I apologize again for the delay. Life and the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays got in the way. I hope you all are having a safe holiday season.

Enjoy!

Chapter 16

Dog Rain

Harry and Rin zoomed through the hallways, trying to get to Defense Against the Dark Arts as fast as they could. They were ten minutes late. Rin, Ron, and Hermione agreed that they'd be the ones to escort Harry to his classes and Quidditch practice. If anything, it made him feel less coddled which he appreciated.

"That's it! The next time Oliver wants to go over Quidditch stuff with you, he can do it in the common room at the end of the day!" Rin panted as they ran up the moving staircases. They were running so fast, they left a dust cloud in their wake.

"I said I was sorry!" Harry argued. "I kept telling him I had to leave but he kept emphasizing how good the Hufflepuff Seeker is."

"Like I give two shits about how talented Cedric Diggory is at Quidditch!" Rin exclaimed. The two of them skidded to a halt outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, pulled the door open, and dashed inside.

"Sorry we're late, Professor Lupin. We -" Harry started only to stop to see that it wasn't Professor Lupin at the teacher's desk, but Professor Snape.

"This lesson started ten minutes ago, Potter, Okumura," Snape started, "so I'll divide it and take five points from Gryffindor for both of you. Sit down."

Neither boy moved.

"Where's Professor Lupin?" asked Rin.

"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a twisted smile. "I believe I told you two to sit down?"

Rin adjusted the shoulder strap to his book bag and sat down near Neville, Seamus, and Dean. But Harry stayed where he was.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked.

Snape's eyes glittered.

"Nothing life-threatening," he answered, looking as though he wished it were. "Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I ask you again it'll be fifty."

Harry walked to his seat and sat down. Snape looked around the classroom.

"As I was saying before Potter and Okumura interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far -"

"Please, sir, we've done boggarts, Red Caps, kappas, and grindylows," Hermione said quickly, "and we're just about to start -"

"Be quiet," Snape said coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization."

"He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" Dean Thomas boldly stated.

"You said it, man!" Rin affirmed. There were similar murmurs of agreement throughout the classroom. This only made Snape look more menacing than ever.

"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you. I would expect first years to be able to take on Red Caps and grindylows," Snape drawled. 'Why don't you dig up what's left of Professor Quirrel and ask him what he taught us?'

"Today, we shall discuss-" Snape flicked through the textbook towards the very end, which he must have known they hadn't covered yet. "Werewolves."

Rin would have been thrilled to cover a popular movie monster if the other students weren't murmuring their disbelief and astonishment.

"But sir," Hermione argued, seemingly unable to restrain herself, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start hinkypunks -"

"Miss Granger," Snape said in a deadly calm voice, "I was under the impression that I was teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around. "All of you. Now!"

With many bitter sidelong glances and equally bitter muttering, the class opened their textbooks.

"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between a werewolf and a true wolf?" Snape asked. Rin raised his hand. "Okumura? You actually know something useful?"

A tick mark appeared on Rin's forehead. "One walks on two legs and the other walks on four?" he said, barely able to hold back his irritability.

A few snickers were heard throughout the classroom. Granted, Rin was pretty sure there was more to the werewolf and a true wolf than their mobility, but he didn't know what was true and what was Hollywood anymore after coming to Hogwarts.

Snape didn't find it that funny. "Thank you for stating the obvious, Okumura," he said with a sneer so mean that made Rin sink into his seat in fear. "Is there anything else?"

Hermione raised her hand next but Snape ignored her. "Anyone?" His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between -"

"We told you," Parvati Patil said suddenly, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on -"

"Silence!" Snape snarled. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf if they saw one -"

"But Rin just said -" Lavender tried to say.

"- I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are…"

"Please, sir," Hermione started with her hand still in the air, "the werewolf differs from a true wolf in several small ways. Besides what Rin said, the snout of a werewolf -"

"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," Snape said coolly. "Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."

Rin gritted his teeth as Hermione's face turned red. She lowered her hand and stared at the floor with tears in her eyes. Everyone angrily glared at their substitute teacher. Only they could call Hermione a know-it-all, no one else. Hell, Ron called her that at least twice a week!

"You asked us a question and she knows the answer!" Ron erupted. "Why ask if you don't want to be told?"

It seemed that Ron beat Rin to the punch when it came to losing one's temper for this occasion. Too bad it was the wrong move because the class instantly knew Ron went too far. Snape slowly advanced on the redhead and the class held its breath.

"Detention, Weasley," Snape said silkily, his face uncomfortably close to Ron's. "And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed."

When the bell finally rang at the end of class, Snape held them back.

"You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took charge of this class. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention," Snape said.

Harry, Rin, and Hermione left the room with the rest of the class, who waited until they were well out of earshot before bursting into a fiery tirade about Snape.

"If Snape weren't a teacher, I'd have beat him till he was black and blue," Rin growled. "Who chose Snape to be our sub anyway? It couldn't have been Lupin."

"I agree," said Harry. "Why's he got it in for Lupin? D'you think it's because of the boggart?"

"I don't know," Hermione said nervously. "But I really hope Professor Lupin gets better soon…"

Ron caught up to them five minutes later in a rage rivaling Rin on a regular day. "D'you know what that bastard is making me do?" he asked.

"Ron!" Hermione scolded. It was bad enough Rin had a foul mouth, she didn't need a second.

"I've got to scrub bedpans in the Hospital Wing! Without magic!" Ron exclaimed. Rin grimaced at the thought. "Why couldn't Black be hiding in Snape's office, eh? He could have finished him off for us!"

"He'd be doing the school a favor," Rin added.

~0~0~0~

Shiemi hurried to the Quidditch pitch as quickly as she could. The weather was about to get stormy. Luckily she was wearing a poncho, so she was hoping she wouldn't get as soaked as the rest of her house.

"Borf!"

Shiemi stopped in her tracks and noticed the dog from Hogsmeade sitting at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Oh! It's you," she said as she approached the dog and started scratching him behind the ear. His tail started wagging back and forth in delight. "Can't stay for long. The Quidditch match is about to start. My friend Harry and the Gryffindor team will be going against my house, Hufflepuff."

The dog's ears perked up at this news. "Bor-ruff!" he woofed excitedly.

Shiemi giggled. "I better get going. You better find someplace dry to hide. I wonder if it's okay for you to hide underneath Mr. Hagrid's hut?" Thunder rolled, getting both the girl and dog's attention. "Okay, I'll see you later, Mr. Doggie."

~0~0~0~

"The n-n-next time I see Oliv-v-v-ver, I'm gonna rep-p-p-eat everything Yukio told me about h-h-h-hyperth-th-thermia," Rin said through his chattering teeth. The wind and rain had soaked and frozen everyone to the bone.

Harry was barely holding onto his broomstick. The weather was affecting his performance on the field, probably due to the fact that his vision was blurred by the rain on his glasses. The wind was so strong, Harry was nearly blown off course several times (to the point that Rin was getting major deja vu vibes from it). Hermione had gone down to the fields from the stands when lightning flashed in the sky and Wood called for a timeout.

"Where have you been?" Rin asked Hermione when she returned.

"I charmed Harry's glasses so that they'll repel water. He should be able to play better now," Hermione explained.

"Your brains saved the day again, Hermione," said Ron. Hermione didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted.

It seemed that Harry's performance on the Quidditch pitch was improving until something unexpected happened. The temperature, already cold, seemed to drop to near freezing. Rin looked down and saw several Dementors sweep onto the field. He took a small step back, afraid that what happened with him on the Hogwarts Express would happen again. However, it seemed that the Dementors were more focused on Harry than Rin.

"HARRY!" Ron and Hermione screamed. Rin looked up and saw Harry fall off his broom and plummeted towards the ground.

What happened next seemed to have happened so fast. Professor Dumbledore, who was watching from the stands with the rest of the faculty, pointed his wand at Harry who somehow slowed down as he fell. He then unleashed a white light from his wand at the Dementors which seemed to repel them because they scattered like cockroaches. He then conjured up a stretcher and hovered Harry's unconscious body onto it.

"Harry's broom!" Neville cried out. Rin saw that Harry's Nimbus Two-Thousand broomstick blew away. Knowing that Harry was in good hands, Rin excused himself from his friends and chased after his friend's broomstick.

~0~0~0~

Rin kept running after the Nimbus Two-Thousand until he noticed where it was heading.

'Not the Whomping Willow!'

The moment the broomstick crashed into the tree, the branches started hitting it back. Naturally, the broom was easily smashed into smithereens. Rin sank to his knees. How could he face Harry now that his prized broomstick was broken beyond repair?

"Rin!"

Rin turned and saw Yukio running towards him with Professor Flitwick close behind him.

"Yukio…" Rin started. "I tried to go after it but…"

Yukio sighed at the sight. "We should at least bring back what we can get. Harry will want to know what happened to his broom."

Flitwick let out a squeak at the remains of Harry's broom still too close to the violent tree. "This will be tricky, boys. If we're not careful, we could get seriously injured," he observed. He took out his wand. "One of us will have to retrieve the pieces while the other two distract the tree."

Both twins sweatdropped.

"Why do I get the feeling we're gonna be the distractions?" Rin wondered aloud.

"Thank you for volunteering, boys!" Flitwick squeaked.

Yukio gaped at the Charms professor. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?! You distract the tree and we get the pieces?" he inquired incredulously.

Professor Flitwick chuckled. "The tree's attention will be divided between the two of you. It won't notice me gathering the pieces of the broomstick," he explained.

More sweat drops. "We're telling Dumbledore about this.'

Come on, if the school's idea of detention was spending the evening wandering the Forbidden Forest looking for a dying unicorn, getting pieces of a broken broomstick isn't that far off.

I included a repeat of an Easter Egg no one noticed in a previous chapter. I'll give you a hint: the dog in this certain anime makes this sound instead of the traditional 'woof!'

If you want to make a playlist for this story or the other two stories, name your suggestions in the comments (as long as a review is in there too!).

Trivia: Charms is not the only class where Rin and Seamus are banned from pairing up. After causing one too many explosions in Charms, Professor Flitwick told the other professors not to pair the two up EVER!