had nothing to be afraid of. I let out a slow breath and thought of the wolf I had created for myself. I could see the image clearly in my head: a wolf with grey and white fur and a long sweeping tail and black freckles on its muzzle. I felt a heat rise across my skin as I felt the fur begin to grow all over my body. My bones began to shift against one another and change their shape to match that of a wolf. I opened my eyes as I fell forwards on to my hands and my transformation was complete. Where moments earlier I had stood as a human, a wolf now stood in my place ready for what was to come.

I watched as the werewolf before me straightened up and shook out its fur. It paused and sniffed the air having caught my scent. Its tail flicked up and the werewolf looked round. It saw me standing behind it and let out a low growl, baring its teeth. I hesitated unsure what to do.

Who are you? growled the werewolf, turning to face me. I had to stop myself from jumping at the fact that I could understand what it was saying. The voice wasn't Lupin's though; it didn't have the same kindness as his own voice did, instead being harsh and cruel. It took a step forwards, its large paw pressing down on the soft earth. What are you doing here?

I didn't respond straight away. I had to remember that whenever a werewolf transforms, he loses his human mind. This wasn't Lupin I was talking to.

I live in the forest, I replied as confidently as I could. I was separated from my pack.

And what is your name?

I paused again. I had no name for this form. I didn't think I would need one.

I have no name. The werewolf observed me, its brown eyes narrowed. Although the same colour, they weren't Lupin's eyes. Do you have a name?

Like others of my kind, I have never been given one, nor do I go by my human name, replied the werewolf. We werewolves are solitary creatures and have no need for such silly things as names or titles. However, the werewolf paused briefly, I do recall a name I was once given by other animals. They seemed to know me or they knew my human form. They called me Moony.

Then I shall call you Moony, I replied.

And you … The werewolf walked around me, its eyes examining every inch of my body. You are small for a wolf and have the strangest of markings. It looked at my paws. My grey fur continued down my legs but stopped just before them. The werewolf snorted. How … amusing. Your paws look as if you're wearing socks.

Maybe that's what you could call me, I suggested.

Socks? repeated Moony with a hint of derision. A common Muggle name for someone's pet.

How about Paws then?

Hmm. Moony gave this suggestion a moment's thought. Fine, he said eventually. I shall call you Paws. For now.

The werewolf turned on its heel and began to walk off. It leapt easily over the garden hedge and out into the surrounding field. I ran after it but stopped at the gate. Moony looked back at me.

Are you coming?

I looked up at the gate. I hadn't tried leaping and jumping in wolf form before. I could only walk and run. Still, now was as better reason to try as any. I backed up from the gate a few steps and prepared myself. I leapt forwards and sprang into the air. I vaulted over the gate, my paws just brushing the top. I landed with a soft thump on the ground on the other side. I stood straight and waited for the werewolf's response. Moony said nothing, instead indicating with his tail to follow him.

The night was long and cold. If it hadn't of been for my fur I would have had to stop after only an hour of being outside. As a werewolf, Lupin was very different. Moony was a silent and imposing figure, an almost strange elegance about him as he wandered the forest nearby to Moonlake Cottage. I followed silently behind him not daring to say anything more to him. For what must have been hours we walked around the surrounding land of our home. With no humans around, I saw that Moony was no more dangerous than I was. I had read that even if there were no humans to bite a werewolf was still a dangerous beast but from what I could see, this was not the case. Moony took almost no interest in me and merely continued on his way. Maybe all those documents and books had it wrong. Maybe werewolves weren't truly as bad as their reputation led them to be.

Morning came. In the distance I could see the sun beginning to rise over the hill meaning that Moony was going to transform back soon. I stood at the edge of the forest and watched it. Behind me I could hear Moony was scratching his claws on a tree. I glanced back at him. Throughout the night he had been so distant from me. It made me think that maybe Lupin wasn't as lonely as I'd originally thought. Sighing, I sat down, wrapping my tail around my back paws. A few minutes later Moony joined me.

Sunrise, he said slowly. I'll be transforming back shortly.

I didn't reply. I didn't really know what to say.

Thank you for your company tonight. I glanced at Moony. He wasn't looking at me. It's been a long time since anyone has been with me during these times.

Braving it, I asked, There were others?

Yes, a long time ago, Moony sighed. They were … my friends, if you can call them that. Other animals that joined me every time I transformed. They told me they knew me as a human and could be with me as animals too. I was doubtful at first but each time I changed, they were there. Under their influence I became less vicious. The smell of humans still tempts me, however, if there are none about I am able to wander as I please without the same bloodlust I used to feel.

Who were they? I asked.

I do not know their human names. I never asked. But as animals, they were known as Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs, and Hooves. I don't know what happened to them. One day they just never turned up.

I thought about what he said. I assumed one of the names he had given was the name of my Mum's animal form. I didn't know which though and I didn't have time to ask. The werewolf had got up and was already running back to Moonklake Cottage so he could be there to transform before the sun had fully risen. I got to my paws and chased after him. I ran as fast as I could through the long grass back towards the house. It whipped at my face as I darted through it, a grey blur in amongst the yellow reeds. Without stopping I leapt back over the garden gate, landing carefully again the other side. I stopped when I saw Moony was no longer there and Lupin instead was lying on the lawn. I cleared my mind and thought of myself. I walked forwards as I transformed back. Quietly I shook Lupin awake then helped him back inside. The full moon was over for this month.

It took a week as usual for Lupin to recover. He remained in bed asleep for a lot of that time giving me time to do some homework from school in between taking care of him. By Sunday lunchtime Lupin was back to his normal self. I'd come downstairs to get myself some lunch while I took a break from my Potions homework to find him standing with his back to me in the kitchen. I could see the scar on his face had opened up again after his last transformation. He was dabbing something on to the wound to heal it.

'How are you feeling?' I asked, announcing myself.

'Much better, thank you,' Lupin replied. He winced as the potion stung his face. He then picked up his wand and flicked it so that the potion box floated back into the cupboard. Lupin faced me. 'And you? I didn't hurt you, did I?'

I shook my head, 'No. You didn't do … anything.'

Lupin gave me a curious look. I continued.

'All you did was roam the forest,' I shrugged. 'You took very little notice of me at all. But at the end, before you transformed back, you thanked me.'

'I thanked you?' Lupin repeated. He frowned. It looked like he was trying to remember what had happened. 'Yes … You were beside me and we were talking. I told you about my friends.'

'Padfoot, Prongs, Hooves and Wormtail,' I confirmed. 'You said they kept you company whenever you transformed but you didn't know who they were in human form.'

'My werewolf self doesn't know them, no,' said Lupin. 'But I do.' I gave Lupin a strange look. 'They were my friends at school. Hooves was your mother's nickname. She always transformed into a horse as it was a large enough creature to help keep me in check. As for the others, they became Animagi in their fifth-year after they discovered what I was. Each were able to transform into an animal of their own: James a stag, Sirius a dog and Peter a rat. Through their influence I became less rabid, obviously enough so that you were able to be with me last night without fear of attack.'

I guess that made sense. Moony had told me that the other animals had helped make him less vicious. As for the names, they were clever but it was clear who was who. Padfoot – a dog, Prongs – a stag, and Wormtail – a rat.

'Hang on,' I then said. 'James … do you mean James Potter?' Lupin nodded.

'James was one of my best friends,' said Lupin heavily. 'I was devastated when he and Lily died.' His brown eyes then turned to me. 'I still remember the moment you and Dumbledore returned to the Hospital Wing with Harry after his encounter with Voldemort down in the chambers of the school. Seeing the two of you together. It was like an old memory long forgotten.'

I remained silent. I didn't really know what to say to that. There was one thing, however, I still needed to ask.

'Who were Sirius and Peter?'

Lupin didn't answer straight away, instead observing me as if to see if I was ready for the information he was possibly about to tell me.

'Just people I knew once. They're both gone now.'

There was something familiar in Lupin's voice when he said that, the same reluctance. I watched as Lupin got up and left the kitchen, telling me he had some business to attend to this afternoon. I nodded and said I still had homework to finish to make it seem like I had things to do anyway. Something about what we'd been talking about had bothered him, I could tell. And I had heard it before. It was the same tone that Lupin used when I first asked him about my father last year. I frowned. I remembered the photo I had seen in Harry's book back in the Hospital Wing, of Lupin standing with James and his friends, two of which I recognised to be my parents. Now Lupin had confirmed he knew James Potter at school, I had to assume the other boy in that photo had been this Sirius or Peter he mentioned. Lupin had never mentioned my Dad by name before so the question was, which one was my father? I couldn't understand why the subject of my father seemed to be such a sensitive subject to Lupin and why he refused to talk about him any time he was mentioned. Lupin knew something, I knew he did, and somehow I was going to find out who he was.

As July came to an end Lupin informed me that once again he had to make a trip to Azkaban prison. I immediately asked not to go and to be left either at Moonlake or with my Granddad. Lupin refused saying I was still too young to be left alone and that my Granddad had gone on holiday for the summer. When I suggested sending an Owl to one of my friends Lupin dismissed that idea as well, that it was too short notice for them to take me. I had no choice but to go with him to Azkaban. Our appointment was to be the following afternoon and I was to be ready to leave Moonlake Cottage at five o'clock without any arguments.

Azkaban was as dark and as cold as it was the last time I was here. Like before Lupin Apparated us directly into the courtyard of the prison. The moment we materialised I felt the same chill spread through my body as before and I knew that meant the Dementors were somewhere floating above me. I looked cautiously into the dark sky above us; every so often a bolt of lighting illuminated it and I could see the Dementors looming ominously in the distance.

'Now remember, Jenna,' said Lupin quietly. 'Stay out of sight and hopefully the Dementors won't come after you this time.'

'Can't I just go inside with you?' I asked. 'Please don't leave me out here again.'

'Jenna, you'll be fine,' insisted Lupin. 'The Dementors are too far above you to feel your presence this time. If you stay quiet and keep out of sight then they won't attack you. You will be safe.'

I stared at Lupin, begging him with my eyes not to leave me here alone again. He looked at me, gently touched my cheek, then turned away and walked inside the prison. Looking around I saw a corner in the wall that I could hide in until Lupin returned. I crept over to it as quietly as I could and crouched down so I was hidden. I wrapped my jacket around myself tightly to keep out the cold. I closed my eyes. I willed myself not to think of anything happy, knowing that if I did the Dementors would sense it and they'd be drawn to me.

Don't think of anything happy, I told myself. Don't think of anything at all.

I used the same method to clear my head as I did whenever I was going to transform. It worked well at first but the longer I sat there, the more the atmosphere of the Azkaban began to get to me. Soon I could not stop the thoughts from entering my head. Of what had happened last year at school, of what had happened to Harry's parents, and about my Mum and Dad. Before I could stop it a wave of sadness swept over me and I opened my eyes. The air around me suddenly froze and I saw my breath mist before me, the ice rising in my lungs. I looked up and saw the Dementor swooping down to where I was crouched. It reached out its hand to me and took a long rattling breath. I gasped as I felt myself start to be torn in two the more the Dementor attacked me. A voice started to echo in my head as well as a cold cruel laugh.

You have the choice. Join us or suffer the penalty for disobeying the Dark Lord.

No, I won't. I will never join him!

Crucio!

Screams … painful screams …

Peter … why are you doing this? The Marauders –

Them. Never did they appreciate me. Never did they treat me like their equal.

No, they never … They were you friends, we all were … Now though … now you show your true colours … and they are not those of Gryffindor …

The woman's voice was getting weaker. I knew soon enough that green light would appear. Her time was running out. I wanted to help her. I knew any moment the man with the cruel laugh would kill her. I wanted to scream for someone to help but I couldn't. I felt like I was drowning.

I shall give you one last chance, Black. Join us or we will kill you. Submit or die trying to fight us.

Then I'll die trying.

So be it. Do it … You'll pay for your insubordination …

'Mum!'

I didn't realised I'd screamed that as seconds later I collapsed.

-o-

'Are you ready to give back the necklace?' asked Remus quietly. He stood with his back against the cold wall of the prison. He had his wand clasped in his hand as a precaution. 'I won't ask you again.'

'It's all I have left of my wife,' said Black heavily. He no longer had the strength or the energy to stand up and speak to Remus face to face. 'You knew how much I loved Tala. Why do you want to take that away from me as well?'

Remus glanced at Black through the bars of his cell. He could just see him through the darkness, his once handsome form wasted away and hidden in the shadows.

'And what about me, her own brother?' Remus questioned. 'You knew how much she meant to me. You saw my reaction the day you told me she was killed, the day she was taken from me, how devastated I was to hear she'd been murdered. Not a year later, my niece vanishes and is nowhere to be found. I never got to say goodbye to either of them.'

'Neither did I,' replied Black. 'And Jenna was my daughter. Do you not think I regret what happened to her? She was everything to me, she was all I had left of my family.'

There was a brief silence after Black had finished speaking. Remus continued to observe Black. As genuine as his words sounded, it would not make up for everything he'd done in the past.

'Why are you here, Moony?' Black then asked. 'Why do you come for answers you'll never get? I don't know why they killed Tala, nor do I know who, and I don't know what happened to Jenna that night.'

'For the small chance I might one day get the answers I seek,' replied Remus. 'The answers to the questions I've been asking for years. Why Tala? Why kill her, what had she done? Where is my niece? Would I ever find her? And why did you do it? Why did you betray James and Lily?'

'There is no point in me telling you again that I did not betray James and Lily,' sighed Black. 'You wouldn't believe me even if I did. As for your other questions, you know I have no answers to them when I ask myself the same ones every passing day. Asking myself if there was any possibility that my daughter is still alive.'

Black turned away, settling into the darkness of his cell.

'You might as well leave, Moony,' finished Black. 'Like you said last time: the necklace rightfully belongs to Jenna. If I ever see her again – if she's even alive – I will be the one to give it to her. For now … I'm keeping it.'

Remus let out a frustrated sigh and turned away. Black had always been too stubborn for his own good even when they had been at school and still, despite being surrounded by Dementors and sentenced to life in Azkaban, he refused to tell Remus what he must know about Tala's death. When Black and Tala were together they were inseparable and so to this day Remus had been asking himself why. Why did his best friend go to the dark side and let Tala die? Why did he betray James and Lily? Why did he abandon his daughter? But no matter how much Remus persisted, Black would not answer him. Remus was never going to get the answers he needed to accept Tala was gone.

Remus stepped into the courtyard. The icy chill in the air hit him like a Stunner. He knew what that meant. His eyes searched the courtyard for Jenna. In the corner he saw the Dementor floating over her just like before only this time it could not reach her. Standing over Jenna, protecting her from the Dementor's attack, was a large white horse. It glowed brightly in the darkness, its translucent body fully formed despite the fact its conjurer was currently unconscious. The horse seemed to look at Lupin before rearing up and chasing the Dementor away.

'Hooves …' Remus couldn't believe what he had seen. 'But how …?'

There was no way Jenna could have produced that Patronus. She was barely twelve years old. How could she have conjured a fully corporeal Patronus when she didn't have the necessary skill nor knew the incantation? How could Hooves be protecting her?

Remus ran over to Jenna. He carefully picked her up in his arms, feeling her forehead. She was ice cold and her skin was very pale. The Dementors had affected her worse this time around; a few minutes longer and she would have died. Remus knew he shouldn't have brought her with him after the last time but he couldn't just leave her on her own, nor could he allow her to meet Black and find out what her father was. It would devastate her knowing her father was responsible for James and Lily's murder. Looking up Remus saw the white horse standing beside him. It was gazing down at Jenna, its muzzle gently nudging her hair. Remus smiled.

'Always protecting her,' Remus said to it. He gave a nod of his head. With that, the Patronus vanished, a silvery mist all that was left. Standing straight, Remus Disapparated.

-o-

I woke with a start, my eyes snapping open. I expected to see the Dementor still floating above me only to see the ceiling of my bedroom instead. My head was pounding and I could barely move. It felt as if my magic had been drained this time as well, not just my happiness. I forced my head on to its side and saw a large block of chocolate sitting on my bedside table. I struggled as I reached for it, my hand shaking, taking a bite from a large piece in order to regain some of my strength. As soon as I felt the chocolate on my tongue a warmth began to spread through my body and I was finally able to sit up. A moment later there was a knock at my door. Lupin opened it and stepped quietly inside.

'How are you feeling?' he asked gently. I swallowed the piece of chocolate I was eating and nodded, taking another bite. 'Make sure you finish that,' said Lupin firmly. 'The Dementors attack on you was far worse this time.'

Lupin came and sat on my bed beside me as I went for my third piece of chocolate. He silently watched as I sucked on it, his eyes full of concern for my wellbeing. He reached out a hand gently stroked my face.

'I'm so sorry, Jenna,' he said sadly. 'I know I shouldn't have taken you there again but I just couldn't leave you here alone.'

'It's OK,' I mumbled. My voice was sore. I swallowed the last piece of chocolate, glad to finally feel my energy restored. 'I know why you did it.'

'It still doesn't excuse me putting you in danger,' reasoned Lupin.

'It doesn't matter,' I said. I sat up more in my bed. There was something I needed to tell him. 'I saw Mum again,' I told Lupin, 'and the people who killed her.'

Lupin's eyes widened slightly. He stared at me, a sense of urgency in his brown eyes.

'I saw them, heard their voices. They were much clearer this time. The man with white hair – the one who killed her. And his companions, there were two of them: a short squat wizard and another with black hair and grey eyes.'

'Go on.' Lupin was listening to what I said very carefully. Something about what I'd said had spooked him. 'What else did you see?'

'I could hear what they were saying,' I said, trying to remember. 'One of them mocked her … the Marauders.' I noticed Lupin react to this but I didn't know why, not understanding the importance of what I had said. 'The other, he was ordered to kill her but he refused. He was going to be punished because of it.' I looked up at Lupin. I could feel the tears falling down my cheeks. 'I wanted to help her but I couldn't. I screamed but no one heard me.'

'Its all right, Jenna,' Lupin said immediately. He wrapped his arms protectively round me. 'It's all right.' Lupin held me for a few minutes as I cried silently into his robes. When my tears finally subsided, he released me. 'I suggest you do not dwell on this,' said Lupin softly. 'It does not do to dwell on those who are lost to us. Only to remember that they live on in our memories and in our hearts.'

'What do you mean?' I asked. Lupin smiled.

'Somehow, I don't know how, you managed to produce a Patronus,' Lupin told me. What was one of those? Lupin continued when he saw my confusion. 'A Patronus is a magical guardian which protects the castor from Dementors. It creates a sort of positive shield for the Dementors to feed on instead of themselves. It explains why you're so drained of energy.'

'But how could I do any magic?' I asked. 'I don't even know how to cast a – a Patronus.'

'I'm not entirely sure,' said Lupin, 'but I do know one thing. Each Patronus takes on a particular form that reflects the wizard who conjures it, like with Animagi. What intrigued me the most is what form your Patronus took.'

'What was it?' I asked.

'A horse,' said Lupin. 'The exact same horse your mother used to transform into during the full moon. My guess is that through your desire to help her when you heard her screams, you somehow managed to conjure the Patronus because of its connection to your mother. It seems that Tala will always be around to protect you.'

That was the first time I ever produced a Patronus. I was surprised as much as Lupin at how I'd done it when I hadn't done anything that was necessary to cast the charm. I didn't know the spell for one thing, nor did I have my wand to hand at the time or had I thought of a happy memory to power it. The one thing that did make me happy though was the face that its form was a horse like my Mum and, like Lupin had said, it was almost as if she'd always be around to protect me.

On the final day of July was Harry's birthday. For it I had bought him a small book about Quidditch and a card that arrived at Moonlake Cottage just in time for me to use Gizmo to deliver them to him. Due to being so busy over the summer I hadn't yet written to Harry, Ron or Hermione but I made sure I made the effort to send him something for his twelfth birthday, knowing full well that his aunt and uncle would have simply treated it as any other day. When Gizmo finally returned the next day I was surprised to see he was empty handed. Not that I was expecting anything from Harry, Ron or Hermione for my birthday that coming Wednesday, I would have thought Harry would at least say thank you for his gift.

The same day Gizmo returned, however, I got another Owl this time from Ron. I had been sitting in my room when I heard a strange screeching followed by a thump at my window. Curious, I got up and peered outside. What looked like a ragged feather duster was lying in a heap amongst the flowers in the window box. Upon closer inspection I saw it was a very old grey owl. It had a letter lying on its chest as it panted from exhaustion. I took the letter from its beak. Seconds later the bird had gotten to its claws and flown off. I watched as it flew off before closing the window again and opening the letter.

Dear Jenna,
Have you heard from Harry at all this summer? I wrote to
him a week ago now to wish him a happy birthday but he
never replied. Hermione says he hasn't replied to any of her
letters this summer either. She's worried that something might
of happened to him. Fred, George and I are going to look into
it over the next couple of days.

Let me know if you've heard anything. Also, happy birthday
for later this week. I'll send you a card once Errol's back from
this delivery though it might be a little late. I didn't think he'd be
able to manage both the letter and the card together.

I hope you have an owl to send your reply.
Ron

Ron hadn't heard from Harry either, nor had Hermione. Quickly I grabbed a quill and scribbled a note to Ron telling him that I too had not heard from Harry and now I was getting concerned after hearing they hadn't either. I also asked him to let me know if anything happens. I folded it and put it in an envelope for Gizmo to deliver. I went downstairs into the living room where Gizmo's perch was to find him happily asleep with his head under his wing. I pulled an Owl Treat out of my pocket and held it up for him to notice. Gizmo woke up at the smell of the treat. He let out a hoot then took the treat from my fingers. Once eaten, he flew on to my shoulder waiting to receive his letter. I held it up for him to take in his beak. He did so then, with a flap of his wings, Gizmo flew off through the open window to deliver the letter to Ron.

The letter from Ron wasn't the only one I received in the following weeks. One morning during breakfast a tawny owl I recognised as one of the Hogwarts school owls delivered my letter for my second year of school. It was much thinner than the one I had received the previous year and there had been one or two changes made to the books and equipment I would need for the coming year.

Dear Miss Black,
Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment for your second year at Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Term begins on 1 September. Please catch the Hogwarts Express from Platform Nine and Three-
Quarters at King's Cross Station. It will leave at eleven o'clock sharp.

Yours sincerely
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

My equipment list certainly made me raise my eyebrow at it. While the uniform was pretty much the same, it was our book list that confused me.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Uniform
Second-year students will require:
1. Three sets of robes in their House colours
2. One tie in their House colours
3. One cardigan, jumper or pullover in their House colours

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags and should be repaired or replaced
if necessary.

Set Books
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk
Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart
Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart
Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart
Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart
Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart

Other Equipment
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 3)

Second year students are also allowed to bring a broomstick if they choose.

I wrinkled my nose as I read that our entire book collection was by one wizard. I'd heard of this Gilderoy Lockhart before. He'd been in the Daily Prophet recently. He was going to be doing a book signing at Flourish and Blotts for his new book, Magical Me or something like that. I'd seen a picture of him and he looked extremely pompous, grinning at the camera and posing from side to side. If we were required all his books for our second year of school, I hope that didn't mean he was going to be our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. That was the only teaching vacancy there was considering Quirrell was no longer employed to put it one way.

No sooner had I put down my letter from Hogwarts did I receive two more letters. The first was from Ron judging by the fact that once again it was delivered by the moth-eaten owl, Errol, and the second was from Hermione. Ron and his brothers had rescued Harry from his home having discovered him with bars on his windows and was now at The Burrow, Ron's house, having been there since the start of August. I was glad to know he was all right although I frowned when I read that they had rescued him in their father's flying car. The letter from Hermione was a lot longer and contained all her concerns about Harry and Ron getting in trouble and not doing anything illegal to rescue him before mentioning that she was going to Diagon Alley next Wednesday to get her school supplies for the year and that we should meet up then. I checked with Lupin if that was doable before replying to both their letters.

With the full moon having passed in the middle of August, Lupin saw no problem with taking me to Diagon Alley on the following Wednesday. Besides all the new books I needed to get for the coming year, I also needed to restock my general supplies like my quills and parchment so there was quite a bit I had to buy while we were there. I also needed to visit Gringotts as I only had a few Galleons leftover from the previous year having spent most of them on various bits and pieces during my first year of school. I looked down at the Gryffindor hooded jumper I was wearing and smiled; there was a small shop in the castle that sold Hogwarts clothing and memorabilia that the students could buy and so I'd bought myself the top to wear at Quidditch matches. It was one of my favourite jumpers. Checking what else I needed by rummaging through my desk, I made a list and left it in my school bag so I wouldn't forget it when we went to Diagon Alley.

On Wednesday morning Lupin and I Apparated to Charing Cross where the Leaky Cauldron was located. While I was to meet up with Hermione and the others, Lupin was going to take the opportunity to work on some research he'd been doing over the summer. Hermione arrived at just after ten o'clock with her parents. She greeted me with a hug, her bushy hair covering my face like usual, before introducing me to her mum and dad. I smiled politely as she did so. Introductions over, we walked out of the back entrance of the Leaky Cauldron and stopped in front of the wall separating us from Diagon Alley. Hermione drew out her wand and tapped the correct brick for us. The wall opened up allowing us access to the street behind.

Diagon Alley was as busy as usual. It looked as if every Hogwarts student was here to get their new school supplies. There were certainly a lot of middle-aged witches about today. As we walked up the street towards Gringotts Hermione told me all about her summer and how she couldn't wait for the new school year to begin. She was particularly excited about reading all of our new books. I raised my eyebrow as she started to blush at the mention of Gilderoy Lockhart. When she asked me about how my holidays had been, I hesitated. I wasn't entirely sure what to tell her. I ended up shrugging, saying that nothing much had really happened.

'So what time are we meeting Ron and Harry?' I asked, changing the subject.

'Ronald didn't give me a time when he and his family are getting here,' said Hermione. 'His letter just said they'd meet us at Gringotts.'

When we reached the marble steps of the bank Harry and the Weasleys weren't there. I wondered where they were. Normally you could see a Weasley a mile off with their red hair. At least fifteen minutes had passed before we caught sight of them. I had seen a flash of red in the distance near to Quality Quidditch Supplies but there was no sign of Harry amongst them. His black hair would stand out in contrast to theirs.

'There are the Weasleys,' I said, pointing at them, 'but I can't see Harry with them.'

Hermione was standing on her toes to look over the crowd. Suddenly she squealed.

'There he is!' she shouted. 'Harry! Harry! Over here!'

I looked in the direction she'd pointed. Sure enough there was Harry, covered in soot and dirt, walking towards us with Hagrid's towering figure behind him. Hermione ran off, me just behind her, and through the crowd towards them. Harry saw us. He smiled broadly looking very glad to see us.

'It's so good to see you again,' I said when I reached him. It had been strange not seeing him as often as I used to before I was adopted. I gave Harry a hug, Harry returning it. 'Summer's been really quiet without you.'

'It's good to see you too, Jenna,' said Harry. 'Privet Drive was certainly a lot duller this year too.'

I smiled, remembering all the things Harry and I used to do to occupy ourselves during the holidays. Sneaking him out of Privet Drive was always tricky when his aunt had eyes like a hawk so we had to be very creative to get him past her watchful eye.

'Hi, Hermione, did you have a good summer?'

'Oh yes,' gushed Hermione. She always talked fast when she was excited about something. 'I got all our homework finished within the first week and so had plenty to go over all our first-year work ready for September.' It was then she noticed Harry's appearance. 'What happened to your glasses? Hello, Hagrid … Oh, it's wonderful to see you two again … Are you coming into Gringotts, Harry?'

'As soon as I've found the Weasleys,' said Harry.

'Yeh won't have long ter wait,' Hagrid told us, grinning.

Through the crowd I saw Ron, Fred, George and Percy running towards us with their father following behind them. All were covered in soot just like Harry was and they all looked very relieved to have found us. I guess Harry must have gotten separated from them when they Flooed here, judging by how dirty they were.

'Harry,' panted Mr Weasley. He smiled at us. Like his sons, Mr Weasley was a tall thin wizard with the same mop of red hair on his head that I could see was starting to recede. He lifted his glasses so he could wipe the sweat off his brow. 'We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far … Molly's frantic – she's coming now.'

I looked round to see another two red-haired witches heading towards us. In comparison to her husband and sons, Mrs Weasley was a plump witch and was much shorter than the rest of them. Even Ron at twelve years old was almost as tall as her. She was pushing her way through the crowd over to us, her hand tightly holding on to her daughter and her handbag swinging wildly in the other. A look of relief rushed over her face when she saw Harry was with us.

'Oh, Harry – oh, my dear – you could have been anywhere –'

Mrs Weasley pulled Harry away from where he'd been talking to Ron and his brothers. From her handbag she pulled out a large clothes brush and began sweeping the soot off him. Mr Weasley took Harry's glasses from him and gave them a tap with his wand, instantly repairing them.

'Where you must have come out – Merlin only knows –' Mrs Weasley was muttering. 'So glad Hagrid found you - and who are these two?' Mrs Weasley then asked when she spotted me and Hermione.

'Mum, this is Hermione and Jenna,' said Ron. 'They're in Gryffindor with Harry and me.'

'Pleasure to meet you, dears,' said Mrs Weasley. 'You both got to Diagon Alley safely?'

'My parents and I got the train,' said Hermione.

'And my Uncle dropped me off,' I said. 'He's working on some research while I get my things,' I added when I saw Mrs Weasley frown. 'He's picking me up later.'

'Well as long as you haven't been left on your own,' Mrs Weasley said. 'I'm sure we'll manage another to our number, won't we, Arthur?'

'The more the merrier,' said Mr Weasley, smiling at me.

Once Hagrid had said goodbye to us, we proceeded to go into Gringotts. All of us needed to visit our vaults to get some gold out to pay for our school equipment while Hermione needed to change some Muggle money with her parents. I looked at them to see they were standing very nervously at the doors to the bank. Lupin had left me the key to my vault and the instruction to only take enough gold for the coming school year. As I had observed last year when I first saw inside my vault, I didn't think I could spend the amount I had in there in an entire lifetime. As walked up the steps, Harry had something rather intriguing to tell us.

'Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burkes?' he said to us. It was a shop in Knockturn Alley; that was where he'd arrived after Floo-ing here and being separated from the Weasleys. 'Malfoy and his father.'

'What were they doing in there?' I asked.

'Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?' said Mr Weasley sharply behind us. We all looked at him.

'No, he was selling,' said Harry, confused.

'So he's worried,' said Mr Weasley. There was a note of grim satisfaction in his voice. 'Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something …'

By the sounds of it, this Lucius Malfoy was as unpleasant as his son Draco was. Malfoy had been a constant source of antagonism for Harry and the rest of us last year.

'You be careful, Arthur,' warned Mrs Weasley. She was ushering us into the bank. The goblin who bowed us in seemed to watch us cautiously as we were such a big group. 'That family's trouble, don't go biting off more than you can chew.'

'So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?' replied Mr Weasley indignantly. 'I'll have you know – oh, you must be Hermione's parents!' he then said when he caught sight of Mr and Mrs Granger standing nervously behind us all.

'Mum, Dad, this is Mr Weasley,' Hermione introduced them. 'Mr Weasley, this are my parents. Jean and Simon Granger.'

'But you're Muggles!' beamed Mr Weasley. He shook their hands with great enthusiasm. 'We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look! Paper money!'

'Dad works in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office,' Ron told me and Hermione when he noticed our bemused looks at Mr Weasley's reaction to Hermione's parents. 'He loves Muggles. When he first saw Harry, he kept asking him about what a rubber duck does. We'll meet you back here,' he then added when Mrs Weasley called us to go down to our vaults.

A large cart was waiting for us on the tracks to take us down to our various vaults. The Weasleys, Harry and I piled into the cart while the goblin took the front seat and we set off into the darkness. The ride was as unpleasant as it was the previous year; at least I had plaited my hair beforehand and so it wasn't whipping my face like it did last time. Our first stop was the Weasley's vault that was barely a few hundred feet below the surface. I remained in the cart as Mrs Weasley got out to get some gold. A swell of guilt rose in my chest as I watched her sweep the entire contents into her handbag. I swore I also saw Ron's ears turn pink. I'd known they didn't have much gold but actually seeing they didn't was something else. Next was Harry's. Like mine there was a considerable amount of gold inside it and Harry did his best to be quick so the Weasleys couldn't see inside it. Our last stop was vault seven hundred and nine, the deepest of our three vaults. I hastily filled my purse with a few piles of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts before letting the goblin close the door behind me. Getting back into the cart we shot back up to the surface and rejoined Hermione and her parents. I certainly was glad to have my feet back on solid ground.

Mr Weasley, who had been taking a great interest in helping Mr and Mrs Granger change their Muggle money, waved to us where we got back to the main hall. Together we left the bank and walked back outside. Here we separated once more. Percy went off on his own while Fred and George had spotted their friend Lee Jordan somewhere in the crowds. Mrs Weasley was taking Ron's younger sister Ginny to get some second-hand robes as she was starting Hogwarts this year and Mr Weasley was still insisting on taking Mr and Mrs Granger for drinks at the Leaky Cauldron. Mrs Weasley instructed us that we were to all meet back at Flourish and Blotts in an hour's time so we could get our new school books.

'And not one step down Knockturn Alley!' she shouted at the twin's retreating backs.

Our first stop was Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. At Harry's insistence he bought each of us a large strawberry and peanut butter ice cream that we happily ate as we wandered through Diagon Alley. We walked down the cobbled street looking into the various shop windows. Ron looked longingly at a full set of Chudley Cannons robes in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies until Hermione dragged him away so that we could go into Scribbulus' next door. Slowly the four of us bought all that we needed for the coming year and, having some spare time we decided to go into Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop. Fred and George were in there with their friend Lee Jordan. In their arms they had piles of 'Dr Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks'; Fred and George were quite the couple of pranksters I'd learnt over the previous year and I privately wondered what they were planning to do with all those fireworks. When we left the Joke Shop we then saw Ron's other brother Percy in the junk shop looking at a very old book called Prefects Who Gained Power. Percy quickly shooed us away when he saw us.

'Course, he's very ambitious, Percy,' said Ron as we slumped out the shop, 'he's got it all planned out … he wants to be Minister for Magic …'

When we reached Flourish and Blotts there was a large crowd gathered trying to get into the small bookstore. Dozens of witches were all trying to get inside, pushing and shoving each other to get the best position to see whatever it was going on inside. On the shop front I saw a banner had been posted on the upper widows, its gold swirly writing glinting in the summer sun.

GILDEROY LOCKHART
will be signing copies of his autobiography
MAGICAL ME
today 12.30 – 4.30 pm

I held in a groan. That explained why there were so many witches about all trying to get into Flourish and Blotts. They were all desperate to see this Gilderoy Lockhart person. There were dozens of copies of his new book in the shop window; he looked equally as pompous on the cover as he conjured lighting in the photo as he had in the Prophet a few weeks ago. At the front door a rather harassed-looking wizard was attempting to control the flow of customers. I felt quite sorry for him having to try and placate all these desperate witches. Even Hermione seemed quite taken with the idea that we were going to get to see him.

'We can actually meet him!' she whispered excitedly to me more than the boys. 'I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!'

I wrinkled my nose as the four of us went inside.

Flourish and Blotts was even more crowded inside than it had been outside the shop. Carefully the four of us slipped through the long queue that was stretching the length of the shop, grabbing ourselves each a copy of Break with a Banshee as we made our way over to where we could see Mrs Weasley and the other Weasleys already near the front of the queue with Mr and Mrs Granger.

'Oh, there you are, good,' said Mrs Weasley. She sounded rather flustered as she flattened her hair. She suddenly then began patting us down. I recoiled slightly when she tucked a few loose strands of my hair behind my ear. Ron had to bat her hand away when she tried to rub some leftover soot off his nose. 'We'll be able to see him in a minute …'

I ducked away from Mrs Weasley as she attempted to smarten up how I had my bag hung on my shoulder, hiding behind Hermione who was neatening herself as well. Not that I minded the fuss, I'd never had anyone fuss over my appearance before the way Mrs Weasley did, I didn't quite see what the point was just for a book signing. I gave my head a bit of a shake to release the loose strands of my hair again then leaned over to see round Hermione at whatever was going on at the front of the shop.

From a back room Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into the view and took a seat at a table that was piled high with copies of his book. He flashed a horribly cheerful and gleaming white grin at the crowd mirroring the same smiles that were on the large pictures behind him. He wore a pair of smart blue robes that matched the pointed hat on his head that he'd set at an angle so as to show off his wavy blonde hair. I raised my eyebrow. If anything he looked more pompous in person than he did in his photos. In front of us a short irritable wizard was busy taking more photographs of Lockhart which he was thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to pose for the camera. He snapped at Ron despite standing on his foot as he tried to get past.

'Big deal,' muttered Ron.

He leant on Harry as he rubbed his foot. Lockhart heard him. He looked over to where Ron was standing beside Harry. His eyes took on the same wide look that everyone seemed to get whenever they first laid eyes on him. He leapt to his feet.

'It can't be Harry Potter?' he practically shouted.

An excited whisper suddenly went round the front of the shop. Harry looked startled at Ron, Hermione and me. Next moment Lockhart had dived at us and seized Harry's arm, pulling him out of the crowd. I saw Harry's face grow bright red as Lockhart forced him to shake hands and stand at the front with him as the photographer continued to snap away. I waved my hand in front of my face as thick black smoke from the camera wafted over us. Lockhart raised his hand to wave for quiet, his other arm now wrapped around Harry's shoulders stopping him from escaping.

'Ladies and gentlemen,' said Lockhart loudly. The crowd hushed. 'What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!

'When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography – which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge –' there was a spattering of applause through the crowd, '– he had no idea,' Lockhart continued, 'that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have the great pleasure and pride in announcing that, this September, I will be taking up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!'

The crowd applauded the news. Hermione was beside herself, beaming at me. Even Ginny let out an excited squeal. My mouth fell open. He was going to be teaching us Defence Against the Dark Arts? He seemed like a total airhead, regardless of whatever his books said he'd done. Lockhart didn't look like he could teach an owl to hoot let alone a whole school of students how to defend himself. Still I held in my doubts; I knew not to judge a wizard by his robes. In amongst the commotion caused by this announcement Lockhart had shoved a pile of books into Harry's hands and he'd finally staggered away back over to us. He quickly dumped them into Ginny's cauldron before pushing his way over to me. Hermione and Ron were both trying to get their books.

'Having fun?' I asked him. Harry sent me a look.

'Loads,' he replied dryly.

'Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?'

Harry and I looked round when we heard a familiar unpleasant drawl come from behind us. Walking down a set of stairs that led from the upper level of the shop, Malfoy glared at us with the same sneer of his face as usual. He stopped in front of us, his arms folded as he looked down his nose at us.

'Famous Harry Potter,' he sneered. 'Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page.'

'Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!' said Ginny. It was the first time I'd heard her speak since I met her a few hours ago. She sounded quite confident for a first-year as she glared at Malfoy.

'Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend,' drawled Malfoy.

Ginny went bright red. Behind us Ron and Hermione had bought there books and were trying to get over to where we were.

'Oh, it's you,' said Ron when he saw Malfoy. 'Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?'

'Not as surprised I am to see you in a shop, Weasley,' retorted Malfoy. 'I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for that lot.'

Ron's face went as red as Ginny's. We had to grab his jacket when he started towards Malfoy. Malfoy grinned having seen he'd gotten a rise out of Ron. Just then a tip of a staff with a snake's head for a handle appeared on his shoulder. I looked at who this new arrival was. A tall man with long white hair was looking down at Malfoy with a proud air about him, his grey eyes observing the scene before him.

A young witch cornered in an alley, three figures approaching her … A man with white hair raising his wand …

I gasped as those images flashed over my eyes. I blinked, shaking them from my mind. When I looked up again at the man now standing behind Malfoy I felt a wave of fear rush over me. It was him – the white haired man from my dreams. The wizard who'd killed my mother. Several emotions seemed to try to consume me until one prevailed. I swallowed my fear and stood resolutely in front of him. A sudden determination rose in my chest. I was not going to let him intimidate me like he tried to do so to my Mum.

'Now, now, Draco, play nicely,' said the man, his tone sharp and cold.

It didn't take much for me to guess this was Malfoy's father, Lucius Malfoy. He had the same pale pointed face as his son and long white blond hair flowing down his shoulders. His grey eyes were watching us carefully, looking at each of us in turn. He was dressed in expensive black robes from the looks of it and had a black cane clasped lightly in his hand. After a moment or so his eyes landed on Harry and I saw him look at the scar on his forehead.

'Mr Potter,' he said. Mr Malfoy extended his hand to Harry. 'Lucius Malfoy, we meet at last. Forgive me,' Mr Malfoy pulled Harry forwards when he shook his hand; he used the mouth of the snake handle to pull back his fringe to get a proper look at his scar. 'Your scar is legend,' he said quietly, 'as of course is the wizard who gave it to you.'

'Voldemort killed my parents,' replied Harry calmly. He pulled his hand away and stepped back towards Ron, Hermione and me. 'He was nothing more than a murderer.'

'You must be very brave to mention his name,' observed Mr Malfoy. There was a small smile on his lips. 'Or very foolish.'

'Fear of a name only increase fear of the thing itself,' I said. It was something I remembered Lupin telling me some time ago. It was something Professor Dumbledore had apparently told him when he was a student at Hogwarts. I glared at Mr Malfoy as his eyes turned to me.

'Now, now, who do we have here?' said Mr Malfoy. He lifted his walking cane so that it was under my chin. He raised my face so he could look at it, the snake handle digging in. 'Well, well, if it isn't Tala's daughter,' he said smoothly. There was a faint smile on his face. 'Such a pity, to die at the hands of three Death Eaters at such a young age.' Out of the corner of my eye I could see the others staring at me. I had never mentioned how my Mum had died to them. 'Such a surprise to see you looking so lively.'

I pulled my face away from his staff. Mr Malfoy watched me for a second longer before he saw Hermione and Ron next to me.

'And you must be Miss Granger,' he continued. 'Yes, Draco's told me all about you, and your parents. Muggles aren't they? And let me see. Red hair, vacant expressions,' his eyes caught sight of Ginny's old cauldron, 'tatty second hand books. You must be the Weasleys.'

'Ron!' Mr Weasley's voice called to us over the crowd. He, Fred and George were pushing their way over to us. 'What are you doing? It's mad in here, let's go outside.'

'Well, well, well – Arthur Weasley.'

Mr Weasley looked away from us to see Mr Malfoy. His face stiffened.

'Lucius,' he replied curtly.

'Busy time at the Ministry, I hear,' continued Mr Malfoy. 'All those raids … I hope they're paying you overtime?' I watched as Mr Malfoy reached into Ginny's cauldron and pulled out an old copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. His eyes examined with a hint of disgust evident in them. 'Obviously not,' Mr Malfoy finished. 'Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it.'

If it was possible Mr Weasley flushed an even darker shade of red than Ron and Ginny.

'We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy,' said Mr Weasley.

'Clearly,' replied Mr Malfoy. His eyes glanced over to Hermione's parents; they were watching us with the same nerves as earlier. 'The company you keep, Weasley … and I thought your family could sink no lower.'

Ginny's cauldron was knocked from her hands with a clang as Mr Weasley lunged at Mr Malfoy, knocking him back into a bookcase. Dozens of heavy books fell on top of them while the piles either side of them collapsed. Fred and George were cheering on their father as Mrs Weasley's shriek of 'No, Arthur, no!' could be heard over the commotion. Harry and the rest of us were caught in the stampede as wizards and witches tried to get out of their way while the shop assistant attempted to separate the two older wizards.

'Break it up, there, gents, break it up!' boomed a loud voice over everyone else.

Hagrid waded through the sea of books over to Mr Weasley and Mr Malfoy. He seized both of them by the neck of their robes and pulled them apart. Both were sporting minor injuries; Mr Weasley had a small cut on his lip where Mr Malfoy's staff had caught him and Mr Malfoy had the beginnings of a bruise on his eye. He pulled his robes from Hagrid's grip then thrust Ginny's old Transfiguration book back at her.

'Here, girl – take your book –' he spat, '– it's the best your father can give you –'

Beckoning Malfoy, he turned and left the shop. Malfoy gave us one last smirk then followed after him.

'Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur,' said Hagrid. He pulled Arthur up, almost off his feet, and helped brush him down. 'Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that. No Malfoy's worth listenin' ter. Bad blood, that's what it is. come on now – let's get outta here.'

The shop assistant looked very relieved when all of us left. Mrs Weasley was beside herself with fury at her husband's actions while Hermione's parents were white as sheets from the events that had unfolded before them by a bunch of very strange people in their opinion. I don't think they'd ever seen a man as tall and as large as Hagrid before. We walked in a group back up the street towards the Leaky Cauldron and said our goodbyes before going our separate ways. Hermione and her parents walked out the other side of the pub to return to Muggle London, much to Mr and Mrs Granger's relief by the looks of it, while Harry, Ron and the rest of the Weasleys Flooed back to The Burrow. I still had a few hours to wait for Lupin to be finished with his research and so, despite Mrs Weasley's concerns, I took a seat in the corner of the pub to wait for him to come pick me up.

'Is everything all right, Jenna? You've been quiet all afternoon.'

I looked up from my plate at Lupin. We were having dinner but my mind was elsewhere. Lupin must have noticed my distractedness judging by the look of concern on his face once he'd gained my attention. I had been quiet since the Weasleys and Hermione had left me at the Leaky Cauldron. I couldn't stop thinking about our encounter with Malfoy's dad in Flourish and Blotts. I put down my fork and pushed my plate away from me.

'Lupin, what can you tell me about the Malfoys?' I asked. Lupin gave me a strange look.

'Why do you want to know about them?' he said.

'It's just – I met Draco Malfoy's father today in Diagon Alley,' I explained, 'and something about him scared me but I don't know what. He just seemed familiar to me but I've never met him before today.'

'Hmm.'

Lupin thought through what I'd said for a moment or two before finally answering my question.

'The Malfoys are another one of the ancient pure-blood families, like the Blacks and the Weasleys,' Lupin told me. 'They're also one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families I told you about a while ago. Many of these families are related to one another in some manner and can be connected through both blood and marriage, while they can also be connected to those who they deem more disgraceful, if you will, to be related to whether they are families who have married Muggle-borns, half-bloods or Muggles, or simply those who are considered to be blood traitors.'

'Like the Weasleys?' I asked. 'Mr Malfoy called the Weasleys a disgrace to the name of wizard.'

Lupin nodded.

'Some families, like the Malfoys, consider blood purity to be very important,' said Lupin, 'whereas some pure-blood families, like the Weasleys, have no interest in keeping their bloodlines pure. If every wizarding family had done that we would have died out years ago. The only way for them to maintain their heritage over the centuries was through marrying into other families who shared the same views and purity, which eventually meant that the choice became very limited.'

'Does that mean I'm related to the Malfoys?' I said.

'If I'm correct, your father's uncle was the father of three daughters, one of whom married into the Malfoy family,' said Lupin, 'which would make Lucius your cousin by marriage and his wife a cousin by blood, and this Draco Malfoy you've mentioned to me your cousin once removed. Through his daughters I believe you are also related to the Lestranges and the Tonkses. While I've never met the Tonks family, I am aware the Lestranges share the same views as the Malfoys.'

'So, if the Malfoys dislike families like the Weasleys,' I persisted, 'does that mean they were supporters of Voldemort?'

'They were,' said Lupin. 'Lucius Malfoy was even rumoured to be within Voldemort's inner circle during the First Wizarding War, as was his sister-in-law, Bellatrix. When Voldemort lost his power, the Malfoys were one of the first families to defect back to our side, claiming they had been coerced into doing the Dark Lord's bidding. Due to his reputation and influence, the Ministry cleared Malfoy of all the charges against him and he was reinstated in his position on the Board of Governors for Hogwarts.'

'What were the charges?'

'To my knowledge, the main ones were his uses of the Unforgivable Curses, three spells where their use is a guaranteed sentence in Azkaban. His wand couldn't hide the fact he'd used these spells and so he was charged with the torture of several wizards and Muggles alike, one of his last usages of them being the murder of a young witch. But, because they couldn't prove he hadn't been under the Imperious Curse, there was no way to prove he was guilty of them.'

I sat there in silence when Lupin had finished. I was shocked. Lupin knew Mr Malfoy had been charged with murder but had been cleared on a mere technicality. He just didn't know it had been the murder of my Mum that he had gotten away with. I felt a shiver go down my spine. I was related to this monster of a wizard, a man guilty of using spells that were considered Unforgivable, to someone who considered blood purity to be more important than a person's life. I shuddered to think whom else I could possibly be related to.

---

AN: so the majority of this chapter has been rewritten and extends all the way to the end of the summer this time. changes include hopefully going into better and deeper detail about my creation of the Feramorph and why Jenna is one and her learning of her connections to other wizarding families. I thought the twist at the end, where Lupin reveals he knows of Lucius Malfoy's part in a murder but not that it was Tala's, was a pretty good one that I can hopefully use again later on. I also look forward to working more with the differences between Lupin's human and werewolf personas as he can remember what happens during the full moon whereas a werewolf has no knowledge of his human life, and so his interactions with Jenna during his transformations