The rest of their ride was spent in guarded silence. As if the Dementors could return at any moment.
When the announcement came and the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station, there wasn't the excited bustle of finally reaching their destination, but instead a dull sense of uncertainty.
As they got up to leave, Lucian gave them a nod, before putting an arm on his sister's shoulders and leading her away, down the corridor to where, presumably, the other Slytherins hung out.
Amelie and Polly quickly made their way towards the exit at the back, where they were told by Linda that the other compartments had been spared a visit by the creatures.
"I think one of them attacked Harry Potter and his friends, though. Someone said a teacher drove it back."
"You mean that really bright spell?" Amelie gave her an uncertain look. Hadn't anyone else been blinded by it?
The platform was unusually quiet, compared to the previous year, despite the icy rain still drizzling on them from above. Off to the side, Amelie heard Hagrid calling the first years over, to take them across the lake in the small boats. A huddle of frightened eleven-year-olds quickly surrounded him.
"Can you imagine starting your first year like this?" Polly said, pulling her robes a little tighter around herself.
"Yeah," Patricia sneered, "at least we had a month or two of peace, before things got bad."
They shuffled along the length of the train, until Polly caught sight of a familiar mop of black hair.
"Hey, Riyan! Over here!"
The last member of their trio had grown quite a bit over the summer months, leaving him looking rather wiry and thin. Riyan was accompanied by Morgan, as well as Bernard and Gareth from the boys' dorm. Waving to them, he quickly forced his way through the crowd.
"Am I glad to see you. Is it true? Hannah said that a Dementor actually got into your compartment."
Polly nodded. "Yeah, it tried, but," she cast a conspiratorial glance at Amelie, "it didn't get in."
Riyan caught her look, but understood not to pry with everyone else around. While the throng of miserable, dripping students moved slowly towards the end of the platform, they recounted the events of the afternoon.
When they finally reached the front of the crowd, Amelie was taken aback by the sight that awaited them. A large number of stage-coaches were parked just outside the station, with most of them already on their way up to the castle.
While the coaches seemed reasonably comfortable from the outside, she shuddered when she saw what was pulling them.
Each one was attached to a pair of black, winged creatures. They vaguely resembled horses, but their bodies were emaciated and skeletal, their leathery skin glistened like the wings of a bat.
"Weird, isn't it?" Amelie remarked, pointing at the macabre creatures. "You'd think they would use normal horses instead of those creepy ones."
Polly gave her a puzzled expression, looking back and forth between her and the spot at the front of the coach.
"What do you mean? There's nothing there." She turned to Riyan. "The carts are moving on their own, right?"
"I don't know..." He was squinting through the rain. Another coach set off, the skeletal horses trotting up the path and pulling away from the station.
"There!" Riyan pointed at the road. "There's hoof prints or something, just in front of the cart!"
"Fascinating," Polly groaned, "but can we maybe discuss this inside?"
With some quick manoeuvring, they managed to squeeze in front of a group of arguing Ravenclaws and got onto the next available coach. They closed the door and it started moving.
The inside of the cabin smelled rather old and dusty, but the warming-charms on the seats more than made up for it. Rolling up the road towards the castle, the coach bumped and rattled its way over rocks and branches.
Soon they came up on a tall wrought iron gate, flanked by two pillars with statues of giant boars at the top. At a second glance, Amelie found that the beasts were sporting large wings.
Opening the small window, Riyan peered into the darkness outside. "I think I can hear what's pulling the cart. There's definitely something with hooves there."
"But then why can't we see them?" Polly stuck her head through the window and craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse.
Not too keen on seeing more strange creatures that day, Amelie squeezed into her seat and tried to get some of the damp out of her robes.
"Who knows," she sighed, "maybe they're invisible to humans."
"Speaking of which, what exactly happened with that Dementor on the train?" Riyan asked, his eyes mostly on Amelie.
They recalled the encounter in the compartment as best as possible, with Amelie telling most of the story. All the while, their coach kept trundling up the muddy road.
When Hogwarts came into view, she felt some of the tension leave her. Even through the constant drizzle, the lights and towers of the castle already made her feel like home again. Their coach passed the front gates and, for a moment, Amelie could see people in red robes on each side of the entrance.
Before she could share her discovery, they had arrived and the cart queued up behind the others dropping off their passengers. They reluctantly left the warmth of the cabin and stepped into the rain, their steps hurried to reach the castle entrance.
Amelie almost bumped into a clump of older Hufflepuff students, including Hannah and Justin. Some commotion ahead was hindering them from going any further.
"Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?"
It was Draco Malfoy, the sneering, blonde Slytherin boy, who was blocking the path up the steps, standing in front of someone with unruly black hair, who could only be Harry Potter, flanked by his two friends.
Glaring angrily from Harry's side, Ron Weasley stepped forward and snarled, "Shove off, Malfoy!"
Before Draco could continue his taunts, Amelie saw someone push through the crowd from the other side. It was Lucian and he seemed in just as foul a mood as he'd been when they last spoke on the train.
"For Merlin's sake, get out of the way, Malfoy! It's pissing out here!" he snapped.
Draco looked irritated at being interrupted, especially by another Slytherin. He turned to give a retort, but when he saw the crowd behind Lucian, green-robed and otherwise, giving him nasty looks, Draco shut his mouth in an uncharacteristic display of wisdom.
The bushy-haired Gryffindor girl, Hermione Granger, grabbed Harry and Ron by the arm and pushed past the scowling Draco towards the entrance gate.
Amelie sighed with relief when the crowd finally started moving again, streaming up the stairs and leaving Draco to sulk and trot back to his lackeys.
The warm atmosphere of the entrance hall enveloped them like a blanket and Amelie started feeling a bit drowsy. Up ahead, she saw Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra casting heating- and drying-charms on the dribbling robes of the students.
They had soon made their way to the Great Hall with its enchanted ceiling. Unlike the starry night sky of her first arrival at Hogwarts, Amelie could see only dark clouds and the occasional flash of lightning.
She let herself get pulled along towards the Hufflepuff table, where they quickly took their seats, leaving plenty of free space at the head of the table for the new first years.
"Hey, you lot alright?" Hannah called to them. She was sitting with Justin, Ernie and the other third years; now much closer to the middle of the table.
Nodding, Amelie gave her a wave and sat down between Polly and Riyan, just opposite of Linda and Patricia, who had squeezed in next to Bernard and Gareth.
"Did you see the Aurors at the gate to the school grounds?" Patricia asked, adjusting her robes and looking at them from across the table.
"You mean the people in the red robes?" Amelie recalled the witches and wizards she'd seen at King's Cross Station.
The girl next to Hannah, Susan Bones, spoke up and explained, "Yes, they're working for the ministry. It's definitely got to do with Sirius Black."
Polly was wiping the fog from her glasses, as she asked, "So they're like police officers then?"
"Well, sort of. They're in charge of dealing with criminals who are connected to the Dark Arts. Especially if followers of You-Know-Who are involved."
"Say," Riyan began, leaning onto the table, "aren't you related to Amelia Bones? The head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement? Heard about her from my mum."
Susan sighed. It was clearly not the first time she'd been asked that recently. "Yes, she's my aunt. And no, I don't know anything about the investigation, because she obviously wouldn't blab about this to anyone, even family members."
She nudged her head towards the front of the hall. "Anyway, Dumbledore will probably explain what's going on pretty soon."
The room slowly quieted down when the doors opened and a procession of frightened-looking children shuffled in. Surprisingly, it was Professor Flitwick, not McGonagall, who carried the stool and the Sorting Hat to the front.
He soon began calling out names and the new first years nervously walked up to be sorted, one by one.
Amelie let her eyes wander across the hall, occasionally applauding when another new face came over to join them at the Hufflepuff table.
"Damn, there's a lot of them this year," Justin commented, looking over the cluster of small figures in black robes still waiting their turn.
Further down the table, Beatrice Haywood, one of the remaining Hufflepuff prefects, chuckled. "Well, eleven years ago was the first year after You-Know-Who's defeat. Figures that there'd be a lot more children this school-year."
"What's that got to do with it?" Linda asked, scratching the back of her head.
Beatrice coughed. "I, uh... you'll figure it out soon. Probably."
The space at the end of the table was slowly filling up. There were indeed more first years this time around than there had been when Amelie was sorted.
Next to her, Polly heaved a sigh. "Ah, first year. To be so young and innocent again..."
Riyan snorted. "Right, of course. Who can forget the good old days of two months ago."
From across the table, Justin frowned and looked on as a 'Vane, Romilda' was sent off to the Gryffindor table.
"You have got to be kidding me," he groaned. "Potter is missing again."
Sure enough, there was an empty seat between Ron and Hermione. From the look of things and the questions directed at them, the Hufflepuffs weren't the only ones who had noted his absence.
Riyan stretched his neck to get a better look over the heads of the other students. "Was he even here for his own Sorting?"
"Someone said that he fainted on the train, when one of the Dementors came through," Patricia muttered, looking around the table.
"Seriously? That's weird."
As the others discussed this, Amelie kept quiet. She'd seen all too well what effect the creatures had on people. If Harry had indeed lost consciousness from the Dementor's attack, she would never hold that against him.
"Marietta Edgecombe from Ravenclaw collapsed, too," Susan stated quietly and the whispering died down. "I ran into Chang and Carmichael and they were just about ready to bring her up to the castle on their brooms."
With all attention on her, she took a deep breath and went on, "Dementors make people relive their worst memories. Aurors that work guard-duty in Azkaban actually have to train for it. I have no clue why those things were on the train, but I can't imagine Scrimgeour or my aunt would allow this."
Around Amelie, people were nodding along. She considered asking who 'Scrimgeour' was, but instead filed it away for another time.
The Sorting was soon over and the different tables filled with new students. Off to her side, Amelie could hear Polly telling wild tales to a pair of first year girls, one with dark skin and long, braided hair, the other a startled-looking red-head, who seemed to have more freckles than regular skin.
A door at the other end of the hall opened and she saw Harry and Professor McGonagall walk in. He soon joined his friends at the Gryffindor table, where they stuck their heads together to needle him with questions.
"Where do you think he-" Riyan began, but he fell silent when they saw Professor Dumbledore rise to his feet. All around them, the Great Hall grew quiet.
Dumbledore let his gaze sweep across the assembled students, but his smile barely reached his eyes. Something was obviously on his mind.
"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Before I begin with the notices for this year, there is one pressing matter I must address." His face grew serious.
"As most of you have undoubtedly experienced, today, the Hogwarts Express has been searched by several Dementors of Azkaban. Given the intolerable danger this posed to the students, I have been assured," his eyes turned to the side of the room, where Amelie spotted a witch in red robes, one of the Aurors, "that this action was not sanctioned by the Ministry of Magic and as such, there will be consequences."
The Auror woman looked visibly uncomfortable. Her dirty-blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun, yet she didn't look quite as old as Amelie initially expected.
"For the time being," Dumbledore continued, "only a small number of Dementors will be used to secure the areas far outside the school grounds." He seemed to put particular emphasis on the last part.
"Inside the walls, Aurors will patrol the perimeter to ensure no trespasser may enter Hogwarts. The overseeing of this task has, as of this evening, been delegated to Mrs. Imelda Ogden." Dumbledore gestured towards the witch at the side of the Great Hall.
"These measures are being taken to guarantee the safety of the students during this difficult time. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure all students are aware and appreciate the seriousness of the situation."
Dumbledore seemed to take a breath and his posture relaxed. A faint smile returned to his lips.
"On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defence against the Dark Arts teacher."
A tall man stood up from his seat at the teachers' table and gave an awkward wave. His face appeared older than the rest of him and there were grey strands in his brown hair. Under his moustache and on his cheek, Amelie could spot several faint scars. He wore dark, brown robes that looked rather unimpressive, with several small seams and patches where they had been impossible to fix by magic.
There was something odd about him, that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"Well, he's no Lockhart and he seems a bit better held together than Quirrell," Justin commented, while he gave polite applause, along with the rest of the students. The clapping from the Gryffindors could be heard all the way to their table.
Dumbledore raised his hand and continued after the hall fell silent again, "As for our second appointment, I am sorry to say that Professor Kettleburn has retired, following the conclusion of the last school-year, in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs."
There were a few outbursts of nervous laughter.
"I am, however, delighted to announce that his position, as teacher in Care for Magical Creatures, has been filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to teach the subject in addition to his gamekeeping duties!"
Dumbledore's last words were almost drowned out by the cheers rising from the Gryffindor side of the hall. Eventually, the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs joined in, but when Amelie looked around she saw more than a few worried faces.
Smiling innocently, Polly turned to Hannah and Ernie, who appeared mortified. "So, if any of you get eaten during class, can I have your stuff?"
"I'm sure Hagrid will do his very best," Amelie chided, sounding far less certain than she had hoped.
It was true that Hagrid always meant well, but his idea of what was 'dangerous' and 'not dangerous' could vastly differ from a normal person's opinion, owing to his fondness for creatures and his super-human resilience.
The half-giant in question seemed hardly able to believe it himself, red in the face and smiling, occasionally waving at students, especially over at the Gryffindor table where the applause took the longest to die down.
Dumbledore spoke up again and repeated his announcements from the previous year, regarding visits to Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest.
"I'm surprised they're still letting us leave the castle," Justin uttered, eyeing his golden plate expectantly.
Hannah shushed him. "Don't jinx it! I had to argue all night with my parents before they signed the permission slip. The Prophet's got everyone riled up about Sirius Black, as if he's going to jump out of the nearest cupboard."
At the head table, Dumbledore concluded his speech.
"Well, I believe that is everything of importance. Let the feast begin!"
He clapped his hands and at once, the house tables were overflowing with food. From piles of mashed potatoes and lamb chops, to steaming bowls of pasta and broccoli.
Amelie heaved a quiet sigh and Polly shot her a stealthy look of pity, before piling dinner onto her plate. Keeping up appearances, Amelie picked up a few pieces of chicken fillet and some peas.
Her stomach groaned in protest after the first revolting bite. Two months of sipping pure blood had left her unprepared for the necessary charade she'd have to go through at meal times. Luckily, it seemed that everyone was too tired and hungry to pay much attention to her.
At the very least, sitting between Polly and Riyan made it easier to hide her lack of an appetite. After trudging through dinner and dessert, it was finally time for them to leave for the dormitories.
To nobody's surprise, Cedric Diggory had been made a prefect and despite it being his first day, he had no problem directing the throng of new and old students down the stairs to the faux wine-cellar that marked the entrance to the Hufflepuff den.
When they finally stepped through the small tunnel and into the common room, Amelie felt all the stress, fear and tension of their chaotic day slip from her shoulders. There were the little sofas and arm-chairs, the potted plants and coffee-tables with bowls of fruit.
They were split up and Amelie waved good-night to Riyan, before following Polly and the others up to their dorm. The room was just like they had left it months before and she had to resist the temptation to flop down onto her bed and go to sleep in her robes. Her coffin hadn't been so bad after she got used to it, but there was no beating a good mattress and soft bed-sheets.
This was home.
Waking up and getting out of bed without the need for acrobatics was a welcome change and Amelie happily took advantage of being the first to rise. After washing up, she made sure to carefully put her necklace back on. Two months living without it thankfully hadn't erased her habit of checking for it after every time she took it off.
Her new shoulder-bag allowed her to carry all her books and supplies, regardless of the classes she would have that day. Although finding any specific item in a hurry would take some getting used to. The magically expanded space of the satchel still made her head spin every time she rummaged around, her brain trying to comprehend the strange geometry.
On the way down from the girls' dormitories, they joined up with Riyan and the boys, before following the loose trickle of students shuffling towards the Great Hall. Whether it was the stressful journey or left-over sluggishness from the holidays, nobody seemed to be quite fully awake yet.
Over by the Slytherin side, Malfoy was once again putting on a show and trying to taunt Harry by pretending to be a Dementor. Aside from the few third years around him, nobody seemed to be in any mood to join in or stop him.
Amelie spotted Cecilia, sitting by herself with her head resting in her hand, listlessly shovelling toast into her mouth while Malfoy continued making wailing noises towards the Gryffindors.
The Hufflepuff table only got a bit more lively when Beatrice, Cedric and Wayne Bostock came down the aisle, handing out timetables. Polly wasn't the only one who let out a groan as they checked out their first lesson.
"We could've slept in for another hour," she whined, rubbing her eyes and nearly knocking her cup over with her sleeve.
Riyan grimaced and massaged his temples. "I'd rather not walk into Snape's class while half asleep. We'd probably start the race for the House Cup in the negative triple digits otherwise."
Despite the short night, Amelie felt rather chipper and happy to be back at Hogwarts. Even Professor Snape wasn't going to ruin her day.
"Cheer up. At least we've got double Charms after lunch. Besides," she uttered, lowering her voice, "we can use the time to catch up in private."
The three of them picked out a quiet spot in the courtyard, overlooking the Black Lake, where Amelie repeated everything she had told Polly, before moving on to some of the details concerning what she had learned at Juniper Hall.
"Honestly, that sounds really ominous," Riyan commented. While Polly had absorbed every bit of information eagerly, he had flickered between concern and amazement, the more Amelie had talked of her new life as a member of the coven.
"I know, it's really a lot all at once," she said, "but I think it's going to be alright, for the time being. I'm mostly just learning how everything works."
Polly seemed to be thinking, scrunching up her face. "Do you think what happened to your family is why they tried to hide you in an orphanage?"
For a moment, Amelie could only stare into space, mulling over her thoughts. The possibility had been at the back of her head since the night she had learned of her family history. The idea made her stomach clench up.
"I... I don't know. It does look a bit like that." She crossed her arms, fingers squeezing the sleeves on her robes. "If it's true, it would mean that somebody might still be looking for me."
There was an awkward silence as the thought lingered between them.
"Well," Polly started, "at least in that case you're in one of the most well-protected places in the country then. I doubt anyone could get to you here at Hogwarts."
Amelie sighed and gave her a grateful smile. "Yeah, you're right."
"Sure thing," Polly chirped. Her grin widened as she added, "And I promise I'll keep my French jokes to an acceptable minimum."
With their first lesson looming close, the three Hufflepuffs made their way across the bridge, down to the dungeons and towards the Potions classrooms.
Snape was in as bad a mood as ever and he took advantage of the lesson to quiz them and the Ravenclaws about the material they were supposed to learn that year, perfectly aware that only someone who had learned the text-book by heart over the summer would be able to answer any of his questions.
"Well then," he snarled, "if there is such a general lack of motivation in this class, then I suppose some incentive is required."
He fixated them with a glare. "We will be brewing the basic Flame Resistance Potion in the coming week and I might just see myself having each of you confirm your results through personal testing."
As much as she was used to Snape's vile threats and insults, Amelie felt a sense of panic at the thought of being set on fire, potion or no potion.
For a moment she wondered if he had decided on this specifically to spite her. It hadn't been hard to see that Snape disliked her, after she helped Harry and his friends prove their innocence when they had been found with Filch's petrified cat.
The bells rang and she felt some relief when they were finally able to pack up their notes and head back for lunch.
Just as Amelie had resigned herself to her fate, and slipped two of the smallest sausages she could find onto her plate, she was startled by an owl dropping a letter into her lap.
"Who's it from?" Polly asked, her mouth full of shepherd's pie.
The envelope held no name or address and inside there was only a simple, folded note.
Dear Miss Hastings,
Kindly meet me in my office this afternoon at your earliest convenience.
- R. J. Lupin
"Well, that doesn't sound foreboding at all," Riyan mumbled dryly from behind Amelie's shoulder. "Though I wonder why he wants to meet you specifically."
Putting her fork down, Polly rolled her eyes. "Obviously it's because of her winning smile and exemplary work-ethic."
Despite her friends' jokes, Amelie couldn't quite shake the strange feeling when she recalled their new teacher from the previous night. There had been something odd about him, regardless of his less-than-stellar sense of dress.
"I honestly don't know. Then again, he is our Defence teacher and, as far as I know, Lockhart had no idea about... you know." After reading through the letter again, she shrugged and slipped it into her pocket.
Charms with Professor Flitwick was a more than welcome return to the routine of learning magic at Hogwarts. After welcoming them all back, he reiterated the concept of the Mending Charm they had covered in class shortly before their exams. Or at least the exams they would've had, if the events of the last year hadn't seen them cancelled by the school.
"Now then," Flitwick began, "to get you back on track, let's do some practical revision. Before each of you, I have placed a simple tea cup. Your task is to damage the cup to such an extent as you feel comfortable repairing. Just give it a little whack against the table."
He walked around the room, watching people crack and mend their tea cups to varying degrees of success. Still, he nodded encouragingly to everyone, even when the handle of the cup attached itself upside down.
As he came around to their side of the room, Amelie took out her handkerchief and wrapped it around the cup. Putting both hands around it, Amelie gave it a good squeeze and the cup broke into a hundred pieces with a noticeable 'crunch'.
Professor Flitwick gave her a curious look, his eyebrow raised, while Amelie carefully unfolded the small piece of cloth, keeping all the bits of ceramic together. She cleared her throat and pointed her wand at the small pile of debris.
"Reparo!"
Feeling the tingling of magic flowing through her fingers was a wonderfully welcome sensation, even as she felt herself strain under the effort to restore the cup. In only a moment, the pieces clinked and creaked, before flying together into their original shape. Pressing her lips together and concentrating, she gave it just enough of a push to make the thin spider web of cracks along the surface disappear, leaving the tea cup good as new.
"Excellent, Miss Hastings! Outstanding!" Flitwick gushed.
Amelie was fully aware that she was probably showing off, but she felt that she had earned herself a bit of fun with charms after going all summer without any witch magic. The points she earned for Hufflepuff were certainly a nice bonus.
Next to her, Polly seemed less than enthusiastic at having to follow up on her display. Still, after breaking her cup into three pieces, she managed to mend it fully on her first attempt. Their extensive practice outside of classes was still paying dividends.
They spent the rest of their double lesson preparing for the spells they would learn over the year, many of which were already familiar to Amelie, Polly and Riyan. Before long, their first school day was behind them.
The storm of the previous day had cleared up and the skies were bright, if still a bit cloudy, when they strolled back towards the bridge leading to the main part of the castle, housing all the dormitories. Before they stepped across, Amelie stopped.
"I'll go and meet with Professor Lupin, while we're over here. Catch up with you later!"
Riyan and Polly waved as she turned back and walked up the stairs towards the Defence classrooms.
Walking along the corridor, an eerie feeling crept up inside her, that had nothing to do with the upcoming meeting. The last time she had walked this part of the castle, she'd been carrying Polly, unconscious and injured. The aftermath of their fight with Lockhart was a bit of a blur, but she could still remember the panic and the rage as she had watched him grab her best friend and hold her hostage.
But all that was over now and Lockhart was in no shape to do anything to anyone. Taking a deep breath, Amelie stepped up to the door and knocked.
She could hear a voice calling from the other side. "Please, come in."
The office had changed quite a bit from the last time she'd been there. Gone were the gaudy knick-knacks and ludicrous portraits. The scorch-marks on the floor had been cleaned up.
Instead, there were only half-emptied trunks, piles of books and a variety of boxes and small cages, some of them housing odd, little creatures. Professor Lupin was still in the process of unpacking, when he turned around and gave her an awkward smile.
Amelie cleared her throat. "You wanted to see me, sir?"
She took one step into the room and promptly had to fight down the urge to slam herself back into the door. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up and every part of her body tensed at the sudden rush of panic. Amelie staggered backwards and nearly fell.
There was something absolutely, definitely, terribly wrong with the man standing before her. Every fibre of her being screamed at her to run, to fight. Amelie could only stand there, eyes wide and her hands gripping the strap of her bag.
"Ah, of course." Professor Lupin nodded, but thankfully didn't come any closer. He raised his hands disarmingly.
"I understand you are probably a bit shocked and confused right now. I suppose that reaction is unavoidable if you've never met a werewolf before." He sighed. "Please believe me when I say that I mean you no harm, Miss Hastings."
Amelie could only stare, following Lupin's confession. The throbbing fear, pulsing in her chest, had slowly given way to a strange kind of tension. It was confusing to see her teacher standing there, with his worn-out robes and dishevelled smile, while her instincts kept loudly screaming 'Danger!'.
"I, uhm... I'm sorry, I wasn't-" she began, struggling for the right words to describe the bizarre situation.
Lupin immediately waved her off. "Please, there is absolutely no need for an apology. If anything, it's me who should be apologising." He lowered his hands again.
"Dumbledore has, of course, approached me and explained your situation. I'm not sure if you are aware, but there's not exactly been much positive history between vampires and werewolves. The old stereotypes do hold up there, I'm afraid."
He leaned onto the back of his office chair and gave her an understanding nod.
Slowly, Amelie felt the tension easing and with every passing moment, the fear dissipated. It was true that part of her was still urging fight or flight, but it was becoming easier to push those thoughts away and focus on what was actually in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she gave Lupin a nod and took a step closer.
"I- well, I don't really know anything about that. I've never actually met someone who was a werewolf."
"Yes, which is why I asked you for this meeting, Miss Hastings. I thought it better to spare you this shock during our first lesson tomorrow," he explained, offering a faint smile.
"Oh, of course." Amelie nodded and returned his expression. "Thank you, sir."
"I'm glad you understand," Lupin said. "Dumbledore mentioned that you've found a good match with Hufflepuff and I can see what he means."
He folded his hands, looking thoughtful for a moment. "This... animosity, I fear, is something rather instinctive. On some level, each recognizes the other as a predator, whether we like it or not. From there, conflict and hatred are almost inevitable."
Amelie looked at the floor.
"Well," Lupin continued, giving an awkward laugh, "according to history at least. In truth, you're also the first vampire I've ever met personally. And that's after being a werewolf almost my entire life."
"Uhm, werewolves aren't born from werewolf parents?" Amelie asked, unsure if the question was acceptable. She racked her brain, trying to remember any shred of information she might have skimmed over when she read Dark Beings the year before.
Lupin shook his head. "No. I was bitten by another werewolf when I was a young boy and I've been dealing with it ever since. These days, there are potions that can help mitigate the effect of the transformation and allow me an almost normal life."
He'd been turned as a child? Before he ever went to school? Amelie lifted her head, the simmering dread slowly pushed aside by curiosity.
"So, you were already a werewolf when you went to Hogwarts, sir?"
He seemed amused at her question. "Indeed." Lupin chuckled and went on, "I suppose I snatched up the distinction of being the first non-human student then. Well, at least as far as we know right now."
There were a million questions, forcing their way to the forefront of Amelie's mind, competing to be asked.
"What did- when- I mean, how did this work for you, professor? Did anyone ever find out?"
His smile widened, but before he had a chance to answer, the bell for dinner-time tolled throughout the castle.
"Ah, well," Lupin sighed. "I'd love to explain, but it's getting late and there's still a lot to prepare."
Amelie nodded, heaving a sigh. Her earlier apprehension was almost completely gone. While the niggling at the back of her neck would likely never disappear, it wasn't hard to see Professor Lupin as just another teacher now. Even with the 'instinctual animosity' between them, he was still more welcome company than Snape would ever be.
"Tell you what. Once I've set up and the chaos of the first school-days is behind us, I'd be glad to have another chat and answer more of your questions. How about that?"
The proposition brought another smile to her face and Amelie nodded eagerly. "Sure!"
She bid him farewell and slowly made her way back to the Great Hall. Amelie was in no hurry to sit at the dinner table and there was an avalanche of things to think about.
Looking at it now, it made a lot more sense that Professor Dumbledore would allow her to attend school. While a werewolf might pass for human most of the time, they'd still need to deal with their transformation every full moon. By comparison, making accommodations for a vampire appeared more simple, even if she could only barely pass for a mortal without her amulet.
Her imagination was in full swing and Amelie almost forgot about the vanishing step, as she walked down the moving staircase. Had the headmaster managed to 'smuggle' any other non-human students through school?
The Hufflepuff table was abuzz with conversations and gossip, as it always was. Amelie plopped down into her seat between Polly and Riyan, who had already finished eating.
"So? What did he want?" Riyan asked, before taking a sip of pumpkin juice.
Amelie's mouth opened, but she quickly paused. Having her secret known by her friends was one thing, but Professor Lupin being a werewolf wasn't something she should be telling anyone, even Riyan and Polly. Besides, what difference would it make anyway?
She shook her head. "Just some stuff about Defence lessons and, well, you-know-what. We're going to be learning actual spells this year, so he just wanted to tell me to be aware.
Supposedly I'm more resilient, so I have to be a bit careful when we practise with each other," she added quietly.
As far as white lies went, it wasn't too shabby. Last year's Duelling Club had been a disaster, and cancelled after its first session, but she still remembered shrugging off a Tickling Hex as if it was nothing.
An argument further along the table proved a welcome distraction and so she turned to Hannah and asked about what was going on.
"There was an accident during Magical Creatures today," she replied, looking not particularly shocked. "Malfoy got attacked."
"Oh no. Is he dead?" Polly asked hopefully.
"I don't think Hagrid needs even more trouble right now. No, it's only scratch, from what we could tell," Hannah replied. "I mean, we kind of assumed this would happen at some point, but it's still terrible to see Hagrid so distraught over it. And during his first lesson."
Ernie chimed in, "I hate to say it, but what did he expect? Hippogriffs are dangerous creatures and even if Malfoy was being an idiot, the risk was way too high. He should've started with something small."
"Maybe. But still, I hope this works out alright," Amelie said. "I'm sure Hagrid will be a great teacher, once he finds his footing."
The sentiment was met with mixed feelings, especially from the third years. Even Riyan and Polly looked sceptical.
"One thing's for sure, Malfoy is going to milk this for all he can. The little git's probably going to stay in the Hospital Wing until Pomfrey kicks him out," Hannah remarked with a look towards her classmates at the Slytherin table, who were whispering amongst themselves.
Back in the common room, Amelie handed her Transfiguration essay over for Polly to 'compare'. While her friend was furiously scribbling with her quill, she walked up to their dorm to stash her bag.
A slip of parchment on her night-stand caught Amelie's attention. 'Three per week', it said in what she assumed was Madam Pomfrey's handwriting. True enough, when she opened the small cupboard underneath, there was an unassuming, little box filled with several bottles of Sanguinaris Potion.
Throwing another look over her shoulder, Amelie grabbed one and downed it quickly. It wasn't as rich or flavourful as the blood she'd been given back at Juniper Hall, but complaining was the last thing on her mind.
With the empty bottle tucked away, she returned to the little corner where Polly had almost finished 'checking' her homework against Amelie's. Sinking into the sofa, she leaned back and let her thoughts wander.
Their Defence against the Dark Arts teacher was himself a werewolf. There definitely was a certain irony to that. Although, why would there be? In the end, there was no reason they shouldn't be able to get along. Professor Lupin had seemed like a nice person, if a bit awkward.
She almost couldn't wait until their first lesson tomorrow afternoon.