Despite not having needed Greyback's services for years, Voldemort was still in touch with the werewolf and he was pleased when he showed up promptly once he'd sent a message asking for his assistance. Greyback was a tall athletic looking man who had a dangerous glint in his steely eyes. Settling down in his study, Voldemort offered Greyback a glass of firewhisky as he explained the situation.
"I have to admit I'm surprised," Greyback remarked, sipping on the amber liquid. "From everything I've heard about Lupin over the years he shuns other werewolves, and would never place himself near to any humans on a full moon."
"Things have changed," Voldemort replied. "He's now lost everything."
"Yes, I've been hearing how you're eradicating the people who oppose you," Greyback said.
"Is that a problem?" Voldemort questioned.
"Since I don't plan on opposing you, then no, it's not a problem," Greyback replied, flashing Voldemort his sharp teeth. Even in his human form there was still something animalistic about the wizard.
"Back to Lupin," Voldemort said. "I take it you can track him down easily enough?"
"That I can," Greyback confirmed with a smirk. "I can track almost any werewolf, but especially those I created."
"Ah yes, it was you that cursed Lupin wasn't it?" Voldemort said.
"Some would call it a curse, I call it a calling," Greyback answered with a shrug of his large shoulders. "But yes, I turned him. His father, an arrogant bastard if ever there was one, made the mistake of insulting me and other werewolves. He thought we were beneath other wizards and he wanted us all to be rounded up and tagged like animals. Given his low opinions on werewolves, I decided to teach him a lesson by turning his own child into something he detested."
"Such viciousness," Voldemort said, a hint of admiration in his voice. He did so love to interact with people as cold and ruthless as he was. "And it's that sense of viciousness I need from you, Greyback. I want you to track Lupin down and dispose of him."
"I can have my fun first though?" Greyback questioned.
"Of course," Voldemort replied with a smirk.
"Consider it sorted," Greyback promised. "He won't be bothering you again."
"Thank you," Voldemort said. "But I also need another favour. I want you to come to the manor with me and talk to Draco. He needs to know what's in store for him."
"I'll talk to him, and if he wants, I can be around to help him adjust to his new state," Greyback offered. "But as for what's in store for him, that's entirely in his hands. How things progress from here very much depends on if he's going to accept his condition."
"What if he doesn't accept it?" Voldemort asked. "What if he fights?"
"Then I'm no use to him," Greyback replied with an inelegant snort. "I can't help him fight the lycanthropy. I won't help him fight it. It's a part of who he is now, and it's going to be better for him if he can accept it. If he can, I can help. If not, he's on his own."
"Not totally on his own, he's still got his family and my daughter. Hermione won't leave him," Voldemort said.
"If he doesn't accept this, I would make her leave him," Greyback advised. "If he fights, he's going to end up a loser like Lupin and other pathetic werewolves who try and fight the supposed curse. I don't know your daughter, but I would suspect the child of the darkest wizard of our time deserves more than a loser too afraid to embrace his inner animal."
"Draco's many things, but a loser isn't one of them," Voldemort said, taking in what Greyback was telling him and hoping he didn't have to intervene and separate Draco and Hermione. "I'm sure he'll accept his new life."
"Here's hoping," Greyback said as he threw back the remainder of his firewhisky. "A wizard who embraces his inner wolf can be a handy ally."
"I already know that, Greyback," Voldemort replied with a low chuckle. Even though he used Greyback's services sporadically, he was already thinking about how useful it would be to have Draco onside if he accepted his wolf nature. "Now, shall we go and see Draco?"
"Let's," Greyback replied as the two men got to their feet, and after joining up with Beth they headed to Malfoy Manor.
C.O.T.D.
Draco stared at his reflection in the mirror above his sink. He was looking for signs that he was now a werewolf, but he found none. Thinking back to third year, he remembered reading about how the day after a full moon a werewolf would be tired and too mentally exhausted to function properly. However, he wasn't tired and he certainly didn't look exhausted. True, his mental state was a bit shaky, but that was only to be expected given what had happened to him. But on the surface, he looked exactly the same. It was as though nothing had changed.
However, things had changed and Draco knew his life wouldn't ever be the same again. All morning his parents had been trying to convince him that his condition wouldn't ruin his life, but he hadn't quite believed them. Most of the time it sounded as though they were just trying to convince themselves that his life wasn't ruined. Even so, Draco was grateful for their support and deep down he would need his parents and Hermione if he was going to survive being a werewolf. Fortunately, no-one was planning on going anywhere and while there was certain things his family couldn't understand, he did know they were going to do their best to make sure his life wouldn't be too different.
Turning away from his reflection, Draco heard footsteps approaching the bathroom. Assuming it was Hermione, coming to let him know Greyback had arrived, Draco headed into the adjoining bedroom. However, his bedroom was empty and it was nearly a full minute before Hermione did enter the room.
"What's wrong?" She asked when she noticed Draco's frown.
"I heard you coming, but I thought you were in here," Draco explained. "I was in the bathroom, so I couldn't have heard you coming down the corridor outside."
"Maybe it's a wolf thing," Hermione suggested. "Animals do have superior hearing skills."
"Perhaps," Draco mused.
"Anyway, you can ask Greyback, he's just arrived with my parents," Hermione said. "Harry and Severus are also here with Rosmerta."
"Great, more people I have to face knowing they've seen me naked," Draco grumbled.
At the time, he'd been too shocked to really deal with the fact he'd been caught naked, but over the course of the morning his embarrassment had set in. It was bad enough his parents had seen him naked, something they hadn't done since he was a small child, but on top of that his girlfriend's parents had seen him, along with his godfather and his fiancée, and his best friend. Needless to say, Draco could have done without so many people knowing just what he looked like naked.
"Given what's going on, I don't think too many people are thinking about seeing you naked," Hermione said.
"I hope not," Draco said. "I think I would die of embarrassment if I thought your mother and Rosmerta were thinking about my naked body."
"As impressive as it is, I really don't think either of them were interested in what you had to offer," Hermione said with a smile before turning back to the matter in hand. "Are you ready? I can tell them we need more time if you want."
Draco shook his head stubbornly. "No. let's get down there. I need some answers, something that might make this whole things bearable."
Taking hold of Hermione's hand, Draco led the way from his bedroom and down to where everyone was gathered in the living room. Even when they entered the room, Draco kept hold of Hermione's hand, drawing comfort and support from just being in physical contact with her.
"Draco, this is Fenrir Greyback," Voldemort said, making the introductions. "Greyback, this is Draco."
"Nine to meet you Mr Greyback," Draco replied politely, studying the large wizard in front of him and noticing an aura of danger surrounding him.
"Greyback's fine," Greyback chuckled. He couldn't remember the last time someone called him by his first name, let alone Mr Greyback.
Draco and Hermione settled in the last two remaining seats as Narcissa summoned refreshments for everyone. Once everyone had their drinks and the elves had gone back to their other duties, talk turned to the reason for Greyback's visit, with Voldemort stressing how no-one outside of the room was to find out about Draco's situation.
"I'm guessing you have plenty of questions, Draco," Greyback began.
"I think we all do," Draco replied. "Especially since what we experienced last night was nothing like what we learnt about at school."
"Firstly, forget about anything you've ever learnt about werewolves," Greyback said with a snort. "Everything written down about werewolves comes from people who think it's a curse. The only werewolves they write about are the ones who fight their true nature and suffer for it."
"But everything we learnt fit perfectly with Remus Lupin," Hermione pointed out. "That's how we found out his secret."
"As I said, the werewolf lore if written about people like him, people who think it's nothing more than a curse to be struck down with lycanthropy," Greyback said.
"Is it not a curse?" Draco questioned.
"It is if you look upon it that way," Greyback answered. "But you can turn it around and look upon it as a calling. No-one asks to be a werewolf, but those who accept it can harness their hidden animal and reach their full potential. Don't look at this as a curse, Draco, look at it as an opportunity. He may not have intended it, but Remus Lupin has given you the chance to become something truly great and powerful."
"And what about the down sides to being a werewolf?" Draco asked. "You know how society treats werewolves."
"Society doesn't understand," Greyback retorted. "They're like everyone else, misinformed and believe everything they read."
"So if everything we've read is a lie, what's the truth about being a werewolf?" Hermione demanded.
Greyback smirked at the brunette witch, already liking her fire. Even if she wasn't the double of her mother, he would still be able to tell she was Voldemort's daughter. She had the dame fire The Dark Lord had, and he could tell she wasn't intimidated by anyone.
"Firstly, you've all seen what Draco's inner wolf looks like," Greyback said. "The first transformation is always a pure transformation."
"But Lupin didn't look like that," Hermione pointed out. "He was thin and sickly looking, although to be honest he's thin and sickly looking in his human form. But even as a wolf, he didn't look like an actual wolf, he was some sort of half creature. His still looked part human."
"And that is what werewolves who fight their nature look like," Greyback explained. "What they should look like, is a pure wolf. When I turn, I turn into a large, black wolf. In my wolf form, no-one knows I'm a werewolf. On a full moon, I am a wolf."
"Draco did look like a real wolf," Narcissa said softly.
"And as long as he doesn't fight it, that is what he'll look like every full moon," Greyback said.
"That's all very well, but I don't want to hurt anyone," Draco said. "I'll have no control when I'm a wolf."
"Now that's where you're wrong," Greyback corrected the young wizard. "It won't be easy, but as long as you don't fight it, you can get control in your wolf form. When I'm in my wolf form, I know exactly who I am and what I'm doing. I'm not a danger to anyone I don't want to hurt."
"And you can help me achieve that?" Draco asked sceptically. "You can help me control my wolf side so I can't hurt anyone?"
"It's not necessarily about controlling your wolf side, it's about embracing it," Greyback said. "You need to accept that being a wolf is part of your life. No taking this stupid Wolfsbane potion, no trying to hide your animal nature. You need to accept it and embrace it, even when you're in your human form."
"What do you mean, accept and embrace his animal nature in his human form?" Narcissa asked warily.
"The changes don't just occur on a full moon," Greyback explained. "Draco is different, all the time now. It's all just new, but he's soon going to notice different things about himself. He'll be stronger, and he'll be able to cope with more pain than before. It'll be harder to hurt him, and he can survive things that could potentially kill a normal human being. Then there's his sense of smell and hearing, both of which will be heightened."
"I think my hearing is already picking up," Draco said, sharing a smile with Hermione as he shared that story of what had happened just before they came downstairs.
"It'll improve as you adjust to your change," Greyback predicted. "Your appetite might also be affected. Chances are you'll like your meat rarer than before, and usually around the full moon you'll have a larger appetite. I don't know if it works for everyone, but I know transforming always affects my libido. I'm always ready for action following the full moon."
"That doesn't sound like a problem for Draco, he's always ready for action," Harry joked.
Draco shot his best friend an unimpressed glare, but all it did was make Harry laugh even more. Even Hermione snickered at her nephew's joke, while Lucius had a knowing smirk playing about on his lips. As for everyone else, they remained straight faced, but Draco could see amusement dancing in most of their eyes.
"That's another thing that doesn't fit with what we supposedly know about werewolves," Draco said, turning back to Greyback. "We read that after the full moon, werewolves tended to be exhausted from being up all night."
"The exhaustion comes from fighting their true nature," Greyback explained. "If you embrace the full moon and what it brings, you'll be invigorated the following day. I mean, do I look tired to you?"
"No, you don't," Draco replied. In actual fact, Greyback looked full of life and the complete opposite to what Remus Lupin had always looked like.
"See, being a werewolf is what you make of it, Draco," Greyback said. "The question is, what do you want to make of it? Do you want to fight it, take a potion and hide away on a full moon, or do you want to revel in this gift you've been given and learn to embrace your inner wolf?"
"I want to live my life as normal as possible," Draco answered. "I don't want to have to hide away on a full moon. I don't want to live my life worrying about hurting someone I love."
"Then my advice is to embrace your destiny," Greyback said. "It's not going to happen overnight, and for the first few months you will need to be kept somewhere secure. But I can be with you, and together we can make sure you fulfill your potential as a wolf. If you're serious about accepting this, I think that by the end of the year you'll be able to roam around on a full moon. You never know, you just might come in handy for The Dark Lord."
"What, as werewolf for hire?" Harry asked with a laugh.
"Why not?" Greyback asked, arching an eyebrow at Harry. "If Draco does as I say, he'll soon be in full control around the people he cares about. Just think how much devastation a wolf could do in a battle with your enemies."
"Now that I could live with," Draco said with a wicked grin, finally seeing the potential in being a werewolf.
"Something tells me you're going to take to this just fine, Draco," Greyback said with a fond chuckle.
"Let's hope so," Draco replied, turning to Hermione and giving her a smile. He was still nervous about what lay ahead of him, but thanks to Greyback he could now see that his life wasn't over. Instead, a new chapter had opened up for him, and maybe being a werewolf wasn't the terrible thing he thought it was a few hours earlier.