The day before the match, the winds were at howling point and the rain was coming down so hard it was as if there was a giant shower head above the clouds, set to its highest setting on flow power, pouring water into them and making it rain.
It was so dark inside the castle extra torches and lanterns were lit in the corridors and the classrooms.
The Slytherin team were all looking very smug indeed, particularly Malfoy who – Jack voiced his guess – had the idea to 'call the team in sick'.
"Oh... If only Derrick hadn't gotten hurt," he said one afternoon as the winds beat against the windows.
While Harry was worrying about the match, mostly because Wood had pointed Cedric Diggory out one morning, Jack was wondering when Mother Nature would back off and calm down, although... he wasn't going to say anything like that to her.
As he was trying to decide on what he would say to her if/when he sees her again, the classroom door opened and in cam Harry panting a bit.
"Sorry I'm late Professor Lupin, I –"
But it wasn't Professor Lupin who was behind the teacher's desk and answered him, it was Snape.
"This lesson began 10 minutes ago, Potter, so I think we'll take 10 points off Gryffindor. Sit down."
But Harry didn't move.
"Where's Professor Lupin?" he asked.
"He says he's feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape, in a bored voice, seeing as he had already explained this to the rest of the class. "I believe I told you to sit down."
Again, Harry stayed where he was.
"What's wrong with him?"
Jack was about to say something, but Snape got in there first.
"Nothing life-threatening" he said sounding disappointed. "5 more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be 50."
Frowning, Harry went over to his seat and sat down. Once he was Snape looked around the class.
"As I was saying before Mr Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record on the topics you have covered so far –"
"Please Sir," Hermione said raising her had "We've covered Boggerts, Red Caps, Kappers, and Grindilows." she said quickly. "And we're just about to start –"
"Be quiet." said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information. I am merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organisation."
Frowning at this Jack spoke up.
"Well if his furry little problem catches him unannounced, Sir, he wouldn't have had time to make notes for you would he?"
At this Snape looked up and straight at Jack fists clenching at the sides of the teacher's desk
There was silence in the room for at least 3 and a half minutes before Snape spoke again.
"Be that as it may, Frost," he said coldly "Professor Lupin had lived with this illness almost all his life, so one would think, he would know by now what to expect, and to plan ahead for when it comes."
"He's the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" Dean Thomas spoke up, getting murmurs and nods of agreement.
"You are all too easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly over-taxing you – I would have thought first years to be able to handle Red Caps and Grindilows –"
"Well seeing who ours teachers were the last few years, you can't blame us for falling behind in our studies," Jack spoke up again, another murmur and round of nods going round the room.
Ignoring Jack this time Snape carried on with his sentence.
"Today we will discuss..." he said turning to the back of the book to a section he must know they hadn't covered yet "Werewolves."
"But, sir," said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself "We're not meant to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkipunks –"
"Miss Granger," said Snape, in a voice of deadly calm "I was under the impression that I was taking this lesson, not you. And I am telling all of you to turn to page 394. Now!"
"Already done sir," Jack said smiling innocently his book already on his desk along-side his pen and paper, his book mark hiding in his pocket.
Glaring at Jack a little, Snape watched the others as they all turned to the correct page.
"Now." said Snape after a moment "Which of you could tell me how to distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?"
Everyone sat motionless, except for Hermione whose hand show straight up into the air as it often did, and surprisingly Jack.
Ignoring Hermione's, but seeing Jack's Snape frowned and pointed to him.
"Well sir," Jack said calmly trying his best not to seem like he was making a joke out of this "The best way to find out the difference is to capture them and wait until morning. If it stays a wolf, it's a wolf, but if it changes back into a human it's a werewolf." he said pausing to make sure everyone was listening. "Of course, it also depends on where in the world it comes from in the first place, for there are 2 different kinds of Werewolves, Bitten Wolves and Blood Wolves, and if it's a Blood Wolf it can stay a wolf if it had anything that is made of true silver on it. But luckily Blood Wolves are... shall we say more tamed than Bitten Wolves. Also Blood Wolves change every night due to the light of the moon, where as Bitten Wolves only change once every month at the full moon."
A few of the other students were copying this down, where others were just staring at Jack, not sure what to say.
"Impressive Frost," Snape said but didn't seem that impressed at all "Did someone teach all of that to you, or did you learn it yourself to be an insufferable know-it-all?"
"Well I knew some of it anyway said, comeing from the family I grew up with helps with that, but most of it was from this book, page 395 – 397." Jack said uncaring that Snape was trying to be mean to him and point unknowing fingers at Professor Lupin.
"Besides," Ron spoke up mad as he and most of the rest of the class were all glaring at Snape "You asked a question and he has an answer. Why ask if you don't want to be told?"
There was a tense silence as the class knew Ron stepped over the line with that comment.
In his head, Jack face-palmed himself at the redheaded boys idiotic behaviour.
Snape slowly advanced on Ron as the whole class held its breath.
"Detention Weasley," Snape said silkily, his face very close to Ron's. "And if I ever hear you criticise how I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed."
No one made a sound for the rest of the lesson, instead they took notes on Werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled through the rows of desks, examining (and commenting) on they work they had been doing with Professor Lupin.
When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back.
"You will each write an essay, to be handed into me, on my desk Monday morning, on the ways you recognise and kill werewolves. I want 2 rolls of parchment from each of you." there was a groan mixed with disagreement at this, but Snape ignored them. "Weasley, stay behind. We need to discuss your detention."
With that everyone left the room and waited until they were a good distance away before speaking up their minds about Snape and his teachings.
Jack, Harry and Hermione waited outside the classroom and down the corridor a bit for Ron to come out.
"Snape's never been like this with any of our other Defence teachers, even if he did want the job," Harry said to both of them. "Why's he got it in for Lupin? You think this is all to do with the Boggart?"
"Doubt it," Jack said a small knowing smile on his face "I think its cause of something that happened when they were in school?"
"What?" Harry asked confused.
"Well, despite his greying hairs making him look older than he really is, wouldn't you say that Lupin and Snape are the same age?" Jack asked leading them on.
"I guess," Harry said thinking to himself.
"Either way, I hope Professor Lupin gets better soon," said Hermione pensively.
Ron caught up to them 5 minutes later looking mad about something.
"So what is it then?" Jack said having an idea that the detention was what had Ron so mad.
"I've got to scrub out the bedpans in the Hospital Wing – without magic!" Ron said breathing deeply to try and control the famous Weasley Rage, fists clenched. "Why couldn't Black have hidden in Snape's office eh? He could have finished him off for us."
"Well I, myself, say you deserve it for what you said to him," Jack said walking along beside them now they were on their way to the library before the next lesson.
"Excuse me?" Ron asked surprised.
"You're excused," Jack said smiling "But he was the one teaching, and one should never question or speak back to a teacher."
"You do it all the time!" Ron said not believing this.
"Only when they deserve it and – like you – when I do, I get detentions too remember?" Jack said as they reached the library, placing his back on the table and getting to work on this werewolf essay.
"I was defending you, mate," Ron said sitting down as well but not getting out any work.
"If you say so," Jack said and started writing a draft of the essay he would hand in. "Now, please be quiet, I want to do this before our Quidditch match tomorrow, in case something bad happens, again."
Looking out the windows at the dark sky, the rain, and the screaming winds, Harry agreed that it was a good idea and got to work too, asking if he could borrow Jack's notes.
"Ok, but use them only as a guide," Jack said letting Harry see them.
"Oh come on guys, nothing bad will happen," Ron said not believing his friends were actually working on the homework Snape had set.
"Wanna bet on that?" Jack asked smirking a little.
"Sure." Ron said nodding "10 of my rarest chocolate frog cards against your 5 Galleons."
"Deal," Jack said smiling, and got back to work.
Hermione rolling her eyes at Ron's stupidity.