Chapter 26:

A Successful Grand Opening Part 1

They crossed paths with Remus on the way towards the Shrieking Shack, who coincidentally bumped into their group at a cross in the side paths between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.

There were many deer trails, paved paths and fenced areas leading to Hogsmeade from Hogwarts, and in the mountains around Hogwarts in general, with some brushing against the edge of the forbidden forest but considered safe woodlands all the same. Along these trails could be found many dilapidated ruins of chapels, lookout towers or foundations for long forgotten buildings lost even to the records in the library. If only weekends were five days long, then students could have a chance to properly explore these areas. Of all the sports clubs to spring up this last week, Harry couldn't understand how mountain or dirt biking didn't make the list. Oliver used to take the team jogging through these woods all the time when another team had the pitch reserved and, despite many of them being tough treks, it was always beautiful and rewarding.

But anyways, their group opted for the quickest footpath towards the Shrieking Shack after Harry recommended it as being faster than taking a carriage to the town. That course would then have them walk through the entirety of Hogsmeade to their destination. Remus must have had similar plans, but coming from the opposite end of the castle he must have taken a less used and more dangerous deer trail through the forbidden forest.

He was a big boy, he could take care of himself.

"Watch out everyone, Maugrim is on that time of the month. Big bad wolf might turn on us." Crabbe cracked at Remus.

He took it in stride.

"Full moon shouldn't rise for a few more hours. We're safe. Also, why Maugrim? I think I'm better compared to Akela."

"Yeah, Akela was awesome." Goyle said.

"Exactly! Akela's cool. And Lupin... isn't." Draco smirked.

"Professor, Lupin." Hermione corrected.

"Right. Him." Said Draco in a manner as if the man wasn't standing right beside him.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the antics before stomping off in the direction they'd been heading before the reunion. The rest followed.

"Will Severus be joining us to observe Lily's lesson?" Harry asked Remus in a hushed tone.

Hushed conversations were a reflexive habit of teachers when speaking to each other when near students, even when discussing perfectly non-nefarious things. It was amazing how a lot of the behavior of his own teachers, from Snape to fake-Moody, had seemed suspicious at the time were completely innocent in hindsight specifically because they were speaking in hushed tones. Needlessly. No lessons learned.

"Oh no. That man turns into mush around her, like a cat afraid of its own shadow. He'd rather not spend the night walking on eggshells in front of students. He knows that she knows what she's doing." Remus explained.

Seems there was a lot more history between the bat and his mother in this timeline. It made sense. They would have known each other for an additional... jeez, sixteen years! That was twice as long as his world's Snape had known his world's Lily. On top of the eight they had been close friends. There was so much he didn't know about this world. It still felt like he was just winging it, but his strategy of "treating the societal and spiritual damage of the war and play by ear from there" was bearing fruit, and tonight was a harvest.

"Oh wow! You can see all the way down to the ravine from here." Cho gasped when they reached the top of one particularly tall and rocky hill.

Indeed, you could see all the way down to the far side of Hogsmeade where the Hogwarts expressed passed through a ravine before docking. The tracks were built right along the floor and the sound of the engine and wheels echoing off the stone walls was the last warning call for student to change into their school robes. The shrieking shack, on the other hand, was right at the bottom of this hill. Every window bled white light onto the grassy lawns where jars of bluebell flames lit up the entire outside of the house against the rapidly darkening sky.

Harry looked at Hermione suspiciously, wondering if she had something to do with the choice of decorations. He distinctly recalled Sirius writing to request Arianna - who was apparently his girlfriend - be allowed to do that. Hermione noticed the look and blinked in apparent confusion at his staring, but Harry waved it off.

They trekked down the hill, past the clearing with the boulder he had wept on in his third year after hearing the conversation between Fudge, Rosmerta and Minerva, and out onto the road leading to Hogsmeade. They stopped at the freshly painted, and bluebell-lit, gate before ringing the little bronze bell placed there.

"This used to be one of my favorite spells." Hermione noted aloud as she finally got a good look at the jar.

The gate opened and they all walked up the small stone path to the front door and with a turn of the handle they reached their destination.

"Welcome to Professor Morrigan's Werewolf Sanctuary. We'll be with you in a moment." Arianna Figg greeted from behind the welcome desk.

They weren't the first in line. And the pair in front of them were a surprise, but a welcome one.

Draco tried not to boggle but boggle he did.

Holy crap! That's Viktor Krum! Former Quidditch star turned dueling champion. Was the man a werewolf? It seemed unlikely, and something he would surely prefer to keep a secret, so showing up to such a high-profile nonprofit seemed potentially counterproductive.

"My friend Poliakoff vishes to be interred for the evening." Viktor said to Professor Morrigan as he approached, indicating the thin man beside him.

Morrigan surveyed the older teen then nodded at the condition of his health.

"I believe he does need it. Please, come inside. Both of you. Mrs Potter will be teaching my class how to brew the wolfsbane potion shortly." Morrigan explained. "But before that, they will be shown how to administer the batch we already created for all of you. Come in. Come in!"

Professor Morrigan lead them inside past where Romulus was manning the counter with a mousy-haired woman. He was checking in a pair of middle-aged ladies. They looked to be identical twins, and were identically destitute in appearance, though one bore the telltale premature greying and scars of lycanism whereas the other did not.

"Oh, hey old man! Working hard or hardly working?" Romulus greeted professor Lupin.

As soon as his voice reached them Draco noted a straightening in Hermione's spine. It was adorable how she tried to hide her pleasure at her boyfriend being here. Almost as adorable as her delusion that he and Susan were unaware of her sneaking about the castle grounds during the full moons with the "safe" werewolf.

Krum suddenly took notice of the woman beside Romulus.

"Avianuh Feeg." He attempted to pronounce her name. "I have sat in on some of your duels in the English circuit. You fight vell."

She smiled and curtsied slightly in humility.

"I wish I could say the same, Mister Krum. But I haven't had the chance to go see the new sword-aided dueling circuits. It does sound fascinating!"

It suddenly occurred to Draco that Viktor Krum was a wealthy man and could easily provide for his own friends and family during the full moon. It further occurred to him that the man who, very publicly, ran this shindig was dating, not as publicly but famously, dating his spell-slinging demon of an aunt. So this was an information gathering outing for the athlete? It was amazing how he gave away his attempts at scouting his competitors so quickly. Then again, he had probably been unaware of Figg's presence here today.

"What about you Romulus?" Chang interrupted his thought. "Are we gonna have to babysit you tonight?"

"Nah! I have a weird mutation of lycanism. I barely transform and I'm not contagious. Keep most of my mind too." Romulus said.

"What little there is of it to keep." Weasley joked with his friend.

Throughout this banter Draco kept a close eye on Hermione, who he noted was ogling her dapperly dressed boyfriend. He leaned over to her so as not to be heard and whispered.

"You know. If you undress him much harder with your eyes, his clothes might actually spontaneously combust."

The sour lemon look of her face at that comment would make Professor McGonagall jealous.

"Quiet, you. Shoo! Shoo!" She waved him away with both hands dismissively.

He had to stifle a chuckle as the group was lead through a pair of doors to a large sitting room where twelve werewolves were already waiting. With Professor Lupin, his son and the twin they had fifteen werewolves in total.

Professor Morrigan had all of the guests sit down and organized the volunteers near a lidded cauldron that smelled strongly of coriander and petrichor. It was there that professor Lupin took over.

"While we wait for Professor Grey let me walk you through other measures of containing a transformed werewolf during the full moon. In particular the safe ones that do not harm the werewolf in question." His lecture began. "The most effective are silver collars and wristbands."

He produced the silver objects in question. They clinked together like the chains that would usually come attached with them.

"Usually, a werewolf would put these on and then shackle themselves to a wall or steak as an extra precaution, if wolfsbane isn't available." Lupin explained. "However, with just these and the wolfsbane most of us tonight will be incapable of getting up from our beds, not even to pee."

Daphne raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Greengrass?"

"I though silver was dangerous to werewolves? Are you sure these shackles are safe to put on bare skin?" She asked.

"No more than they would be to us. Chaffing is always a possibility, and a likelihood without wolfsbane, and can be pretty bad..." Lupin paused. " Actually, we really should add some rubber padding to the inside of these."

Professor Morrigan took the box of "bracelets" and "collars" - which were honestly just silver shackles minus the chains - and got to work windlessly conjuring corkwood padding along the interior of each. Such a showoff. No wonder auntie Bella adored him so.

Lupin continued to answer Daphne's question.

"Silver itself doesn't harm nor repel a werewolf. However, an injury obtained with a silvered weapon, or while wearing silvered shackles, will heal at a normal rate instead of the accelerated rate werewolves are known for." He explained. "Silvered jewelry also dampens our strength, senses and aggression significantly."

Gregory raised a hesitant hand.

"Yes, mister Goyle?"

"Is that why fire is recommended for defending yourself against a werewolf attack if silver is unavailable?" He asked. "Because it cauterizes any wounds it causes and can't heal?"

"That's exactly right! Five points to Slytherin."

Vincent gave him a high five down low and Draco added a thump on the shoulder for their friend. Gregs OWL report card had been a wakeup call to him this last summer. What his father's belt and his mother's nagging could never achieve in five years, the epiphany of wanting more out of life than sycophantism and disappointment in his own performance had achieved in seconds. Draco had been there when it happened, the moment a fire lit in his friend's chest. Since then his nose had been in the books as he reabsorbed every schoolbook they'd had up until this year, like a man possessed. An intensive years one through five refresher.

It was scary. And he did his best to keep news of it from Susan or, shudder, Hermione. Could you imagine how hideous the babies would be?

"Ah! If it isn't Professor Grey." Harry announced the arrival of the fossil.

Emma limped into the room on her cane and two jittery legs. Her ever-present smile, more likely just the way her wrinkles were set more than any deliberate expression, warmed the room.

"I apologize for the tardiness." She greeted. "I'm not the fastest walker and my osteopath insists floo travel is off-limits to me on account of my tendency to go sledding through living rooms like a skipping stone. Unless it's prepared ahead of time for a very soft landing, like my office floo has."

Now there was an issue Harry could relate to. Minus the post-menopausal bone-density issues. He wondered internally if she was a former prodigy on a broom too? Everybody he'd ever met who had trouble with floo or portkeys was a prodigy at either flying or apparition. Harry was the former, but anybody with an inborn talent for either gets it at the cost of being forever inconvenienced by all forms of faster-than-light travel.

Space, the Unspeakable heading the space room, had shown him the studies proving just that. He was a terrifying man who had so mastered teleportation that he could reappear in a different orientation - such as upside down, or feet to the wall - maintain momentum between jumps, and even apparate people he touched without joining them for the trip. He was also the inventor of that "little trick" Unspeakables use to exit reality and reappear in places as a substitute for apparition. Fortunately, in order to use it they needed to tap into Space's Omnikey, a portkey-like device contained and maintained within the DOM. Mind-boggling levels of genius there. But as a result, the one time he had flood to Grimmauld for Christmas had left the house half demolished.

He was not invited to future Christmas parties. Great guy all around though. A rarity amongst Unspeakables. He loved peanut brittle. And that covered everything Harry knew of the man.

"Now before we give the wolfsbane potion to our patients it is vital that they eat a high calorie, high carbohydrate meal." Emma began her lecture. "The transformation is energy intensive, and alone is the reason why you've never seen a werewolf without a six pack despite their otherwise feebleness. No body fat to speak of."

She had unpacked a whole host of whole grain confectionaries, loaded with nuts and seeds. Whole wheat croissants, and good old-fashioned oatmeal that had more almond butter in it than oats. Everyone dug in.

"Madame Grey. I do believe information about my physique gleaned during our yearly examinations is covered by our patient-carer confidentiality." Remus chortled between bites.

"Pish posh, let's ask our new quests." She jabbed before turning to the dozen or so werewolves seeking shelter for that night. "Who among you has even a single percentage body fat on you?"

A series of shaking heads, some of them saddened - hey, some people don't like being bone thin, which yet again, Harry could relate to - but they were all too busy enjoying the pastries to answer aloud. Soon enough everybody had their fill and Emma removed the lid to her cauldron. The smell of coriander and freshly fallen rain wafted into the room and James took that as his cue to bring in a tray of silver goblets. Necessary for the potion.

"The potion only works to allow the imbiber to retain their mind by itself, and to make it so their bite is not infectious, but when drunken from a silver goblet also tempers the wild impulses and instincts of the beast." Emma explained. "A werewolf without wolfsbane is like unto a rampaging bear with rabies. With wolfsbane is like a tamed bear who is caught up on all of his shots, and able to fight its nature. Though is still a bear and should be treated with similar caution to a wild one. When drunken from a silver goblet their transformation is more akin to an addict in drug withdrawal. Nearly catatonic and completely safe. But safety measures should still be observed all the same."

It was a good comparison. Even with the potion it is a battle to maintain control, but at least you are able to fight for it. Administered properly and with the bracelets or collars and it's like restraining a tranquilized bear. Nobody here will be a danger to others, but for the patients it will be a night of staring at their darker halves terrified that they could wake up at any moment and tear them to shreds. Sometimes reality liked to remind Harry that he didn't have it that bad, despite all of his troubles.

"Using a measuring cup, fill the goblets to exactly... one cup." Emma instructed, passing the glass measuring implement to each student in turn as they filled a goblet apiece and stood apart. "With that done, you instruct the patient to drink the goblet in its entirety."

She then demonstrated, bringing forth a young man with unhealthily dark bags under his bloodshot eyes - the possibility of murdering your loved ones against your will in a few nights isn't great for sound sleep - and had him drink the goblet.

"Once they have, you refill the goblet with water and have them drink it to make sure they get every last drop of the potion." She explained, before having the young man do exactly that. "You do this twice and offer a cup of mouthwash."

Her patient drank two refills of water and declined the mouthwash. Many people believed, wrongly, that rinsing the mouth after consuming wolfsbane would counteract the impotency of their bite that it provided, and also it was a rather tasty potion with a pleasant aftertaste. From there each student took their turn repeating this process with a patient apiece. Emma made certain to keep the female patients with the female students and male patients with the male students and it all worked out fairly well. With that done Emma demonstrated how to properly escort their patients to a bed and teach them a few sign language motions to ask for water, the toilet or to indicate pain. In case they need help during their night of being transformed. With everybody put to bed and the full moon less than thirty minutes away Emma led the group into the large entrance hall.

There Lily sat, cross-legged, in front of a churning cauldron and a dozen cushions surrounding it.

"Come in everyone. It's time to earn your extra credit in potions." She instructed.

"Are we to call you professor again?" Draco asked. "As much as I enjoy my godfather's classes, it really isn't the same without you ma'am."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the blonde, but Lily answered with a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Draco. Ma'am will do for the evening. Please, sit. Sit!" She patted one of the cushions closest to her.

Harry joined James in the corner as the students took their places in a circle around the cauldron, trying his hardest not to stare at him or his mother. Draco and Hermione took to Lily's left and right spots, with the older students like Daphne, Miles and Cho, in the closest circle of cushions to the cauldron. For a few minutes they watched silently as Lily prepared the ingredients, narrating what the ingredients were and what she was doing to prepare them. When Harry was certain the class was fully engrossed in the lesson he spoke to James.

"Hey, old man, where are Padfoot and Wormtail?" Harry asked, repeating Romulus' familiar term for Remus earlier.

"Patrolling." He whispered back. "Padfoot and Arianna are doing laps outside and Wormtail is hiding in the quarters, eavesdropping." He explained. "We have to make sure none of our guests are planning any raucous."

It made a good deal of sense. There were many people who had reasons to interfere with the days' going ons.

"I'll go checkup on them. Can you also do a sweep of the rest of the rooms while I'm out?" Harry asked.

"Of course, son." James smiled at him before clasping him on the shoulder. "And I'll make sure to escort our non-werewolf guests to the waiting room."

Harry nodded and nervously made for the front door. Keeping a tight hold on both his occlumency, facial muscles and refusal to tap into the ambient magic to feel what James felt just then. He exited the house and let go as soon as the door closed. A sensation that enveloped him could best be compared to lowering yourself into a hot tub after a long day of hard labor.

He'd spoken to his dad. And he had called him son. That little gesture, that hand on the shoulder, would fuel his patronus charm for months to come. It probably didn't mean much, if anything, to James. But it meant the world to Harry. He'd have to rewatch that moment in Dumbledore's pensieve before classes start next week. Take in every feature of his dad's expression. Every millimeter of his crow's feet and greying hairs. By the end of the night, he'd also have to commit the man's smell to memory, just as he had done with Pandora so his Luna could experience it best in a pensieve when... if, he ever returned to his own timeline.

He was becoming increasingly comfortable with the notion that he may never return. In many ways this timeline was preferable, but it wasn't his home. If it were to become his home he would have to open up and share his true secret with everyone, or at least everyone who mattered. But it wasn't safe to do so yet. Until then he would continue with this half-life. It wasn't a particularly bad life.

He took a deep breath, preparing himself for a potential one-on-one chat with Sirius, and later his mother, and began a route around the shrieking shack. It didn't take long to find the couple. The two were checking the ward stones near the front gate to make certain it hadn't been tampered with. At least they weren't sneaking away to play paddycake. This was Sirius Black and a woman who could apparently tolerate him, after all. Any expectations of professionalism were optimistic at best.

"Everything copacetic out here?" Harry asked as he approached, so as not to startle them.

"No signs of tampering and we already did a lap." Arianna answered. "Also now isn't the best time, but when are you free for a rematch? This time without the... tactic I promised to keep secret."

Harry smiled at the curious glance Sirius gave his woman from where he was kneeling.

"I expect to be exceptionally busy for the foreseeable future." Harry said honestly. "But if you ever want to arrange a dueling lesson for the students with Albus I can be your opponent. Wands only, and tournament rules. Are you more of a heap rules girl, a snowball rules girl or a classical rules girl?"

"Oh, I'm pants at conjuration and transfiguration." She admitted. "Classical rules please."

Classical rules meant jinxes, curses and charms only, and was what most people imagined when thinking of dueling. It required exceptional aim, athletics, reflecting, dodging and focus. Snowball rules allowed unlimited conjuration and transfiguration in addition to the above. Where the catwalk gets filled up over time and the material with which to transfigure grows, snowballing into larger and larger feats of magic. It required immense creativity, strategy and power. Heap rules is the same, but all material outside of the opponent's dueling circle is out of play and thrown aside into "the heap." It's the best of both worlds, requiring all of the skills of classical and snowball rules.

"If it's during the school week I'm yours, just not on weekends or Friday evenings." Harry accepted. "And Padfoot, did you smell anything suspicious during your route?"

"Haven't gotten to sniffing around yet." Sirius told him before standing up and stretching. "Was gonna do that next. Not much wind tonight to carry any scents but it's always best to use all senses available."

Harry nodded.

"Once you've finished with that, I need you and Prongs in the barracks with our patients. You two and Wormtail are in charge of watching over and restraining them if necessary." Harry instructed.

The reason animagi are so compatible with werewolves isn't just because werewolves are less likely to attack them. But because they are immune to the bite. So long as they are bitten while transformed. The disease only effects humans. It's just best to clean the wound thoroughly before transforming back.

Harry left the couple and did a round along the perimeter as well. He slacked his grip on his connection the forc... er, magical ambience as he did so. Only enough to feel for a dozen meters beyond the perimeter. Finding nothing but the flora and wildlife one would expect, Harry returned to the shrieking shack in time to see Lily finish her lesson.

"The next full moon will be Saturday, October 26th." Lily informed her class. "And a Hogsmeade weekend. If you would like to avail yourselves of the opportunity, you may come Saturday afternoon to brew a wolfsbane potion of your own."

The entire entourage signed up for that while they were here and led to the waiting room where the friends and family of their patients were waiting. It was going to be a long, sleepless night for everybody. But at least there would be no shortage of conversation to help it pass.

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