WARNING: Just in case anyone has missed that this story has adult content, there is a sex scene toward the end of this chapter, or it could be a fight scene. It's hard to tell with those two.

Author's note: Alright then, several reviewers have helped me realize my concerns over hurting Dumbledore too much are downright silly. To be honest, I'm not sure what I was thinking considering a major theme in this story is torture. I blame lack of sleep, and your conspiracy of choice.

As of writing this note, this story has 666 favorites. I can't help but think that's a rather appropriate milestone don't you? As always, I love reading what everyone thinks, so leave a review at the end of the story.

-o-o-

Chapter 8

Werewolf? There wolf.

-o-o-

Remus ached all over. It was similar to how he felt around a full moon, but thankfully not as painful. He opened his eyes to see a crib... no, a toddler bed. At least, that's what it resembled. Oh it looked like any other small child's bed, except there was barbed wire wrapped around the bars. Upon closer inspection, what he thought was a teddy bear, was much more frightening. It was still a stuffed bear, but the toy's gaping maw held rows of very real, sharp teeth. The toy had claws as well, and what looked to be blood stains in its fur.

He realized that he could not move. His arms and legs were stretched out, and he was chained to an arching surface. Looking around the room revealed all manner of medieval torture devices. There was a broken iron maiden laying on the floor, with an assortment of crude looking tools piled inside of it. He couldn't figure the purpose of the tools, but he decided he really didn't want to know. There was a wooden table that had obvious blood stains in addition to the leather straps meant to secure a man.

Hooks, chains, and pieces of equipment that he could only guess what their purpose was, all served to unnerve Remus. He jerked his head toward the door when he heard it creak open, and there stood Luna Lovegood. Relief flooded into him. Both knowing that she was okay, and that she was walking around freely, made him worry less about being surrounded by such gruesome contraptions.

She skipped over to stand in front of him, and cocked her head to the side. "Good afternoon Mister Lupin. You've been asleep a while, I hope you're not ill."

She looked to her shoulder, where a severed hand sat rapidly tapping on her collar. "Hmm? I suppose you're right, go ahead and tell him."

Luna smiled serenely as the hand leaped to the floor, and scurried away rapidly. Remus was starting to wonder what exactly was in that potion they had made him drink. "Thing is going to get Harry now. He's so helpful."

"Harry?" Remus asked, testing his voice out.

"No silly, Thing." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Well, Harry is helpful too, but we weren't talking about him."

"Thing? Luna, what are you talking about?" Remus knew the girl had a unique outlook on life, but this was weird even for her. Come to think of it... "For that matter, why are you here anyway?"

"Yes, Thing. He's my friend, he just left. Weren't you paying attention? And I'm here to see if you're awake yet, which you are, so Thing went to fetch Harry." She leaned closer to get a better look at the chained man. "Are you sure you're feeling okay? This is all fairly simple to understand."

"Luna..." Remus said in exasperation, then decided to just let it be and move on. "Can you at least let me down?"

"Of course." She said cheerfully, but made no move to release him.

Remus closed his eyes, and counted to ten. "Will you let me down?"

"Grandmama Frump said that there's no telling what you will remember, or who you'll be when you wake up." She said while shaking her head slowly. "So Harry chained you up just in case."

She frowned, and her eyes grew cold and hard. "These are some of the nicest people I've ever met, and your silly Order attacked them. I thought Professor Dumbledore was nice, but after what happened yesterday I think I've changed my mind."

"We all thought Dumbledore was a nice old man." Harry said as he walked in with Thing trailing behind. "I think it has to do with that twinkly thing he does with his eyes, he just seems so grandfatherly."

Harry picked up a simple wooden stool, and set it before Remus. "You might not want to stay." He said to Luna. "If he turns out to have been lying, things could get a little messy. I know you have a soft spot for magical creatures and beasts."

"It's okay Harry, Mister Lupin is more wizard than werewolf anyway." She said as she picked up Thing and set him back on her shoulder. "We'll still leave though, Thing wanted to show me a room that he and Pugsley found earlier. They don't know what any of the creatures inside are, so I promised I'd help."

They watched her walk away as Harry sat down facing Remus. "She really is a sweet girl, but she has a lovely mean streak if you hurt her friends." Harry commented idly.

"So, Remus." Harry said, clapping his hands together. "Before we get started I have a question that's been bothering me for weeks now. Why didn't I get an owl from the ministry about underage magic when I hexed that stupid thief who was watching Privet Drive?"

"It's really uncomfortable up here Harry, can't you at least let me down?" Remus asked hopefully.

Harry shook his head. "You're welcome, but no. Answer my questions, and I'll either let you down, or kill you."

This was not what Remus had in mind when he decided to help Harry, but surely Harry was just bluffing with the threat... right? "With all of the chaos at the ministry, Professor Dumbledore managed to get your infraction swept under the rug. I suppose you'd like to also know why you haven't gotten an owl for the spells you used against Mad-Eye and myself?"

"No, I've learned from another source about how the trace actually works." He pulled out a wand that was clearly not his own, and held it up. "Just to be safe, I'm using this wand that I found in Mrs. Black's room. You know, where Sirius kept Buckbeak. I'm not sure what it's made of, but it seems to work for me well enough... Wait, what chaos at the ministry? Surely they've taken care of the mess we made by now."

"Fudge got kicked out of office." Remus explained. "There's always a little confusion when a new minister settles in. Rufus Scrimgeour, the former head auror, was sworn in not too long ago. The former head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was expected to be the next minister, but she was murdered by Voldemort himself."

"Hmm, good to know I suppose. Well, my other questions can wait." Harry leaned back, and looked up into Lupin's eyes. "What do you remember now, what memories did Dumbledore not want you to have?"

-o-o-

"Mother?"

"Yes Wednesday?" Morticia turned from where she was feeding a venomous tentacula she'd found Pubert playing with. Occasionally she'd swat it when it tried to bite her.

Gomez was nearby, trying to teach Pubert how to use matches.

"I was wondering if you had any ideas about how I can get Harry to stop being so shy." She said as she watched her littlest brother light her father's pant leg on fire. "Is that why the Hallway to Lurch's room is charred and covered in soot?"

Morticia glanced over as her husband smoothly put out the fire by smothering it with his hand. "No, that's just your father playing. The guests we had the other day lit the hallway on fire before they ran away."

Morticia sat at a small table, and motioned for her daughter to join her. "Now, what's this about Harry being shy? I thought your relationship was going well, if the screaming is any indication."

Wednesday sat and talked as she watched Pubert begin to eat the matches instead of light them. "It is, except his blushing is starting to get annoying. It was amusing at first, but now it's just frustrating."

"Ah, I see." She paused in thought as Gomez walked over to join the conversation. Pubert was left to play with the matches by himself.

"I'll have a talk with him." Gomez said with confidence. "Have patience with Harry, he didn't have the stable, loving upbringing we've given you three."

Pubert burped, and a fireball lit up the room. Everyone looked over to see the toddler laughing and clapping. Next to him stood a half empty bottle of some kind of alcohol.

"Gomez!" Morticia exclaimed, clearly upset.

Gomez rushed over to take away the bottle of liquor. "Whoops, I don't know where he found that." He rummaged around in a drawer for a moment, and produced a bottle completely covered with warning lables. "There we are, gelled gasoline. That's much better."

-o-o-

Dumbledore awoke to find himself back in the infirmary. He sat up, pleased to note that his magic felt back to where it should be. Although, his face was cold for some reason.

"Next time I'm confining you here whether you like it or not Albus." Madam Pomfrey said brusquely. "At least you had the good sense to have Severus help you. If it weren't for his actions, you might have lost more than just your beard."

He reached up to find his aged face smooth and hairless. Then he remembered the explosion. "My office! Poppy, I need to see the damage. I have irreplaceable items that may have been damaged."

After waving her wand over him, she relented. "Very well, but if you come back with another injury today, I'm making sure your beard never grows back! Take your time getting there Albus. The damage is done, running through the halls like an eleven-year-old will do you no good."

Despite her wise words, Dumbledore all but ran to see what he had lost.

Except for where Snape's shield protected a few bookshelves, the entire office was covered with black soot. Charred shelving was everywhere, and nearly all of the books were ruined. His desk having been at the center of the explosion was nothing more than a pile of broken and blackened wood. The silver instruments he kept on the desk were partially melted, and bent beyond repair.

"Be certain to say 'thank you' to Severus for me." The sorting hat said from its perch on one of the undamaged shelves. "The former headmasters all have other portraits they ran to, and the bird hardly even noticed the blast. I would have been little more than ash."

The hat shifted slightly and brought up the topic it asked about at least once a year. "Now will you consent to adding those fireproofing and various other protection charms? I've been around for nearly a thousand years, and I'd like to remain for at least a thousand more."

Lamenting the loss of so many priceless tomes, Dumbledore took a moment to respond to the hat. "You know that it isn't that simple. The enchantments on you are already extensive. Layering over them could have unforeseeable results. I very well could destroy you by adding something as simple as a flame resistance charm."

The hat harrumphed, and sat in silence as Dumbledore sifted through the damage to find anything salvagable. His face blanched as he noticed the cabinet that stored his pensieve was ajar.

Flinging the doors open revealed a complete mess. The explosion had caught the inside on fire, and nearly all of the phials containing memories had cracked or shattered. A quick glance was all he needed to tell that the memories he'd been reviewing to find clues about Voldemort's horcruxes, were all destroyed.

He slumped to the floor, ignoring the cloud of soot that billowed up. The pensieve was nearly indestructible, the cabinet itself was extensively enchanted as well, but the phials weren't magic at all. Had the cabinet doors been closed, there would have been no damage. Unfortunately, he'd been reviewing memory after memory recently, and had not properly secured the cabinet upon finishing his last viewing.

He could not see how things could get any worse at this point.

-o-o-

"It turns out Remus here has been trying to be a responsible uncle since my parents were killed." Harry gestured toward the uncomfortable looking werewolf with his fork. "Dumbledore just didn't want him around to see what a little monster I was."

Dinner time as usual involved the entire family, and Remus was ill at ease with both the unique food, and the, well, unique family. The only part of the entire scene that felt normal was Miss Lovegood cheerfully chatting away with a boy her age; however, the severed hand joining in the conversation with wild gestures spoiled the image. Inwardly he sighed, if Miss Lovegood was the most normal sight here, he was well and truly 'through the looking glass' as the muggles might say.

"What would you have done if you'd been a part of his life from the start?" Dementia asked while spearing a portion of her meal that was trying in vain to escape.

Remus looked at the woman who closer resembled a skeleton than a living person. "Um, I suppose I would have tried to see if I could curb his more... disturbing tendencies, but I never would have tried to modify his mind."

Gomez laughed. "Yes, we all need a loving family to guide us, and restrain our odd behavior." He pointed at himself. "Why, it took mother three years to get me addicted to cigars."

"Yes... well, I also would have done my best to improve his living conditions." Remus looked apologetic. "Even if Dumbledore hadn't kept me away, I still wouldn't have been able to take him in myself. The anti-werewolf laws have always been somewhat restrictive... They've since gotten much worse."

Morticia looked up from where she was trying to get Pubert to eat his dinner, and not his plate. "Anti-werewolf laws? That doesn't sound right at all. Werewolves are wonderfully violent, dangerous creatures. They really should be trying to make more, not restrict the ones we have."

"There's a full moon coming up soon, you should spend that night here." Gomez said firmly. "We won't take no for an answer now. Right Harry?"

"It's a good idea Remus. I know you have difficulty finding places to spend your time transformed." Harry agreed.

"So long as you all are aware of the danger. I can't afford the wolfsbane potion." Remus was not looking forward to another full moon completely alone, he'd gotten used to the company of Sirius. Besides, he wasn't sure his rented shack could even hold him anymore. His last transformation had been rough, and he'd nearly escaped.

Considering the matter resolved, Harry went on to describe the other major holes in the werewolf's memory. "My third year at Hogwarts must have driven Dumbledore crazy. He kept having to cover up the effect dementors have on me."

"Ooh I've heard of those!" Grandmama Frump said with interest. "They're supposed to make you relive all of your worst memories. Moments of pain and suffering replaying again and again." She closed her eyes, and shuddered with a smile.

"Yes, I was surrounded by them while playing quidditch. I got so absorbed in the memories that I forgot to keep a grip on my broom." Harry smiled in fond remembrance of the dark creatures. "Dumbledore managed to convince the school that I fainted out of fear. Remus was the only one who kept figuring out that I was enjoying the exposure."

Remus again looked uncomfortable. "Well, I was trying to get to know the only son of one of my best friends. I tried to keep a close eye on you. Dumbledore had me teach Harry a charm to ward off the dementors. Once he mastered it, the charm helped reinforce the modifications Dumbledore made to Harry as well." Remus gave up on his dinner, and set his utensils down. "I can't say I understand you now Harry, but I won't abandon you, or try to change you; however, I'm not going to lie, you frighten me... You all do."

That statement produced far to many smiles for the werewolf's liking. "I think I should be going now. I feel I should process all of this alone. One thing for certain, I'm washing my hands of the Order."

Remus stood to leave. "Thank you for your... hospitality, I'll see myself out."

After they watched Remus leave in somewhat of a hurry, Wednesday turned to Harry. "Are all werewolves like him?"

"No." Harry shook his head sadly. "He fights to be more wizard than wolf. From what I understand, there's a whole pack of werewolves out there somewhere that revel in their feral nature."

-o-o-

After dinner, Gomez took Harry aside. "Harry, I understand you never really had any sort of parental guidance, so I'd like to give you some advice on women."

"Um... okay..." Harry just knew he was going to regret this conversation.

"Women are vain creatures Harry. Even strong, willful women like Morticia and Wednesday need to know they are desired." Gomez said as he led Harry away from the rest of the family.

Feeling embarrassed already, Harry tentatively asked, "Are you sure you want to be the one to talk to me about this sort of thing? I mean... well... I am dating your daughter."

"Of course!" The older man wrapped one arm around Harry's shoulders, and jabbed the boy's chest with his free hand. "This right here is part of the problem I want to help you with. How can you show the woman you love how you feel, if you're embarrassed about it?"

"Love?" He knew intellectually what Gomez meant, and judging from what the other guys at school would talk about, he should be embarrassed or denying that statement. That particular emotion was just so unknown to him. Dumbledore had tried to instill it within him, but much of that was all hollow and fake.

Gomez realized that Harry was lost in thought. Either that, or the boy was scared in the way a mouse is unable to run from a snake. For both Harry's sake and Wednesday's, Gomez hoped it was the former. "Yes, love. It's a powerful driving force. Tell me Harry, would you kill for her?"

"Of course, what kind of a question is that?" Harry said instantly as he was shaken out of his contemplation.

Gomez held Harry out at arms length by gripping his shoulders, and looked him in the eyes. "Would you die for her?"

Harry looked confused. "Well yes, but I'd die for any of you as well."

"Would you endure any torture, face any foe, suffer any indignity, just to be with her for one more day?"

Harry thought about it. The idea of leaving the Addamses was unappealing, but the thought of leaving Wednesday... He couldn't even bring himself to imagine it. "Yes."

"Then you love her! You need to show her that!" Gomez tightened his grip on Harry's shoulders. "The blood flowing through your veins should boil with desire, not fill your cheeks with a rosy glow."

An intense fire blazed within Gomez's eyes. "If you're embarrassed, then you're hesitating. Don't hesitate. Act!"

Seeing a spark ignite within Harry's own eyes, Gomez released him. "You should never be embarrassed of anything you want, or anything you do."

"The world labels us as psychopaths, amoral degenerates." Gomez lit a cigar, and smiled. "I say they're right. We do what we want, whatever we desire. We hold nothing back. That is what it means to be an Addams!"

Walking away to let Harry contemplate his advice, Gomez gave one last encouraging statement. "Let go Harry, you're one of us."

-o-o-

Augusta Longbottom stared down the end of her nose at the bedraggled Remus Lupin. "I already told Professor Dumbledore to leave us be. I wouldn't let him near my grandson, what makes you think you will fare any better?"

"I haven't been sent by Dumbledore Madam Longbottom." Remus ran a hand through his hair as he sighed. "Truth be told, I want to compare notes with your grandson. I've just come from a visit with Harry, and I need someone to talk to about what I've learned."

"And what exactly have you learned about young Mister Black?" She asked guardedly. After Neville had warned her of Dumbledore's manipulations, she was taking no chances with any of his associates.

"Mister Black?" Remus looked confused, then thoughtful, then finally resigned. "I suppose that does make sense. His name change didn't come in our conversation. I'm worried about Harry, but I'm more worried about what Dumbledore has done to Harry. Myself as well for that matter."

She cocked her eyebrow at that last statement. "I'll make this simple for you Mister Lupin. If I told you that I knew a way to turn Mister Black back into the Mister Potter that he was before this summer, what would you say?"

"That I wish it was that simple." Remus said, understanding he was being tested. "What I learned, and what I imagine you are fishing for, is that Dumbledore has tampered with Harry's mind. As much as I would like Harry back as he was, it would be wrong to do so."

They stood in silence as she considered his answer. "Very well. You may talk with Neville, but I will be part of this conversation. My grandson has not told me all that has been weighing on his mind, and I would like to know more than the fact that Mister Black has changed, and Professor Dumbledore is at fault."

-o-o-

Harry thought carefully about what Gomez had said to him, and once he came to terms with everything the man had said, he set out to find Wednesday. A task which proved more difficult than he anticipated.

After asking everyone else, and searching everywhere he could think of, he eventually gave up and headed for his bedroom. He would have to find her in the morning.

He walked into his room, and over to his bed. He removed his outer robes, and tossed them off to the side. As the robes landed on the back of a chair, he heard the door shut behind him. He smiled.

"I was looking all over for you." He said as he turned around.

With one hand still on the door, Wednesday stood there clutching her dagger. "I was here, waiting for you. I want to continue where we left off, before we were interrupted."

She stalked toward him, a predatory gleam in her eyes, and a small smirk on her lips.

'Let go.' The words echoed in his mind, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do. In one smooth motion, he drew his wand and fired off the spell he knew best. "Expelliarmus!"

Wednesday was unprepared for the addition of Harry's wand to their playtime, and failed to react fast enough. The jet of red light struck her, and her dagger flew high into the air, across the room, and into Harry's waiting hand. Eyes wide, she hesitated for only a tiny moment before she darted to the side to avoid the second spell he sent her way.

The bedroom was lit well enough to not allow Wednesday the shadows she needed for stealth, so Harry could easily see her lithe form rush toward him. Seeing her however, was not the same as being able to hit her, and there was not much distance for her to travel.

She crashed into him, gripping each of his wrists, and driving him back. His legs hit the bed, and he fell backward onto it with her on top. "I hope you didn't actually think your little stick would give you an advantage?"

"Maybe just a bit." He admitted, straining to shift his wand toward her. Then he smirked as an idea crossed his mind. "Accio chair!"

The chair that he'd tossed his robes onto, flew toward them, and slammed into Wednesday. Since she refused to release her grip on him, the result was both of them tumbling to the floor. Both knife and wand went sliding across the floor, but Harry wound up on top of Wednesday, pinning her down.

Taking advantage of his better leverage, he wrenched himself free of her grip, and for the smallest moment, he wanted to try to recover his wand. The chair however, had split open Wednesday's lip, and that proved to be a far more enticing prize than his wand.

Even as he fought her attempts to recapture his arms, he leaned down, and kissed her with fervor. His reaction to the taste of her blood intermingled with her kiss, increased his desire. Their kiss deepened, but then he drew back to look her in the eyes.

His tolerance for her blood had already increased. Instead of the glazed mad look he'd had before, his eyes smoldered with unrestrained passion, and her pulse quickened at the sight. She wanted him. She wanted his badly, but tonight she wanted him to submit to her even more.

Giving up on grabbing his wrists again, she took hold of the collar of his inner robes, and jerked hard to the side. Using the momentum, she reversed their positions, and began assaulting his clothes. Upon opening his robes, she ran her nails across his bare chest. Relishing the sound of him hissing with pleasure, she grinned.

Wednesday gripped his shoulders, and leaned back, pulling him upright. Straddling his lap, she pulled his robes down around him, essentially trapping his arms in the tangled fabric. Then she shoved him back to the floor.

Harry had no idea what was happening as she tossed him around like a ragdoll. He struggled to pull his arms free, as she hitched her skirt up past her knees. She moved forward, and he soon discovered that she wasn't wearing any knickers.

Leaning back, she clamped her hands onto his wrists once more, both for support, and to prevent him from freeing his arms. Wednesday soon shuddered with delight, and she moaned despite herself. Apparently Harry knew what he was supposed to do without any further prompting. Before long, her body tensed, and shook. With a scream, the firm grip she had on his wrists faltered, and she collapsed bonelessly.

For perhaps the first time since he'd learned of his ability, Harry was very glad he was a parselmouth. It had added benefits that never would have occurred to him before today. He finally managed to pull his arms free, and he pushed Wednesday off to the side.

Harry finished removing his robes, and admired his girlfriends still shaking form. Wednesday's eyes were unfocused, and her breathing was rapid. She offered no resistance as he unzipped her dress, and stripped her completely.

Almost gently, he ran his hands over her, as he kissed his way up her nude body. At some point she must have bitten her lip, because there was a thin trail of blood running from her mouth, across her chin, and was beginning to run down her neck. He licked the rivulet up, ending with a searing kiss that brought her back to her senses.

Trying to salvage her shattered position of dominance, she gathered her strength, and drove her fist into his stomach. As the breath rushed out of him, she rolled them both over putting herself on top once more. Giving him no time to recover, she impaled herself and began gyrating toward her next release.

The pain of trying to breathe was mixed with pleasure of Wednesday's writhing on top of him. Both pain and pleasure increased, as he forced himself to draw breath, and her movements became more desperate.

She tensed once more, and he felt her nails bite deep into his flesh. The intense sensations were too much for him, and sent him over the edge. She let out another scream even as his own release claimed him.

Barely conscious, she fell forward to rest on him. Heavy breathing caused his chest to rise and fall rhythmically, and soon the two lovers were fast asleep.

-o-o-

"What are you going to do when it's time to go back to Hogwarts?" Luna asked as she wandered into the library where Harry and Wednesday were looking through a book on magical creatures and beasts, trying to learn what the five legged creature was. "You won't be able to avoid Professor Dumbledore there."

Harry looked up from the book. "I don't know. To be honest I'm not even sure I should go back." He then smacked himself on the forehead and sighed. "Luna, do you know what a brownish furry creature with five legs and a big mouth is?"

"That sounds like a quintaped." She said, walking over and flipping through the book, stopping on a page with a picture that looked just like the creature they'd sent to Dumbledore. "They're not very nice creatures. I think they're supposed to be even more violent and dangerous than those skrewts Hagrid made the year before last."

Wednesday quickly scanned the entry on the quintaped, and looked at the two other teens. "Who's Hagrid, what's a skrewt, and do you think he'd be willing to make us a creature like that?"

"You really want a pet now don't you?" Harry asked with interest.

"Hagrid is the groundskeeper and the care of magical creatures professor at Hogwarts." Luna explained, then flipped through the book again to find two different entries. "He crossbred a manticore, and a firecrab. I don't know if he got in trouble for it or not, but it was very illegal for him to do."

Luna smiled brightly. "He'd probably love to make you a pet. He doesn't really understand how fragile humans are, so I doubt he'd worry about making it too dangerous."

Wednesday looked at Harry as if he'd been lying to her. "You never told me you had such interesting professors. Maybe you should go back." She flipped between the pictures of the firecrab and manticore. "I wonder how difficult it will be to get me enrolled."

"I thought you couldn't use a wand." Harry pointed out.

"So, you don't need one to learn about deadly creatures. There's probably other courses there that I could take as well." She argued.

Harry shrugged. "That certainly makes the prospect of going back more appealing. Now we just have to figure out how to make it work."

"What's to figure out? Father has more than enough money to secure a spot for me, and if that old man interferes, well just kill him." Wednesday insisted.

"Will your parents be okay with staying in England that long? I remember your mom saying something about visiting relatives here.

"I don't see why not. They like this house, we've been home-schooled ever since the incident with Pugsley's art project, and it sounds like there's going to be an open war soon between the old man and Voldemort." She ticked off her reasons on her fingers. "Even if we don't go to your school, everyone will want to stick around for a while. As for the family we planned on visiting, we can dig them up at any point."

Luna clapped. "Then I'll still have friends in the castle this year."

Harry furrowed his brow. "I thought you had friends now. Just because they don't like me anymore doesn't mean they won't still like you."

"They don't like me though, they just don't mind me. There's a difference." She pointed at Harry, and jabbed him lightly right between the eyes. "You showed me what a real friend is. That's why I was so upset when you said we weren't friends when I came here."

Luna pulled out two sheets of parchment, and set them on the table in front of Harry and Wednesday. "Since we're all going, we need to go shopping. Our real supply lists came this morning."

-o-o-

Rufus Scrimgeour was not happy. He'd been elected minister based on his history as an auror and his hard stance on fighting Voldemort. He was unhappy because one of his more useful plans to fight the Death Eaters was being blocked by the bloody goblins.

"They may run the bank, but they have no say over our laws!" He said angrily.

Dirk Cresswell shook his head in disagreement. "I'm sorry sir, but according to the treaties, the ministry cannot make laws involving Gringotts without their representation."

"Surely they can see the usefulness of limiting the Death Eater's ability to access their gold." Scrimgeour pointed out. "If that madman gains control, then they'll suffer as much as we will."

"I know sir, but they insist that Gringotts will not take sides." Cresswell sighed, knowing that his next statement would lead to his boss blowing his top, but he had to say it anyway. "I'm not supposed to know this, but they have a fairly large betting pool going right now on the outcome of the war."

Scrimgeour paused, not understanding where Cresswell was going with this. "So? They bet on everything. What are their odds on us winning?"

Cresswell winced. "They haven't bothered figuring that out sir... Most of the bets are on how long it will take us to lose."

In an icy calm, Scrimgeour frowned. "Do you have an idea of why that is?"

"None, but frankly, it worries me."

"Find out. They know something we don't, and by withholding that information, they have already chosen their side." Scrimgeour stood, and paced behind his desk. "We can't risk another rebellion while dealing with this terrorist, but you need to find out what that information is."

Scrimgeour slammed his hand onto his desk, and roared. "Now Cresswell!"

-o-o-

Andromeda and Nymphadora Tonks,

As head of the Black family, I would like to invite you both to 12 Grimmauld Place to discuss the future our family. It is my desire to rebuild the family, which would include reinstating you both as daughters of house Black.

On the first Saturday of August, my door will be open to you, and the wards will be lifted. It is my hope that you will both accept this invitation, so that together we can be a family.

Harry Sirius Black

-o-o-

July 30th just before Harry's birthday. The full moon was going to be that night. As Remus painfully made his way up the steps to 12 Grimmauld Place, the door opened before he reached it. The haggard werewolf passed over the threshold, and hardly even noticed as the pain ward washed over him. Lurch led Remus to a large empty room, where most of the Addamses were relaxing.

Harry was the first to greet him, smiling widely. "We talked it over, and we decided you'd like a bit of space to run around in."

"Thank you Harry, being locked in a small room always makes the wolf agitated." A pained grimace was the closest thing to a smile that Remus could manage. "This room should make things much easier for me. It is getting late though, you should all lock me in now."

"Nonsense old man!" Gomez said as he walked up, lighting a cigar. "You'll have the entire house to run through. The children will want to play with you as well, once you've turned."

A look of pure horror graced Lupin's face as he looked around at everyone smiling. Great Merlin, even the toddler was here. "You don't understand! Harry, you have to tell them how dangerous I am."

"They already know. Why do you think everyone is so excited?" Harry said. "Oh don't worry, Grandmama is making sure Luna will be safe."

Remus began to object further, but his words came out as a wail of pain, which then turned into a growl. His body shifted and rearranged itself, causing him to howl in agony. Soon the man was gone, and in his place, a wolf that growled menacingly.

Moony leaped at Gomez who was the closest, his mouth wide, intent on tearing out the man's throat. With a laugh Gomez swatted the wolf's muzzle aside, sending the beast tumbling to the ground.

"Come now, the children are eager to play with you. No need to show me what a killer you are." Gomez said after sending a cloud of smoke toward the wolf.

Confused, Moony stood and shook his head to clear it. He turned back to Gomez in fury, then stopped as he felt small hands grab his tail.

"Puppy!" Pubert cried with glee. The toddler laughed as the wolf desperately tried to shake him off.

Failing to get the child off his tail, Moony started running in a tight circle, trying to bite the annoyance.

Everyone watching laughed as the werewolf chased its tail in vain, Pubert swinging around just enough to always be just out of biting range.

-o-o-

Generally, living portraits can't become bored. A fortunate thing considering the nature of their existence. Walburga had been thinking as of late, that even if she could become bored, these house guests would prevent it easily. Her existence had been... interesting over the past month.

She was pondering her next string of insults, when she heard a squeal of joy, accompanied by a dog whining. Soon, a werewolf ran by with the toddler riding on its back. Shortly after that, three of the teenagers ran past trying to keep up.

Perhaps she'd truly gone mad, like her traitorous son had claimed...

-o-o-

Author's note: I originally wasn't going to have Harry return for his NEWTs, but ideas have struck, and now it will happen. That poor school.

To Mizu reviewing chapter 7: I didn't know Lupin would have hidden memories either. At least not until I wrote chapter 7.