Harry was seated with the rest of the fourth year and up students in the hall while Professor McGonagall explained the dances done at the Yule Ball; she demonstrated this by having Ron as her dance partner, to the amusement of the other students. After his humiliation the other students started to get paired off to practice the moves.

"Mr. Potter, if you could come with me for a moment," Minerva said as she sent Ron off with Lavender Brown, then waved him over to her while she supervised the students.

"Yes professor?"

Minerva heaved a sigh, she hated doing this to the young man. "Unfortunately, due to the timing of the Yule Ball you will, you will not be allowed to attend."

"I see," Harry nodded slowly. "Then I guess there isn't much point to me being here is there?"

"I'm truly sorry Mr. Potter," Minerva stated.

"Well then uh…" Harry looked over his shoulder to all the other students who after getting over the initial awkwardness started to enjoy themselves with many laughing and cheering other dancers. "It's fine, I probably wasn't going to have fun anyway."

Doing his best to leave the room without disturbing anyone, Harry ended up wandering around because he had no other classes at the time and the other students would be tied up for the remainder of the evening with their dance class.

"Potter," a stern voice called out followed by a rhythmic thumping of a peg leg on the stone floors. "Skiving class I see?"

"No sir," Harry shook his head before forming a smile. "Turns out I won't be attending the Yule Ball so I have no need to go to the dance lessons. What about you sir, you find yourself a hot date for the ball?"

Mad-Eye fell into step with Harry as they walked through the hall. "Not on your life Potter. A date is just an excuse for someone to get close to you and slip you poison."

"Of course what was I thinking," Harry rolled his eyes, he was thinking that this man needed to tone it down a bit or get laid. "I assume you're going to be keeping an eye on the party then?"

"Have too, all the extra people in the castle, perfect time to commit a crime," Mad-Eye stated and ignored that Harry rolled his eyes. "At least you and Mister Tonks will be out of the way for the evening, that's one less student to watch."

Harry just let out a chuckle. "Yup, just me and Nymmie for the whole night. Well sir, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day," waving off the lunatic as he broke off to head to the library to work on some homework he'd been putting off.


After the students left the dance class Theodore Nott was pulled off to the side. "What do you want Malfoy?"

"I want you and a few of the guys to go and ruin Potter's life," Malfoy sneered. "I can't be seen anywhere near him though."

"Everyone knows," Nott laughed. It was well known in Slytherin that Draco had screwed up by getting caught trying to push a first year into his cage. "Professor Snape is personally overseeing your punishments."

"I've convinced him that I should be allowed to attend the Yule Ball, all the other professors will be there, so I have the perfect alibi for this," Malfoy smirked, having covered his own involvement.

"But you haven't said what I get out of this?" Nott inquired how he could benefit from going along with this scheme.

"You get a mongrel out of this school," Malfoy hissed. "But if it matters that much, my half-blood cousin will be there, you take care of Potter and she's all yours."

"Well I heard that the aurors have been giving some of the old families some trouble," Nott scratched his chin thoughtfully. "And she's a metamorph right? Okay, you got a deal."


"At least you don't have to go around asking any girls out," Ron sulked at the tables during dinner just watching all the girls. He had been trying to work up the courage all week to ask out anyone but everytime he backed out.

"Hey all you have to do is ask," Harry reminded him.

"You think I don't know that?" Ron scoffed. "It's just that when you get close and everything becomes harder."

"I didn't need to know that Ron," Harry coughed into his elbow.

"Prat, I mean it's like what I want to say doesn't come out," Ron elbowed Harry.

"I know, I'm just having a go at you," Harry chuckled.

"You think they're cursed?" Ron questioned what it was about girls that made them so mysterious. "Like they all have a spell around them that makes it so you can't talk to them?"

"If they do, I don't think you're supposed to mention it," Harry sipped from his cup. "We talk to Hermione all the time, plus I can talk to Tonks just fine, so maybe it's just a you problem."

"I'm depressed and you're not helping, some friend you are," Ron muttered.

"You're not depressed, you're angsty. There's a difference. Just go talk to them about something other than the dance and just slip it in," Harry suggested.

"I think I'm supposed to wait until after the date to slip it in?" Ron teased.

The two shared a look before falling into a fit of giggles. "Fine, I'll go talk to Katie about Quidditch or something and then see if she's available," Ron said as he rose from his seat to move down the table to talk to the younger chaser of the three.

"What about you?" Harry turned towards Hermione who had her head stuck in a book for the upcoming exam.

"I've been asked," Hermione answered while scribbling down some information.

"Oh really, who?" Harry inquired as to the identity of the person who chose Hermione.

"Viktor," Hermione said quietly, hoping that Harry would mishear her. Except his hearing was far better now and that wasn't going to happen.

Pushing down the cover of the book to see her blushing face. "Well how about that."

"Harry it doesn't mean anything," Hermione said while pulling the book back up.

"Oh I disagree, I think Viktor likes his girls to be more than just vapid fangirls," Harry waggled his eyebrows. "Maybe you should be spending less time with us and more with him."

"He's famous," Hermione said while trying to come up with an excuse to not draw attention to how the quidditch superstar asked her to the dance.

"So am I, arguably more, and you have no problems spending time with me," Harry countered.

"Well he's-," Hermione blushed behind the safety of the pages.

"Right behind you," Harry cut off his friend to see her startle and try to gather her composure in the time it takes to turn around.

Hermione was expecting to see Viktor standing behind her except that nobody was there. "Harry!"

"Hermione," Harry whined back in a mocking tone. "Just go sit with him. Sure he's at the Slytherin table, but come on can you think of a better way to spend the meal than with the guy who clearly likes you and the added benefit of annoying Malfoy for invading his space?"

"He likes me?" Hermione doubted the validity of that statement.

Harry nodded with a dumb smile. "Yeah, Viktor came to me first, wanted to ask if we were dating. He's a pretty standup guy, I told him that we weren't and as far as I knew you hadn't been asked."

"So you just hooked me up?" Hermione reasoned that was how she had gotten a date with one of the most eligible wizards in the castle so easily.

"Yeah, now go, shoo," Harry pushed Hermione into standing and moving away from the Gryffindor table.

Once he saw that Hermione settled in next to Viktor and Ron was clearly engaged in quidditch talk with Katie, Harry got off the bench himself and headed out to the lake for some exercise because at least running meant his body was doing something and he wasn't watching all these people have a good time, especially with dating being the big topic for most people, something Harry felt was forever denied to him because of his affliction.


"So how's the egg puzzle going?" Tonks asked while watching Harry do pushups in the cell.

Harry took deep breaths as he pumped up and down against the floor. "Not a clue, I can't stand the bloody thing. Have you heard it, just high pitch screaming."

"Hmmm," Tonks tapped her chin. "Well it can't just be screaming, that wouldn't give anyone information."

"What do you think it's sped up or something?" Harry asked as a bead of sweat fell from his face onto the stone.

Tonks hummed curiously. "Nah, that seems more like a muggle thing, altering the speed and pitch to hide a clue. My bet is that it's a language."

"A language?" Harry questioned how that makes sense. "What human could possibly make a noise like that intentionally?"

"I didn't say human," Tonks teased and then looked at the special clock on the wall, it had been enchanted to show when the moon was rising. "Alright Sweaty, eat your dinner before the house elves have to come and take it away."

Harry quickly toweled off the sweat before scarfing down his dinner, with it being December the sun was setting before six o'clock and Harry could feel the moon rising even now.

"But let's not focus on what magical creature might be part of the clue," Tonks said while she watched Harry strip off most of his clothes, he had apparently gotten tired of having to get new uniforms all the time, but it wasn't as if she was going to complain since Harry was a fine-looking young man. Not many wizards bothered to ever work on their bodies, leaving most of them looking quite flabby.

"It's a shame you aren't allowed to go to the dance," Tonks sighed and watched Harry start to transform. "I bet you would have looked quite dashing in your dress robes. Would have made all the other witches jealous of whoever was on your arm."

She let out a snort at how Harry started to grumble. "So, who would you have taken? Hermione?" Trying to guess the identity of whatever witch caught his fancy.

Harry shook his head because it wasn't Hermione he wanted to dance with. "No, well hmm, what about one of the chasers? Pretty athletic girls more your type?"

Again Harry shook his head. "Oh ho," wiggling her eyebrows. "You wanted the veela champion. Dirty boy," pointing accusingly at the werewolf only for him to deny this as well. "No? Then who would you have wanted to go to the ball with?" Turning and facing the wall to try and deduce the identity to Harry Potter's romantic interest. Spinning around she was confronted with a claw pointed in her direction.

"Me?" Tonks pointed to herself, to which Harry bashfully nodded. "Why me?"

Harry just rubbed his arm nervously and looked away, this was how Tonks learned that a werewolf could blush.


In the Great Hall the Yule Ball was in full swing, everyone attending was in good spirits, Moody had even let the punch get spiked for five minutes before switching it out.

With all that was going on, no one noticed a few people slipping out.

Harry looked up from where he was resting on the floor, his ears pulled back and Tonks, who had a book in her hands, put her wand in the crease to mark the place. "Probably just a professor with some snacks Harry," Tonks waved off as she pulled open the door to get struck by a stunner, dropping her onto the floor.

"Get in, shut the door," Nott ordered as the other Slytherins dragged in Tonks unconscious body and set it down. "And hit her with an obliviate while you're at it."

Nott turned to taunt Potter, when he leaped back to see Harry slam his body into the silver bars of the cage, smoky wisps coming off his fur as Harry's lips pulled back into a vicious snarl.

Nott patted himself on the chest, "Haha, oh you got me there for a second Potter, but this is silver, you can't do anything about it and you can't use a wand." Walking over to the cage, Nott tapped it tauntingly with his wand before casting a cutting spell on Tonks' robes.

Harry reeled back and slammed into the cage again, pounding his fists onto the metal and letting out howls of rage as the students started to strip Tonks down. "Not going to work, but we'll let you watch."

Gripping the metal tightly in his claws, smoke practically billowing off his fur, he snarled, growled and pushed with all his might. The sound of metal creaking under the stress from his enhanced strength drew the attention of the boys, with one final roar, the bolts holding the cage together snapped and the door keeping him in the room came off with a loud clang. "Oh shi-," one of the Slytherins tried to scream while drawing his wand before a massive paw backhanded him across the room.

"Run!" They terrified wizards screamed as they tried to make a break for the door, crowding and pushing each other to be the one to get through first. Nott backed up and tripped over Tonks, squealing in fear as Harry loomed over him, dripping saliva and roaring in his face.

"No please," Nott screamed before he was picked up and smashed against the wall.

The Yule Ball was just finishing up the dinner when a number of Slytherin wizards came into the Great Hall screaming. "He's out, Potter got out!"

This declaration put the school into full panic. "Everyone please, calm down," Albus ordered as he pointed to his faculty to hurry into action.

"Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger, you must-," Minerva tried to order even as the two students rushed ahead of the older professors.

When they arrived at the room Harry was housed in on the nights of the full moon, they found two Slytherins unconscious and bleeding from the head, the cage door was bent and on the floor while inside the cage, hunched over an unmoving witch was Harry who let out a ferocious snarl at the newcomers. "Harry," Hermione said as she slid closer to the cage. "Harry."

The werewolf snapped his fangs at the witch who leaped away with a shriek. "Mr. Potter," Albus said as he entered the room. "Please, don't make things harder than they have to be."

"He's guarding her," Severus whispered to Minerva then nudged his head towards Tonks body. "Look."

"Her clothes are cut cleanly," Minerva whispered back. "No claw could do that, a cutting spell?"

"Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey bustled in from behind, having detoured to grab her bag. "Don't you growl at me young man, Nymphadora might be hurt and you will let me do my job." Pushing past the other professors and entering the cage without a single care to the potential danger she might be in.

"I will not let your illness prevent me from doing my job, so move over and let me work," Madam Pomfrey huffed and shoved against Harry's much larger frame.

Harry let out a whimper and nudged Tonks' hand with his snout and licked her cheek. "I know, you're a lovesick puppy, but you need to let me do my job."

"Just a stunner, a bit overpowered," Pomfrey stated before enervating the witch who gasped.

Looking around the room in confusion it took Tonks a second to see that she was seeing all the professors from the inside of the cell. The room's cool air tickled her skin and she looked down to see how exposed she was. "Oh what the hell," Tonk hissed as she covered herself and looked to her side to see Harry crouched next to her.

"I'm guessing something happened, can't remember what, but it probably wasn't good though," Tonks sighed and moved her hand to rub Harry on his head. "But I'm guessing I should be thankful that I had you looking out for me, didn't I?"

"Ahem," Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I believe that we'll need to hear some stories."


"They attacked one of my aurors Albus," Amelia raged in Dumbledore's office. He had floo-called her late in the night to tell her all that he knew at the time, which wasn't much since Harry couldn't talk, Nymphadora could not remember and none of the Slytherin boys were speaking. It however did not require the greatest deductive mind to figure out what happened based on the physical evidence.

"I am aware, but unfortunately, we have limited options. Nymphadora's memories weren't tampered with in such a big enough way to matter, she lost at most a few seconds of when she would have gotten out of her chair to open the door. And even that did not help since she didn't get a good look before being hit with the stunner."

"Well we need to do something, the only reason one of my people is safe is because a werewolf broke down a goblin forged silver cage to protect her," Amelia paced.

"I am quite proud of Mr. Potter for his actions," Albus smiled softly knowing that Harry had come to the defense of his friend, just as he always had done. "But, and I dislike having to say this but, it will just be his word against theirs."

"And the ministry would never allow a werewolf to testify against purebloods," Amelia groaned before slumping into a seat across from Albus. "Even if he's The-Boy-Who-Lived."

"Quite," Albus exhaled heavily. "But just because there is nothing that can be done outside in the ministry, does not mean that something cannot be done here."

"Well you better do it fast, I hear that Fudge's lapdog is drafting up something," Amelia warned.

"Dolores has always been a problematic person, even as a student," Albus sighed heavily. With most everyone coming through his halls as a student, it pained him to see the depths some had fallen too. It made the old man wonder just what more he could have done to push them onto the right path.