Harry and Hermione stared at Professor Lupin with looks of disbelief and shock. Words seemed to fail both teenagers as they listened as Harry was told that his father was... right in front of them. More importantly, that his father was not James Potter. Hermione stared at Harry, to see if he was handling it okay and found a pale face staring back at her.
Madam Pomfrey could be seen watching carefully as Harry's hair seemed to be becoming redder by the minute. There almost no black hair left on the boy's head and his facial features had been morphing as each hour passed as well. His hair also seemed to straighten out and looked less unruly. There was virtually no evidence of James on Harry's face at all; it was all Lily and a little splash of Remus Lupin. The only features gained from Remus were subtle.
"Professor, why is this happening now?" Hermione asked, sounding about as shocked with Harry's appearance as he was.
"The charm Lily placed on you expires after thirteen years and without James around to root the spell, it wore off naturally and quickly. Your mother intended to renew the spell but it can't be done and unfortunately, there is nothing we can do for your appearance now; I'm afraid you'll have to deal with the mass on this one. Poppy has sent word to Dumbledore and he will be speaking to the students at lunch to warn them to use discretion with their questions but I'm sure there will be questions," Remus explained, staring at Harry.
This particular transformation must have begun while Harry had been sleeping because his appearance was vaguely similar when Remus met him that morning. Every once in a while, Harry would dash into the toilet and touch various parts of his face as they changed. Harry had just arrived from his fifth trip when he saw Ron sitting on the bed talking to Hermione. When he caught sight of Harry his jaw fell to the floor.
"Bloody hell, mate! We considered you an honorary Weasley before but now you actually look like a Weasley!" Ron exclaimed looking at Harry's hair with shock. "I almost didn't recognise you; I wouldn't have if Dumbledore hadn't made the announcement. And the fact that your scar gives you away, too. Everyone is confused."
"Well, Hermione knows, so I'm going to tell you why this has happened; but you have to promise not to tell anyone!"
When Harry, Ron and Hermione made it back to Gryffindor tower, everyone else was asleep and Harry was fine with that. It simply meant he wouldn't have to answer questions until morning. Harry fell off into a deep sleep. Today classes were starting up again the first class they had was potions with Slytherin. Harry did the best he could to ignore the long glances he received from his housemates as he followed Ron and Hermione to the great hall.
The trio simply grabbed a few muffins and left the Great Hall before any students had the chance to ask questions. But Harry knew he wouldn't have the luxury of avoiding curious gazes during classes.
Harry stepped into the potions lab and carefully hid his face behind a book. As his classmates poured into the room, Ron suddenly realised he'd left his quill in his trunk and had dashed off the get it. Harry heard Professor Snape enter the room and hoped that once class began the whispering would stop.
Harry heard Professor Snape enter the room and hoped that once class began the whispering would stop. This was the one time Harry was glad to have a class with the strict professor. Snape would not tolerate whispers or note passing of any kind unless related to work. Harry could very easily see this class turning into a salvation of sorts from the gossip that had already begun.
"Mr Weasley put your book down," Harry heard Professor Snape snap. Harry looked to the seat next to him to find that Ron had not returned. He looked around trying to find Ron when Snape suddenly slammed the book out of Harry's hands.
"I said put your boo..." Professor Snape's voice caught in his throat when he caught sight of Harry. His expression quickly changed from his usual scowl to a look of shock and pure disbelief. Harry felt his face redden and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He'd expected his housemates to stare and he'd expected leering from the Slytherin house but certainly not this.
When Ron entered the classroom, Professor Snape merely told them to turn to page 365 and read for a few minutes while he went out for some fresh air. Harry almost felt like begging the professor to come back instead of leaving Harry alone with the sharks.
"So, Harry! I must say, I'm loving this new look. Did the Boy Who Lived get bored with his looks?" Draco Malfoy said as he walked in front of Harry, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. "Perhaps the Weasels were a bad source of inspiration. I would have happily allowed you to model your looks after me; at least I have class!"
Harry noticed Ron going red in the face and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
"But you do pull off the look better, I might add. You might want to consider leaving your appearance this way. Nobody likes it when someone changes their appearance too often," Draco said in a tone Harry was unfamiliar with.
"You will take your seat immediately. You will have the chance to look at Mr... Potter after class," Professor Snape said, hesitating with Harry's last name. Not that Harry blames him, he no longer looked like a Potter. Legally his name was Potter but that was it. James had adopted Harry as a son and had left his fortune to Harry in his will knowing that he wasn't biologically his. Harry would have obsessed over this longer put Professor Snape had already begun the lesson.
Harry couldn't believe how clear his mind felt in class that day. It was as if his brain had been filled with fog until recently and now he was seeing everything with newfound clarity. The potion for the day was a simple calming draught and both Harry had managed to complete his potion before Hermione. When Harry handed the potion to Snape, he noticed the professor was struggling not to stare at Harry's face.
When the potion was tested, Professor Snape stared at Harry for a few seconds before giving Harry the mark of 'O'.
"Five points to Gryffindor for completing this assignment first," Professor Snape said and to Harry's surprise, his voice was not as sharp and cold as usual.
Classes for the rest of the morning breezed by quickly. Harry found that his mind was clearer in all of his classes and he was better able to answer questions and demonstrate spells. By lunch time, Harry noticed Professor Lupin motioning for Harry to follow him.
Harry followed him to the fifth floor to the Defense classroom and into a large office through the classroom door. He motioned for Harry to sit down while he poured some tea. Professor Lupin's face was difficult for Harry to read. It was somewhere between worry, sadness and an emotion Harry could not determine.
"Madam Pomfrey and I had an interesting conversation, Harry," Professor Lupin started. "She was asking for my consent to speak with the Headmaster in regards to your condition."
"M-my condition, sir?" Harry asked nervously unsure what he was talking about.
"Harry, when were you going to mention you were a werewolf?"
Harry was unsure how to respond to that question. He found himself feeling cornered with a reality he still wasn't ready to face yet and here he was being forced to face it.
"Um, you never asked?" Harry put out. "And I've been doing my best to push it out of my mind and maybe it will... go away."
Professor Lupin gave Harry a sympathetic look before sitting down next to him.
"If it were that simple, I would have done so years ago," Professor Lupin laughed causing Harry to look at him with a look of surprise.
"You're a... werewolf?" Harry asked, once again hesitating on the word werewolf. Because somehow saying the word seemed like acknowledging his own infliction.
Professor Lupin nodded before smiling at Harry.
"I'm assuming this is a... trait you inherited from me. When did this begin?" Lupin asked.
"Um, the first... It started the night before we came to Hogwarts. I was staying at the Leaky Cauldron with Ron and Hermione. We were hanging out in my room when.. it happened," Harry explained.
Lupin paled slightly upon hearing that and took a few ragged breaths before speaking again.
"Should I be checking them for bites?" Lupin asked in a tense voice. When Harry shook his head, he visibly relaxed.
"Hermione knew a fair bit about werewolves and figured out what was happening; she warded the room so I couldn't get out and left before anything dangerous could happen. The room got roughed up real bad but Hermione came armed with spells to repair everything," Harry laughed. Hermione was prepared for anything at any time.
"You're very lucky. Things could have been disastrous in many ways. But I was thinking that I will take you to speak with Dumbledore about this. He'll want to make accommodations during the full moon that will be safe for everyone involved. I was thinking we could go now."