Chapter 36- The new Defense teacher and a full moon
"What do you reckon? Think there's some way to get past the age restrictions and enter?" Ron asked. The students were making their way to the dorms after the opening feast and the announcement that Hogwarts would be hosting the Triwizard Tournament that year.
"I don't really care if there is or not. There's no way I'm even going to try to enter," Harry said.
"Still, a thousand galleons!"
Harry wondered if Ron might also be thinking of all the attention the champion for Hogwarts would get. He knew that coming from a family with seven children, Ron longed to stand out. Harry had never really been able to understand that. Being famous, he'd always wished he could just blend in like everyone else. He knew sometimes it could be hard on Ron, with everyone seeing him as nothing more than the friend of the famous Harry Potter.
Neville mumbled something about wishing he could enter to please his grandmother.
"You've got to stop worrying what she thinks about you," Harry told him gently. "I'm sure she loves you. She just has a- strange way of showing it. And anyway, the important thing is for you to start showing a little pride in yourself. I mean if you don't respect yourself for ho you are, how to you expect anyone else too? You're just as good as anyone else, and I'd say better than most."
Neville was quiet a moment before saying "I have a lot to live up to though."
In the common room, the talk changed to the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang who would be arriving soon and what they would be like.
"Even more people dependent on house elves," Hermione grumbled. She had been absolutely disgusted when Sir Nicholas mentioned Hogwarts had house elves. Harry was surprised that she hadn't seen them and known about them when she'd helped clean Phoenix House until he remembered one of the marks of a good house elf was not being seen while working.
"Hermione, the house elves here are happy. They love their work and don't want to be freed. Winky was miserable after Crouch freed her," Harry said.
"That's only because house elves are being kept uneducated and brainwashed by the people they serve."
Harry could have sworn he heard Ron say "mental" before Hermione went to the girl's dorm
The boys stayed up a bit longer talking about the tournament. Harry wished they wouldn't have canceled Quidditch for it. He'd been looking forward to flying his Firebolt some more. Sirius had been glad to hear how much Harry loved the broom and told him to think of it as thirteen years worth of Christmas and birthday presents. Harry was also glad to see Sirius bought Ron an owl because he felt bad Ron didn't have a rat anymore.
Still, even without Quidditch, the tournament would be fun to watch, and for once he could sit back and watch the action without having to worry about nearly getting killed being part of it.
"Neville, you OK?" Harry asked. His friend was very white and his hands were clenched. He looked ready to either be sick or faint.
"Yeah- sure- I'm fine," he said slowly, but still looking almost as though he'd been the one tortured instead of the spider Moody had used in class. "In- interesting lesson, wasn't it?"
Before Harry could reply, Moody came and asked Neville to come to his office for a cup of tea. When they saw Neville late that evening, he was doing better and told them Moody had heard how good he was at Herbology and had lent him a book on it. To Harry, it seemed like something his dad would have done, but he could see Moody was nothing like Remus.
"Moody turning a student into a ferret is not funny," Remus told Sirius firmly. His friend was laughing so hard he had to wipe a tear of laughter from his eye.
"Sorry, but Draco Malfoy the amazing bouncing ferret? How can you help laughing at that?"
The two friends were reading Harry's letter home to them, and had gotten as far as what Moody had done to Draco.
"He could have been badly hurt though," Remus pointed out. "I'm glad Moody kept him from hurting Harry, but that isn't the way to handle a situation like that."
Sirius had stopped laughing.
"I suppose he did take things too far. Anyway, read on."
Neither of them laughed at what came next, Harry's description of his first lessons with Moody.
"I never would have thought he'd do such a thing!" Remus gasped.
"Moody actually used an unforgivable curse? On a student?" Sirius was sure for a moment that Remus must have read that part wrong, but Remus re- read it and it was true.
But Moody's seen those curses used. He knows how terrible they are," Sirius said. "Didn't he stop to think what effect it would have to let students see them? For him to show Harry the killing curse and Neville the Crutiatus? And actually using the Imperious on the students in the next lesson!"
"Something has to be done about this," Remus said in agreement. "I'll be getting in touch with Dumbledore immediately. Although at least we know that Harry can throw off the Imperious now. There is something else wrong though."
Nodding, Sirius said "We both know Moody. I was an Auror so I worked with him often and we both went with him on different Order missions. This isn't something he would do." Thinking back, he added "He seemed the same as always when he was supposed to be making sure I wouldn't go on the run again."
Remus thought on that.
"Nothing happened to him between then and now that I know of. Except- once this summer I saw in the Prophet that he thought an intruder broke into his home. It was never proven that anyone actually did break in though and everyone thought he was just being paranoid. Otherwise I might have thought he was under some kind of spell."
It didn't seem likely that was the case, but whatever was going on, they wanted to be sure Harry wasn't going to have curses used on him anymore. They were going to have a word with Moody and Dumbledore.
It turned out Dumbledore had agreed to give Moody the chance to teach as he liked. Moody had only said that he wanted the students prepared for what was out there. They couldn't interfere in his class, but they didn't think he'd actually use the curses on a student again. It was the best they could hope for.
At Phoenix house, classes were starting to go well. At first some students voiced the opinion that getting an education was useless because nobody would ever give them a job anyway. But Remus pointed out that laws could be changed over time and they had a much better chance with an education that without one. All the teachers did their best to make the lessons both enjoyable and informative, and within a few days things seemed like they would at any other school. The only difference, of course, as the night of the full moon.
Luckily, the house had a large and secure basement, almost more of a dungeon, roomy enough for all the werewolves plus one Animagus to use. Everyone was a bit anxious since this would be their first transformation here. But Sirius had sound proofed the basement so nobody outside could hear any howls or shrieks, there were strong enough wards to keep the werewolves in even if one of them would have been able to break through the door. Shelves that would be high out of reach once they transformed would hold spare sets of clothes, healing potions to ease any cuts or bruises they might accidentally inflict on each other, and their wands. So they were as prepared as possible and things would be under control.
The actual transformation process itself would have been easier with the Wolfsbane potion, but there was no way to get any. None of the werewolves had any education except Remus, and even if he had known how to brew the potion there was extremely limited access to the formula for it. It was only because Dumbledore had put pressure on the Ministry that Snape had been able to brew it for Remus last year. So the best they could do was for the ones with more experience to try to keep the others calm until they lost their human minds themselves.
Sirius had, of course, seen Remus transform many times, but it was still disturbing to see all of them twist and change. It was a bit like watching a train wreck, knowing it was horrible but not being able to look away. And here Sirius had thought he had a reason for nightmares-. Oh, he tried not to show it, tried to cover it with good humor, but spending twelve years in Azkaban wasn't something you could go through and then just return to normal life as if nothing had happened. He'd improved a lot now that he could be with the people he cared about, had something to do with his life and could get out on his motorcycle now and again, but sometimes there were still nightmares. He'd wake up in dog form without even knowing he'd transformed, but then he'd remember the nightmare- Dementors around his cell and him changing so his feelings would be less complex and it would be easier.
The nightmares were fading more lately though, thanks in part to the fact that after Remus had heard him the first time he'd always made sure there was a good supply of chocolate around for him. And seeing Moony and all the others transforming was a sad reminder that the worst years of his life were over, but unless a cure was found someday these transformations would reoccurs every month for the rest of the werewolves lives. He wasn't going to complain about his life knowing that.
The last traces of human memory faded. The normally logical, calm mind was replaced by one that could no longer think. Moony had to rely on feelings and senses so much more intense than they were when he was a human. He sniffed, and knew humans had been here. But they weren't here now, so there was no point to hunting. There was another scent- a scent he hadn't smelled in a long time as a wolf, but one he remembered on some level. The black dog. The dog was a friend, some combination of instinct and memory told him as his eyes saw the black figure in the dark, and he gave a cheerful yip. Soon the werewolves and Animagus were all chasing each other around, playing tug-o- war with an old blanket, or taking turns laying down and trying to rest. The littlest one- the size of a young wolf cub- stuck close to Moony and always lay nearby . Padfoot grinned. Even as a wolf, little Mila felt safe around Remus.
AN: My usual thanks to PadyandMoony for all the help she gives:)
Wolviesfan: Yes, it's Ok to make requests :) I can't promise something every chapter, but I have a few scenes in mind you might like. Not going to give anything away though.