17/10/21

AN: Sorry for being slow in updating this, and for how long this chapter is - I just couldn't find the right place to cut it off midway.

After a reasonably calm Herbology lesson, the Gryffindor's made their way to the dungeons where they met up with the Slytherin's for Potions.

For once Malfoy was quiet and kept to himself, supposedly thinking hard about what Jack said to him.

Pansy Parkinson on the other hand was complaining loudly about how Jack embarrassed Draco and that he should get detention for it. Thankfully no one listened to her.

Today they were working on a calming potion.

After coming back to his desk, Jack saw Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis were there setting up their cauldrons.

"Hello ladies," he said placing his ingredients on the desk beside his own caldron.

"Hello Jack," Daphne said calmly as she set a small fire going under her cauldron.

"You don't mind us being here do you?" Tracy asked as she opened her book to the correct potion.

"Why should I?" Jack asked moving along the desk a bit to give them each a bit more room.

Smiling the girls got to work on their potions.

After a few minutes, Jack looked up around the room, liking how calm Neville seemed to be now, he still looked unsure about things, but he was doing better than he was.

"Jack?" Daphne asked trying to get his attention.

"Huh, what?" he asked turning to face her.

"I was asking, if you really believe all Slytherin's to be heartless and that none of us understand anything about love, or any warm emotions." Daphne said as she worked on cutting up her ingredients.

"I take it this why you're over here," Jack asked sighing. "No, I don't believe all Slytherin's are heartless. I just said that to aim my message to more than just one person, it was a 'Something said in the moment' thing. Besides, can you blame me with the people I was aiming my speech at?" he asked nodding his head over to Malfoy, who was surprisingly behaving, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson.

"He's got you there Daph," Tracy said adding in some more ingredients into her work.

Rolling her eyes Daphne changed the subject.

"So, what does Harry hear and see when Dementors come after him?"

"I can't say," Jack said looking over to Harry and Ron "It's his business. If you catch him alone, without Ron – which is rare – and you show him you're not mean, you can try and ask him, but don't expect an answer."

"It has something to do with his parents, doesn't it?" Tracy asked a knowing smirk on her lips.

"I will not answer that," Jack said trying to stay calm, and keep Baby Tooth quiet and in his pocket – she didn't like the fact that these girls were questioning him.

"Wanna play 20 questions then?" Tracy asked sitting down because she was done "Ok, is what Harry sees, an animal?"

"Depends how far you want to go and call him that," Jack said giving up and going with it.

For the last half hour the game continued and the girls were soon sure they knew what it was, but Jack was still not confirming it still saying it was Harry's business.

At last they were dismissed by Snape, and Jack went to join Harry, Ron and Hermione as they went to lunch.

o0o

"If Snape's teaching again I'm skipping class," Ron said a bit upset for some reason, as they headed towards Lupin's classroom after lunch. Harry said it was because, in Potions, the Slytherin's two desks over from them were doing a mix of flicking things at them and laughing at him and Jack despite what happened at breakfast.

"Check who's in there, Hermione," Ron said in an orderly way, stay a few paces back.

Rolling her eyes Hermione looked into the classroom and said: "It's ok."

There at the desk definitely looking as if he had been sick, in his shabby robes, was Professor Lupin.

The class waited until the last of them had sat down, and Lupin had done the register before they went off all at once about Snape and his 'way of teaching'.

"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he get to set homework?" Seamus.

"We don't know anything about Werewolves – " Dean.

"- Two rolls of parchment!" Lavender.

Jack rolled his eyes and kept quiet getting out his books.

"Did you tell Professor Snape that we haven't covered them yet?" Lupin asked, frowning sternly.

The babble broke out again.

"Yes, but he said we were really behind-" Seamus.

" – he wouldn't listen –" Dean.

"- Two rolls of parchment!" Lavender.

"You know you guys," Jack said not believing them and their complaints "You don't have to only read what Professor Lupin tells us to read. If you find something interesting in here," he held up the book they were using "You're free to read about it outside of class. That's how I got to know so much about Werewolves, beat Snape at his questions, and finish the homework he set us, which only took about 20 – 30 minutes."

"I finished it too, once you knew what to look for and picked out the correct facts, it's easy, just like any other job or task." Hermione added from her seat.

Lupin smiled at the looks of minor anger and slight disbelief towards Jack as he said that.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to Professor Snape. You don't have to do the essay, but those who have," he said seeing Jack raise his hand to comment on something "I am sure Professor Snape said to give the work into him, not me."

Pouting a little, but staying quiet Jack lowered his hand.

They had a fairly joyful lesson after that. Professor Lupin had brought along in a glass box containing a Hinkipunk, a little one-legged creature who seemed to be made of smoke, rather weak and harmless looking.

"Lures travellers into bogs," said Professor Lupin, as they took notes "You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead – people follow it – and then – "

The Hinkipunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass.

"So it's like a land version of an angler fish?" Jack asked raising his hand.

"In a way, yes," Lupin said never thinking of this connection before.

"What's an angler fish?" Ron asked looking confused, along with some of the other students.

"It's a fish that lives in the one of the deepest parts of the sea, the Midnight Zone, where there's no sunlight what so ever, and the only lights there are created by the creatures that live there," Hermione began, as usual, sounding like she knew everything.

"The angler fish are called this, because of the way they catch their food, by having a sort of fishing rod sticking out of its head with a glowing light at the end of it," Harry added having read about this creature in his old school library once. "Other fish see it, think it's food, can't see the angler fish, and head towards it, before getting eaten themselves. The glow comes from the plankton and bacteria in the water around them."

"Ok there's no way a fish that has a glow-in-the-dark fishing rod sticking out of its head is real guys," Ron said after there was a few minutes of silence.

"Muggles can say the same thing about that," Jack said pointing to the Hinkipunk who seemed to be shooting muffled swears at Ron for some reason. "And that thing seems pretty real to me. I can tell by the things its saying to you."

"Which are?" Ron asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well... Going through 2 different families both with younger siblings, I was told to never repeat anything like what's its saying, sorry."

"Getting back to our lesson," Professor Lupin said in a slightly louder than normal, yet still calm voice. "For those who know what an angler fish is, as Jack says, a Hinkipunk can be seen as a land creature version of it. Now, where you find them most in the world is –" he said continuing the lesson.

o0o

When the bell rang,everyone started gathering their things and headed for the door, Jack and Harry included but –

"Jack, Harry, wait a moment please," Lupin called "I'd like a word with you."

Looking at each other in confusion, the boys headed back to their desks while Professor Lupin placed the cover back on the Hinkipunks box.

"I heard about the match," said Lupin, turning to his desk and placing books into his briefcase, "and I'm sorry about your broomstick Harry. Is there any chance of fixing it?"

"Not unless we go back in time, sir," Jack said knowing it was possible but should never be done.

"Yeah, the tree smashed it to bits," Harry added sighing.

"Yes, they planted the Whomping Willow the same year I arrived at Hogwarts. People used to play a game, trying to see who could get near enough to touch the trunk."

"Well that was dumb," Jack said "Didn't they know how dangerous that thing is, or why it was planted in the first place?"

Lupin turned to look at Jack a curious look on his face as he looked Jack up and down before saying:

"Well the teachers did, but these are students, teenagers, who like showing off for their friends. In the end Davey Gudgeon nearly lost an eye, and we were forbidden to ever go near it. A broomstick would have no chance."

"Ha, like a 'Forbidden-ship' has ever stopped anyone from going into that forest in the grounds, alone." Jack spoke up, but the others ignored him – even if they agreed.

"Did you hear about the Dementors too?" Harry said quietly.

Lupin looked up at him, quickly.

"Yes, I did. I don't think any of us have ever seen Professor Dumbledore so angry. They have been growing restless for some time... mad they he refuses to let them into the grounds... I suppose they're the reason you both fell?"

"Yes," Harry and Jack said together.

"It has nothing to do with weakness," Lupin said seeing the unease on their faces "The Dementors affect you worse than other Harry because –"

"Um, I've already told him this Professor," Jack said cutting him off "Told him on our night in the Hospital Wing."

"I see," Lupin said calmly "Well then let me say they affect everyone, even Muggles – even though they can't see them. You have nothing to be ashamed off Harry," he said placing a hand on the boys shoulder.

Harry looked to Jack with a curious look, thinking he knew what he was asking Jack nodded.

"When they get near me..." Harry started looking at Lupin's desk, his throat tight "I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum."

The look on Lupin's face looked like he wanted to do more than just put a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder, but thought better of it.

There was a moment of silence; then –

"Why did they have to come to the match?" Harry said bitterly.

"They're getting hungry," Lupin said shutting his briefcase with a snap. "Dumbledore won't let them into the grounds so their supply of human emotions has dried up ... I doubt they could resist such a large crowd around the Quidditch pitch. All that excitement, emotions running high ... it was their idea of a feast."

"That's sick," Jack said coldly, clutching his fists together.

"Azkaban must be terrible," Harry muttered, Lupin nodded to both statements.

"The fortress is set on a tiny island, way out in to sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're all trapped in their own minds, unable to think of anything cheerful, most go mad within weeks."

"Unless they're sane enough to know they never did what they were sent there for," Jack said under his breath, crossing his arms.

Again, Lupin looked at Jack with a timid questioning look, he was about to say something when Harry said:

"But they don't affect Sirius Black."

"Yes," Lupin said turning back to Harry, catching his briefcase which almost slipped out of his hands "He must have found a way to not be affected. I wouldn't have thought it possible ... Dementors are meant to drain a wizard if left with them too long."

"You made that one on the train go away," Harry said suddenly.

"There are - certain defences one can use," said Lupin "But there was only one there, the more there are the harder it becomes to resist."

"What defences?" "Can you teach us?" Jack and Harry asked at the same time.

"I don't pretend to be an expert at fighting Dementors boys – quite the contrary..."

"But if they come to another Quidditch match, I need to be able to fight them," Harry argued.

"And I need to know how to fight them because I'm affected by them more than everyone else," Jack said looking away from Lupin "And our friends should be taught too in case we're affected first."

Lupin looked between them seeing their determined faces, hesitated, then said "Well... alright. I'll try and help. But it will have to wait until next term, I'm afraid. I have a lot to do before the holidays. I chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill."

That night, Jack wrote a note to his friend Freddy*, explaining about Remus, and asking for one of their pack's moon-bands.

He sent it with Archie, hoping the bracelet would work on a 'Bitten Wolf'.

* Freddy Lupin, the kid from 100% Wolf

Moon-bands are the bracelets 'Blood Wolves' wear 24/7, it is made of pure silver, but has a button on it that covers the silver when they want to transform.

('Blood Wolves' keep their minds and transform every night).