10. Werewolf

When disaster struck, it came, not from dementors, but from another source of danger.

Harry, Daphne, and Neville hurried into breakfast to find the assembled students buzzing.

"What's happened?" Harry asked.

"Werewolf attack." Angelina Johnson, the most fearless of the chasers, was shaking in terror.

"Two Slytherins!" Lavender Brown exclaimed. "Marcus Flint and Terrance Nott were bitten, coming back from Hogsmeade!"

"Sneaking out to get firewhisky," supplied Parvati.

"Are they dead?" quavered Daphne, inching closer to Harry.

"No. But, a werewolf's bite?" Lavender said no more, but her tone clearly meant they'd be better off if they were!

A hush fell over the room as Dumbledore got to his feet.

"As you may have heard, two students were attacked last night, and were taken to St. Mungo's. They are expected to survive."

He hesitated. "I must also inform you that one of our professors, Remus Lupin, has been taken into custody. We hope he will soon be able to clear his name."

"This is bad," Daphne pronounced. The three were huddled in a corner of the Common Room. "Flint and Nott were both purebloods."

Neville nodded grimly. "Worse than that, heirs. Their families will demand that the werewolf be executed immediately. Lupin may not even be granted a trial."

"Do you think it was Professor Lupin?" Harry wondered. "It could have been a different werewolf." He himself did not much care which werewolf it was, but he was very worried about Padfoot.

As it turned out, he was right to be concerned.

"No," Sirius insisted. "He wouldn't! He's always been careful to avoid hurting anyone."

Harry was not so sure. He suspected that Lupin had, more than once, neglected to take the wolfsbane potion, because of the painful side-effects.

"I'll see what I can find out," he promised.

"It's not that I care," said Sirius quickly. The flicker came, so Harry merely sighed.

"If he's not responsible, he shouldn't be in prison. Let me investigate."

"Be careful," Sirius cautioned. "I don't want you to take any risks!"

Harry went straight to the gossip queens of Hogwarts.

"No, Harry," Parvati insisted. "No one has mentioned any other werewolf sightings."

"And they would!" Lavender backed her friend up. "Nobody would go outside, knowing a werewolf was in the vicinity. Everyone's scared of being bitten!"

Next Harry tried Hagrid.

"Allus bin werewolves in the forest," grunted the half-giant. "Not near Hogsmeade though; there's powerful wards set against them. Dumbledore was strict on that."

"I wouldn't trust Dumbledore an inch," Harry told his friends.

Daphne nodded, but Neville looked uncomfortable. "He's been, well….revered... throughout the wizarding world."

"He shouldn't have been," insisted Daphne angrily. "I'll never forgive what he did to Harry!"

Harry laughed shortly. "Me neither. But, Remus Lupin? For myself, I'd fling him through the veil, but Sirius will grieve, even though he says not."

Daphne nodded slowly. "We have to find out who else, at Hogwarts, is a werewolf. That's the main suspect!"

"Auntie told me Fenrir Greyback's pack is in Norfolk now," Susan informed them. "The Ministry keeps tabs on them, so they couldn't have been near Hogsmeade."

"Could it be a lone werewolf?" wondered Padma. "Some sort of outcast?"

Hannah scowled, unconvinced. "Sure it's not Lupin? I think he's the most likely! And do we care either way?"

Harry glared at her. Truth be told, he didn't much care about Lupin, but Sirius, despite his protests, did. And Harry cared about Sirius.

"If there's another werewolf at Hogwarts, we need to find out." Neville was firm. "For our own sakes, if nothing else."

Daphne nodded.

"I have a plan," Harry announced. "For the next full moon."

The last thing Daphne wanted to do was track down a werewolf. She wanted to stay in the Gryffindor Common Room, as close to Harry as she could get. But suppose that made Harry believe she was too cowardly to hang around with him? She had no faith that one of the others would stand up for her.

Neville kept sneaking glances at Hannah when he thought no one was looking, and Hannah was best friends with Susan Bones. Daphne didn't like Susan one bit, convinced the Hufflepuff girl was interested in Harry.

Daphne knew she was much prettier than Susan, BUT.

The other girl's figure was already developing in a major way, and most boys liked that.

So she waited with the rest in a deserted classroom while Harry studied a map the Weasley twins had sold him.

"Has to be Tonks," he announced, folding up the parchment. "Either Lupin turned her, or she found someone else to do it. This is a chance to get rid of her!"

It's true, Professor!" Hermione Granger insisted. "Harry Potter is making a trap to capture Professor Tonks! He's certain she's the werewolf attacking people."

McGonagall eyed her skeptically. "Highly unlikely, I would think." She wanted to dismiss the other girl's accusations entirely, but she was uneasy. "I'll consult the Headmaster," she decided. "Please inform me if you hear anything else."

The uneasiness lingered.

She made up her mind during transfiguration, when she observed a certain tension amongst her lions. She bided her time, until Neville Longbottom failed to work his spell on the second try.

"Detention tonight, Mr. Longbottom."

As she had expected, Harry bristled. "That was only his second time, Professor!"

"Since you have an objection, Mr. Potter, you may join him."

"No! Not tonight…"

That timid girl Daphne Greengrass surprised her by finding her voice. "He can't tonight, Professor! He has to…"

"Serve his detention! And for speaking out, Miss Greengrass, you may join your friends!"

Ahh, the Granger girl was correct; Daphne Greengrass was visibly relieved while Longbottom glared and Potter smoldered. Something was definitely up!