The Fellowship of the Fox
by Ryuuohjin

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Disclaimer -

I do not on any way own Harry Potter or any of its world or characters.
They all fully belong to J.K. Rowling and her affiliates.

Update 2018-06-23: Slammed the old chapters 18 & 19 together, along with changing things here and there.

Update 2018-12-31: Happy new year everyone! So it took so much but I have completely rewritten the chapter now.

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Chapter 17 – Of Schemes & Scheming

Remus Lupin felt quite strange, as he sat on the edge of the bed he was currently using at Potter Manor. He felt really tired, yet at the same time, he also felt the strange need to be more awake somehow, worrying his lip and the hem of his shirt as he watched the sky. It was a full moon tonight, which always made him feel as something felt off. While he normally viewed this kind of behaviour as unhealthy, he couldn't very well help it this time. He'd been under a quite lot of stress lately, especially these last couple of days, with everything from Order business to this new Fellowship, along with his worries many about Harry.

Then there the Rasp sisters, and whatever they were up to. Which he still couldn't really figure out. Remus let out a deep sigh as he watched the sun sink in earnest, his mind then drifted to something that made him sigh even more. He hadn't had taken any wolfsbane potion for days now, he had been so caught with everything that been happening lately, that he had all but forgotten about the full moon completely. Then further adding to his worries about of this full moon, this time the youngest of the Rasp sister, Rhy, which was seemingly going to join him during his full moon transformation. Much to his many protests though, not that the girl had seemed to care much really.

Remus didn't know how it had really come to this. Maybe he should have made all his standpoints on the dangers of this stronger and more clear, or perhaps he should have made his protests more vehement. Though if he were being honest with himself, Remus would say that he didn't want anyone to come along with him. Though if he were being even more honest with himself, he would say that he actually did want someone there. Though he still couldn't help himself worrying himself sick over, that he might hurt some while transformed, and that he would have no recollection of it or any way to stop himself from doing it. Especially time, he worried that the girl might end up getting hurt, as he didn't have any potion letting him keep his mind this time around.

He really wasn't himself when he was transformed - he was a wolf, a completely different being. A monster. A monster who was lonely, and just wanted someone there to help ease his transformation, but who definitely didn't want those around him to get hurt. But that girl Rhy though had been very adamant and quite clear on her intentions. She would be there with him, during the full moon, as he transformed, whether Remus liked it or not.

So when he seemed to have failed to convince the girl herself from this foolish course of action. Remus tried to get the two older of the Rasps sisters to stop their younger sister's foolish endeavour, they had immediately outright refused all his pleas, calling this a trial that had to happen. That confused him somewhat, but the sisters had been unwilling to explain it further.

After getting up and he then started to slowly make his way to the edge of the forest that surrounded the manor. It didn't take him long to reach the rendezvous point where he would meet Rhy before the moon rose. As moon had yet to rise, along Rhy yet to arrive, Remus chose a nice large rock to perch on while he waited, for the inevitable. He knew she wouldn't be long - they were on a strict time restriction after all. And lo and behold, as Remus looked up not even 5 minutes later to see the young girl making her way down the path towards him.

"Good evening, Ms Rasp," he greeted her, ever polite. Returning his greeting, Rhy then asked him how he was. He answered in the affirmative, though he was far from that. Remus then again tried for the last time to dissuade her from staying with him. Rhy just rolled her eyes at him in exasperation and slight amusement, before then giving him a blank look, that in itself seemed to speak volumes of what she thought of his attempt to dissuade her. Knowing when he was beaten, Remus offered the girl his hand as they walked into the forest surrounding the manor.

They then stopped at large glen clearing deep inside woods, Remus let go of the girl's hand and quickly started to create to some distance between himself and her. A couple of minutes later as the moon rose, illuminating the whole glen with its pale silvery light, Remus could feel the change begin, and tried put some more distance between the two of them. Rhy could also tell when the change started, for his brow furrowed and his eyes began to dart back and forth as if he were trying to identify that which she couldn't see. Seconds later, he was on his hands and knees, and his groans turned raspy. It about that time Rhy turned off all her glamours, and her ears and tail was fully visible, and the overwhelming scent lilies she on exuded till now had completely disappeared.

Although Remus really didn't notice any of this, as he screamed as waves after waves of pain tore through his body. His eyes clenched close as he collapsed to the ground. It felt as if his insides were on fire. He could feel his bones twisting and growing, could feel as his muscles began to bulge and grow denser. Soon his creams of pain turned into a cacophony of harsh growls, snarls, and whines. About the time that his ears began to move up his head, fur began to sprout, the clothes he had worn were shredded as he grew in size. His now more animalistic instincts then began to fight with his human mind, as the urges to run, hunt and kill began to overwhelm him.

At the end of the transformation, a long howl echoed throughout forest surrounding the manor. Seeing Rhy in front of him, his now feral mind recognised her as a fellow wolf, only a cub though, and cautiously began to sniff the air around her. It became confused as it recognised her smell as her as a cub of his pack; someone to protect, defend and for whom he would kill without a moment's regret. So he went closer sniffed her clothes and hair, and it the came to the conclusion that it indeed was a cub his pack. Overjoyed at this discovery he started to produce a lot of noisy howling and yelping sounds while knocking her over as he bumped into her.

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The next day, hours later, far away from Potter Manor, as the dawning light from the rising morning sun streamed in through the small window, that was covered by a small set of blinds that only did a half-arsed job of actually keeping said rays of blinding luminescence from getting through them. One black-haired and grey-eyed middle age man groaned in discontent as his eyes flickered open very briefly. That almost closed immediately after, as they were hit by a beam of light so bright, that the man thought he might go blind.

Damn that sun. Couldn't it have picked a better time to rise? Or better yet, not risen at all? One of these days he was going to find some way to turn it off.

Or blow it up.

He would prefer blowing it up.

Grunting slightly, the black-haired male slowly sat up in bed, stifling a yawn with one hand as he did.

Oh, how he hated mornings. They always seemed to come at the worst of times.

As the black-haired man began to gain more cognitive thoughts, he stretched himself out, turning this way and that way, as he raised his hands high into the air and listening to his back pop and crack in a way that would make most people cringe. Slowly but surely, he got out of bed and made his way towards the bathroom with a stumbling gait. Intent on having a warm shower to help him wake up properly. He undressed still in a sleepy state and stepped into the shower.

Minutes later Sirius Black stepped out of the shower, shaking his head and sending droplets of water everywhere. Before he then picked up the towel from where he'd dropped it on the floor, drying himself off with it, before then wrapping it around his lower body.

Using his palm he then wiped the mist off the mirror, before then staring at his reflection as contemplated on what had happened over the last couple of days. First was the open public criminal trial that was scheduled for him, that was in a weeks time. While he at first had been somewhat worried about that, though after a few meetings with goblin solicitor his godson had arranged for him, Sirius couldn't foresee any large problem there. As he couldn't deny that Woebringer, seemed to be the quite skilled and cunning solicitor. Along with what he had heard from some of the others, Woebringer seemed the best lawyer that Gringotts currently had. When had heard that it had really made Sirius wonder how Harry has to pay for that, as that couldn't have been cheap.

Though when Sirius had asked Woebringer, if the goblin knew anything about his godson's situation. Only to find that Woebringer had actually never met in person Harry and that it had been Ragnok, the director of Gringotts that had hired him on Harry's behalf. That bit of knowledge had actually made Sirius a bit worried about his godson, as from his what he knew of the goblins he had, Sirius knew that the goblins didn't really do anything like that just for any wizards or witches, and often came with a quite hefty price too. Hopefully, Harry hadn't done anything really drastic or anything he might regret later. Sirius had then tried to subtly find out what the goblins knew about the elusive group know as 'The Fellowship of the Fox', but he had been completely stonewalled, getting no answers at all, claiming it was against their clients confidentially to divulge anything.

Then there was those strange drawings that Hedwig delivered. He was also somewhat unsure if really had been Harry who had sent him them. While Sirius thought he mostly had figured what all of the pictures were depicting, he still didn't know what whoever had sent him this wanted to tell him with all drawings. He had wanted to show the drawing to Remus, and to see his thoughts and take to all of this. Although he hadn't heard for Remus for some time now, he really hoped that the old werewolf was okay. Though since it was a full moon was Remus was probably just feeling crappy. He then splashed some cold water on his face to clear his mind, before he then went back to prepare for the day to come.

/

As Voldemort looked out over the host camped before him. Werewolves, vampires, hags, trolls, along all manner of other dark creatures were present, and in slowly, but steadily growing numbers, though they were still not as many as he had first expected. Although that could easily be fixed, soon too, very soon. Ever since his revival the Halloween past, using blood from Harry Potter, he had kept to the shadows, recruiting as many as he could to his cause.

While there had been some minor setbacks here and there, especially since that annoying 'Fellowship of the Fox' had appeared, sowing chaos wherever they went. But the Dark Lord was patient, he had no problem with playing the waiting game, so these setbacks really were nothing yet in the larger picture, but still, something had is done, before it went too far.

Maybe Pettigrew would finally prove himself somewhat useable, let's see how far that rat would go to earn his favour. Who knows, the rat might even surprise him, although Voldemort highly doubted that.

/

Dobby kicked the bad wizard that was laying on the ground, growling at the man who would dare try to stop him from gathering what rightfully belonged to his mistress! The green-eyed house elf turned up his nose and sniffed disdainfully as though smelling something foul, which was actually quite the case since the man appeared to have not bathed for the past few weeks, and then continued to stuff his previous master's emergency money, along some impressive gems and jewellery and anything else of value into a trunk.

As a group of Muggles walked past, Dobby held himself still up against the wall with his bag of loot over one shoulder, grinning as they didn't even glance his way, not thinking that they simply didn't pay attention to anything but their assigned tasks of taking inventory.

Dobby had gone through as many safe houses as he could find that he knew had once belonged to the Malfoy family and emptied them of every potion, book, weapon, wand and movable item, before rigging it with different pranks as was his orders. While at the same time leave traces that looked they invaded by wild foxes. Unless it was a place he had orders to burn down. In that case, he makes look like the had rampaged by burning foxes, and throw in a few vials containing fiendfyre, which his Mistress had given just said purpose.

While bottling fiendfyre was very hard, it was not impossible. They had chosen fiendfyre because it was a cursed all-consuming fire. Meaning whatever it touched it incinerated, even magic was no exception, which was why it was hard to bottle. This also meant it would be almost impossible to tell when, how, and where the fire had started. Not to mention who started it, as it would no wand trace, making hard pin who had done it.

Everything Dobby stole he then handed over to the goblins, which would then sort through them, destroying anything too dark, and selling the rest, except for any books or scrolls, which was transferred to Rasp vault after having cleansed of any taint they contained.

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Hours later, far away from Dobby, Rhy Rasp laid in her bed, after accompanying Remus on yet another full moon night, currently reading the latest report she has gotten on the Longbottoms condition. Rhy and her friends had at first thought it was an extreme form of post-traumatic stress or some sort of 'Battle-weariness'. And to protect themselves, the Longbottom couple had withdrawn from their bodies but became unable connect to them again. But that didn't seem to be it, so they had scrapped that that theory. Although it was clear that something was keeping the Longbottoms captive in their own minds. And after a week of probing, researching and examining the construct that held the Longbottom couple captive, they had nothing.

Although Rhy was quite certain she had read something about some like this in the Black family library. And if it this really was Black family magic, she and the others really couldn't help them, only Sirius, as the current Head of house Black could. But would mean they would have brought him here, as they didn't want to move Longbottoms from the manor. She would have discussed this with the others, along with if they maybe should include Remus in any of this.

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TBC

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