Loyal Pet

by H Bregalad

Bellatrix is an animagus and escapes with Sirius, Harry catches her and decides to keep her for a pet, she decides to raise him into a Lord and Master that she can be proud to follow. Rated M for sex and animagus sex. Warning: Polyamory eventually. There is also violence, including towards children and animals. You have been warned. Based on timbarney110's challenge 'loyal pet.'

6. Year 3 Chapter 6

Fear of the Moon

Heard the hunter-wolf-hunter professor outside last night, he got himself trapped someplace silly, but he escaped just before dawn. Nim confided to Harry as he showered after quidditch practice.

Is he black?

No, he's grey.

Oh, I saw a big black dog over by the forest while I was flying.

Oh, no, [image of huge black dog] is someone else. He doesn't hunt, just noses around looking for rats.

Ah, You've met him? Is he a threat?

He's … well he might be eligible to be pack, but … I don't trust him yet.

Do you trust any dogs?

Not really but [image of Crookshanks with Hermione towering over him] thinks he's good. And he hasn't bullied me since forever.

Ah.

But he's careless and did interrupt my hunting a few times.

.

"Hello class," said Professor Snape, "I'll be teaching the defence class today. Any questions? No, good."

Lots of hands went up just after he'd made it clear that he wouldn't be answering anything. Gradually they went down again, as he moved on as if he hadn't seen them, "As there is no lesson plan that I can find, we're going to be covering chapter 18: werewolves."

Hermione humphed and put her hand up, no doubt to tell him which chapter and section the class ought to be on.

He ignored her and lectured on werewolves, on safety, and curse progression, he had them read sections from the text book, he told them to turn in an essay 12 inches long on werewolves due the next day, except he found reason to order Hermione to turn in twice as much.

.

It was slow going, Harry had taken enough notes for half a paper when he got it.

NIM! Is the professor really a werewolf?

One of them is.

And the full moon was the day before the train ride, and last night?

Yes.

Merlin, now what?

What do you think?

We write essays about werewolves and the professor has to correct them and … Oh, … just how much does Professor Snape hate Professor Lupin?

Well … beyond hating everyone. Of course he does, Professor Snape wants to teach fight-and-hunt, and Professor Lupin does teach fight-and-hunt.

Pride and Envy are not the only human emotions.

No, just the most predictable.

Hmm. And if you suspect a plot, look for the results of an action and assume that was the goal of the plot.

Yes? And?

So, Professor Snape wants Professor Lupin to read a bunch of essays filled with everything about werewolves being dark and incurable and a danger to society, rather than werewolves being victims and survivors of a dark curse?

Sounds exquisitely bad doesn't it.

Ugh, you're into that sort of thing aren't you?

I've a learned appreciation for a good plot.

And for certain kinds of torture?

No, for certain kinds of … status attacks and other manipulations.

Oh.

So are you going to chastise me?

No, I'm going to write a completely different essay is all.

.

"Harry," said Hermione, "Where did you learn to think like this?"

"You mostly," said Harry.

"This is … this is about house elves?"

"House elves, and Nim, and some other things," said Harry.

"What about Nimh?"

"Magicals look at her and see my familiar. And try to diagnose what I must be like to accept her friendship. Muggles look at her and see a dangerous wild beast, and think about how to protect themselves or punish me for having her around and not in a cage. No one sees her."

"Oh, Harry," said Hermione.

Harry shrugged.

"You're right Harry, this is … better than mine."

"Let me see," said Ron.

"Sure," said Harry.

"You shouldn't let him copy," said Hermione.

"Well you were going to change yours now, right?"

"I was going to change it some," said Hermione, "I wasn't going to copy."

Harry shrugged.

Ron handed it back, "That's not really a defence essay," said Ron, "I mean, it's all true, but …"

Harry nodded, "Well, I doubt Snape is going to read it. What will the new defence professor think?"

"That you're weird, and possibly muggleborn," said Ron, "or don't know what defence essays are supposed to look like."

Harry shrugged, "He's seen enough of my other essays, he knows I know how to write a defence essay."

Ron shrugged.

"And Hermione says hers doesn't look like mine."

"Probably because she wrote a defence essay."

Harry nodded, "probably."

"And probably because she covered werewolves and wolf-kin and who knows what else."

"Animagi," said Hermione, "It seems unwise not to list all three, and contrast their features. If you're going to be killing one and making a self defence plea or whatever, you'd better be able to give witness to details that would help prove exactly how dangerous the creature was. I mean … Crookshanks could kill but doesn't, Nim can kill, and does hunt regularly, but wouldn't hurt people, or at least …" she stared at Harry.

"Not unless they threatened me, or for that matter if I ordered her to and she felt like cooperating."

Ron looked momentarily awestruck, then sick. Then shrugged.

"Exactly," said Harry, "Towards the end of this year's Charms book is a severing charm, I expect that could be used to kill, if the target didn't bother to shield or duck or whatever. Doesn't mean that we'll all become killers the day after we learn it. It just means we will be a bit more dangerous than before. The tripping jinx from behind near the stairs might be a lot more deadly actually."

Ron shrugged, "well … yeah."

"There, you see," said Hermione.

"I'm not writing about all those," said Ron.

"No one expected you to," said Harry, "Hermione just wanted to defend her reasoning for including non-lycanthropes in her essay."

They bent over their books again.

Hermione sat up and snapped her fingers, "Worst fear is the moon," she whispered, "Oh dear the poor man."

Harry nodded.

"What?" said Ron.

Hermione shrugged, "Never mind. Harry, let me see your defence essay again."

"Sure," said Harry.

...-...

A Compliment

"Potter, stay after class," said Professor Snape.

"Yes, Professor."

.

"What is it?"

"Tonight would be convenient for me to assess the market fitness of that basilisk, would it also be convenient for you?"

"Hmm, sort of not," said Harry, "though I could costlessly force it to become convenient by claiming a detention."

"It's your choice."

"I think we might as well," said Harry.

"So be it," said Professor Snape.

.

"What did he want?" asked Ron.

"Detention tonight."

"Damn it," said Ron, "What for this time?"

"He didn't come right out and say it, but he's still mad that I managed to turn in homework for all the times I was out at the beginning of term, because of Nim."

"So what? He thinks you're cribbing?" said Ron, "I haven't seen you copy from Hermione all year."

"Because I haven't," said Harry.

"More like," said Hermione, "He's mad because he just realised that you'd been somewhat cribbing the first two years and he missed the opportunity to give you detentions then."

Harry shrugged.

.

"I'm here Professor."

"Where are we headed?"

"Behind a sink in Moaning Myrtle's loo."

A raised eyebrow, "Just to clarify: you found this how?"

"Triangulating where the origin of the attacks ought to have been, where I heard snake voice in the walls, then Interviewing Myrtle."

"Ah," said the professor, "and no one else could have accomplished the middle step?"

"Basically."

"Lead on then."

"Um, we'll want brooms."

"And you didn't think to mention that before supper?"

"Sorry, Professor, I guess I'm not an engineer yet."

He was rewarded with an impressive sneer.

.

"And there's … no stairs?" the professor stared down. Any other person would have given evidence of horror. Not Professor Snape.

"Hence the brooms," said Harry.

"Understood," agreed the professor, "How thoroughly did you explore the chamber?"

"Got in, rescued Gi— the captive, which incidentally required killing a snake and a book, and ran away. With generous help from a phoenix. Not a lot of time set aside for exploration."

"Ah," said the Professor, "And you haven't been back?"

Harry shrugged, "I'm not the twins, I haven't explored the entire castle, nor pride myself on having done so."

"I guess not."

"Most of my explorations have been hurrying to class or running away from things that defence hasn't covered yet."

"And yet the troll?"

"Helping Ron warn Hermione. Professor Quirrell: He went for the stone and Professor McGonagall wouldn't listen to our warning. Snake: Lockhart not only didn't need our warning, he was already actively packing up to leave."

"And your cat jumped in front of a charging Hippogriff."

Harry shrugged, "Draco wasn't exactly the innocent in that situation, but yes, err. monk's hood and wolfsbane."

"What?"

"There's some of each in both of us Professor," said Harry, "I still don't see how you managed to end up with one reputation, and I with the other."

"An interesting theory."

"Or maybe it's who has each reputation in slytherin and in gryffindor."

"A more nuanced theory."

"When in fact," said Harry, "they are both the same plant."

"Your cat tell you all that?"

"No," said Harry, "Hermione told me that the flower language exists and I looked it up, I … haven't memorised much. Just looked up a few of your comments that seemed to not be about potion ingredients, learned what some of the flowers mean. I didn't memorise the whole book, I'm having enough to do memorising potions ingredients and runes."

"Mm"

.

They followed Harry's previous path to the carcass and back. Then they followed one wall all the way around the chamber verifying how many hallways led off. One led out along the edge of the lake to a culvert in a cliff above a beach, where the water was draining away, it had signs and pictures that Professor Snape was able to translate as, "emergency siege exit only, dangerous fall, use a rope, no-reentry." They backed away and returned under the castle, the next exit led up into the forbidden forest, it had the heaviest carpet of small animal bones underfoot. There were even a few bones that seemed so human that Snape stopped to examine them.

Harry concentrated on not being sick or starting with accidental magic. Nim noticed and pushed calmness at him, and to 'relax' that hunting wasn't evil. Everything has to eat. Which didn't calm him much.

More calm, less philosophy about hunting that might do no more than scare me off eating meat for a month.

She instantly paused, re-assessed, then flowed into his mind like she might flow through an alley that seemed too small for her and her fur at the same time. Circling and petting and soothing parts of his mind he didn't even know she could reach.

Relax, she purred, the bad snake is dead and Professor Snape is doing the historical investigation, you can safely turn away and stare at the wall.

"Ah," breathed Snape, "baby centaurs."

Oh, of course. The poor things.

Harry relaxed finally. And with the mystery solved that he hadn't really managed to understand as a mystery, all that remained were anger at the long dead snake and at Salazar Slytherin for leaving it here.

And a duty to bear witness.

He stepped around the professor and crouched.

The professor without touching anything pointed to two sizes of vertebra, a set of shoulder blades, a set of hips, and a set of shoulder-hips and lots and lots of femurs, though the professor had lots more names for them than that.

"Do we owe them a burial?" whispered Harry.

"I don't," said Professor Snape, "the main reason to bury is to get the remains out of reach of scavengers that might learn a taste for human flesh and start to hunt us. Also to prevent flies and the spread of disease. These two already died of being hunted and there's nothing left anymore for flies. The second reason for burial is to give ritual closure to the grieving family. So more appropriate than burying them, would be opening the way so that the centaurs can retrieve and identify these bones and move them to wherever they consider a 'fitting resting place'. But I cannot open the way, and to my knowledge the centaurs prefer to avoid and ignore wizards, with an intermittent exception for you and the Headmaster."

"So…" Harry sighed.

"So it's your decision. I'm not helping you make it and I'm not helping you keep it. The extent of my duty and respect is not touching and walking on these bones."

"Yes, Professor."

"And from the way these rabbit, deer, and many many rodent bones are piled up and only the lowest layer, which is partway into the seeping water, show any signs of dissolving. I'd hazard that one of these centaurs has been dead longer than I've been alive."

"Oh," said Harry.

.

The last exit they found led up a short flight of steps into a dungeon storeroom.

"Ah," said the Professor, "I know where this is. I think that this is where the chamber is intended to be entered by humans."

"Ah, I see," said Harry, "The other exits exist for the snake to hunt, to aid in a siege situation, or to flee a siege that's going badly."

"Yes," said the Professor, "Let me bring some brighter lanterns, then we'll return to the carcass to make our assessment.

.

...-...

What is a Centaur?

"Hermione," said Harry, "where would I look for information on Centaur burial practice?"

"Don't know," Hermione stared at him, "Why?"

"Nim is my family, and the reverse," said Harry, "why couldn't centaurs have family and religion and who knows what all?"

She raised an eyebrow and sat back, "and we already know they talk and use tools, religion is the only thing left for galactic civilisation in Little Fuzzy to declare them sapient?"

Harry blinked, "Where is Little Fuzzy and who named their Galaxy that?"

"It's a science fiction book," said Hermione, "they find aliens, the first generation of colonists don't know they exist, by second or third, there is political inertia to not recognise them as sapient, or something, it's been a long time since I read it. There were several criteria, anyway in the book its obvious they're tool users, but not the rest. And religion is not required but symptomatic of both abstract symbolic logic, so is intentional lying, and making tools to make tools. Language alone isn't enough to prove symbolic logic sufficiently abstract, language alone can be instinct, they said, but I wasn't quite comfortable that caveat wasn't just another corporation on another planet getting their money in the way of recognising their indigenous wildlife as sapient."

"Ah," said Harry. Nim, can you lie?

Not to you of course, master, but in general, yes I could if I wanted. But often the truth is much more fun.

Fun?

Deliciously painful.

You are a weird cat.

And you love me.

I do love you, but that might not be why.

It doesn't need to be why, it's more important for us both to realise that in the counter factual world that I am different, that wouldn't be me that you might be loving.

That sounds like a dangerously general argument for never learning or changing.

Oh … maybe so, never mind.

So you admit the possibility that you could get better.

Of course, I can get better, I am always attempting to be the best I can.

And can you consider the possibility that I could still love you, or even love you more if you did progress?

I don't think I understand the question. Of course I'll get better at my things and you get better at loving, that's one of your things.

I think I meant something different with the word 'better' than you understood.

I think you are confused about what you mean with that word. Master.

I think you are also confused about what I mean with the word, "word."

Now you're just getting confusing for the fun of it.

Never mind. If you had hands could you make tools?

There's another word you don't understand.

What?

I think the answer to your question is that, I often use dead ends that I've previously found, to box in prey. And sometimes I go exploring for no other purpose than to find dead ends and learn the paths that lead to them.

Thank you.

Harry shrugged and looked at Hermione, "Nim doesn't make tools or lie, but she allocates resources to find beneficial terrain, which she tricks pray into later. She specifically used that example when I asked about tools, which proves to me she has a more abstract category than 'tool' that fits both, and could redirect the conversation to that concept."

Hermione blinked, "So tool using, and deception, but not quite making tools to make tools, or planned deceptive use of language."

"In fairness," said Harry, "I'm not sure I've ever made a tool, let alone planned the next layer deeper, though I can understand in theory why you would, if you needed to make more than one of the tool."

Hermione blinked at him, then smirked, "You had Nim's shoulder pads made."

"True, if that's a tool, then having it made is tool making. But I didn't go out and earn money just so that I could get that done, though I suppose I have made plans to make money, just because I know having it would simplify everything later."

"Exactly," said Hermione, "Not that there was any question that you are sapient."

"No, the argument was about how far behind Nim is."

Hermione shrugged, "are kneazles supposed to be smarter, or only more magical than cats?"

"No idea, Nim is by far the smartest cat I've met, but she might merely be the most motivated to cooperate, and the most able to communicate. Which she does with magic, not just with the regular cat sounds."

"Is it your magic or hers?"

"I'm not sure, Snape and Draco hinted that it was a personalty compatibility plus magic compatibility equation, though I think there's a term for motivation of each multiplied, and a huge question of serendipitous availability of events to communicate about."

Hermione nodded.

"Did I use serendipitous correctly?"

"Close enough," said Hermione, "It means lucky or fortunate. Just from a different angle."

"That's what you said last time."

"Right," she said, "So about centaurs, I'd look in near beasts or near beings and goblins. If I remember correctly the only reason centaurs aren't listed as beings is because they don't want us to think of them in the same category as hags."

"Seems reasonable," said Harry, "Not that it convinces me that they know what some of our categories are for."

Hermione nodded, "conversely, that they have categories of their own that are more important to themselves than ours are to them. Given the hag connection, I suspect their category doesn't mean 'sapient' or 'moral agent' but 'moral agent worthy of a particular level of trust or respect' or something."

"Makes sense."

...-...

Rendering Day

"Detention Potter," said Professor Snape, "For being a greedy bastard and taking more than your fair share of ingredients."

"Yes, Professor," said Harry, "Tonight?"

"Every night this week that you don't already have appointments."

"Yes, Professor," said Harry.

"I don't get it," whispered Greengrass.

"I do," whispered Harry, "Though happily, I'm fairly confident I'm not a bastard."

"But greedy?"

"Compared to who?" said Harry.

"Point," said Greengrass.

They went back to brewing, after a while, when a long pause came, she said, "so, what's your most expensive vice?"

"Books, pretty clothes, not starving," Harry shrugged.

"I've never seen you in pretty clothes," said Greengrass.

"I know, right?" said Harry, "Oh, and I have an appreciation for pretty swords."

"Have you ever spent money on any of those things?"

"Just books and not starving," said Harry, "I also have an appreciation for intelligent familiars, but both of mine were gifts, so … again, matter of interpretation."

"Stir," she said, "I'll get the diced Geanthus root."

"Yes, ma'am, clockwise if I remember correctly."

She only nodded.

.

When they finished and cleaned up Greengrass held out her hand, "well done Potter, that went better than I expected."

"Thank you," he shook, "we did well. I also am pleased with our results."

"You're still not as good as Tracy."

"I have several reasons to expect that while I might (with luck and determination) achieve the level of proficiency that Tracy enjoys today, I will likely never catch her up in skill."

Greengrass nodded, "So you do know what I'm talking about."

Harry shrugged, "I don't feel insulted to be compared unfavourably with Tracy."

"How about with Draco?"

"Draco is ahead of me," said Harry, "I'm less convinced that he's progressing faster than me. Though he might be."

"Ah," said Greengrass.

"Class is over, Harry. Quit talking up the slytherin ladies and let's go eat," said Ron grabbing Harry's shoulder.

"Why?" said Harry.

"Are you jealous, Weasley?" said Pansy.

"No," said Ron, "His crazy kneazle won't let us out the door."

"Oh, sorry," said Harry, "Nim. Heel or shoulder."

Nim scurried between feet and jumped, I thought I wasn't allowed in here. She scrubbed the top of her head against Harry's temple.

Not while people are brewing potions.

Oh, is that all. Anyway, how's my other little [image of haughty blond kitten-in-clothes with whiskers that reached all the way to the floor].

Malfoy is over there, headed out.

Yes, I see him now. Go over I want a closer look.

Fine. You know he saved us both a lot of trouble.

When?

After you saved him from Buckbeak, he got Professor Snape to look at you and get the rip in your side put back together.

Oh, good. But Snape would have done that anyway.

I doubt it, that was before we convinced him that I ought to be one of his students.

Oh, so … does that mean Malfoy doesn't owe me for saving his life?

Maybe a little, Madam Pomfrey might would have fixed you up, but it would have taken lots longer and been more annoying… I can't believe I just said that.

Luckily you only said it to me.

True.

Out in the corridor, as the crowd dispersed Harry caught him up, "Cousin Draco," he said.

"Oh, Hi Potter."

"I'm supposed to tell you to call me Harry, aren't I?"

Draco smiled, "it is a common show of mutuality, but not required."

Harry shrugged, "I'll think about it. Or you can just start and I'll figure out the 'may' problem later. Anyway, Nim wanted to check on her …"

Draco stared at Nim.

"Her what?"

"My English wants to say rescuee, but cousin-by-familiar, or pet-cousin or something might be a more accurate translation."

They stared at each other.

Draco held his hand out palm up.

Harry felt her contemplate sniffing it, and contemplate holding out a paw to shake, and stepping on it and climbing on to his shoulders. Which were smaller and bonier than Harry's though not by much.

Don't do that.

Would it make you jealous?

Yes, but that's not why I told you not to. He … objects to bleeding more strongly than anyone I know.

Oh, drat. Narcissa's kitten isn't he.

You know his mum?

Yes, quite well.

Oh. How?

That's a story for another time.

Oh.

Let's just say that I protected her several times.

Did she ever repay the favour?

Usually not as quickly as her kitten might have. But then, I usually manage my rescue operations with more margin than last time.

I'm sure.

"What's she want?" said Draco sending Harry a dirty look, as if to accuse him of telling Nim not to shake his hand.

"She wants to climb onto your shoulder and walk round and round your head. But I told her not to try that until you put Quidditch pads on."

"Oh," said Draco, "Thanks, I guess."

Nim put her paw onto Draco's hand, and since he didn't seem to know what to do, she gave him a one pawed knead.

After two repetitions Draco got it and curled one finger up under the pad of her foot and brought his thumb around on top.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, in less dire circumstances Mrs. Nim."

Tell him all my name.

"Err," said Harry, "I called her Lady Nimrodina, triumphant in battle and of the sharp claws, once, and now she insists on it at all formal introductions. I think everyone calls her 'Nim' though."

Draco looked at Harry askance, then at Nim indulgently, after a second he nodded his head. "Milady."

He turned his attention back to Harry, "But she's a familiar, not a pet?"

"Yes."

"Then by convention, everyone outside her family should call her Mrs. Nim, not just Nim."

"She … claims you as extended family, which is weird, all my other friends she has merely tried to offer me as candidate family."

"Possibly because I'm a close enough cousin for her to notice, you noticing?" said Draco.

"Or because she thinks she recognises your Mom in you."

Draco raised an eyebrow, "Huh, you want me to write Mum about finding out who she used to belong to?"

Harry tried to consult Nim, but she was unusually blank.

With nothing better to do, Harry pieced together the emotions he could find off her.

"I think she'd rather wait and let it be a surprise, if there ever is a time when it could make sense."

"Like Platform 9 and 3/4 when we go home for winter hols?"

Harry grimaced, "I don't usually go home for Christmas."

Draco widened his eyes, then narrowed him, "your cousin that likes trying to kill you?"

"Yeah," said Harry, "though … he was a lot better last summer, but … I think I'll keep staying away as much as I can until I see a bit more … maturity from that angle."

Draco shrugged, "alright, whatever."

Tell him this, master.

"Nim says, she'd rather your mother not know about her, not out of a malicious intent to surprise her, but because she doesn't want her to feel obligated, and she fears that she would."

"Why would my mother feel obligated to a cat?" said Draco.

"I haven't any idea," said Harry, "something about who she might have used to belong to."

"Hmm, alright," said Draco, "Do you have a name to go with that?"

"No, her thoughts are usually totally silent or include images or touch, not sounds, when she does include sound it is usually a current sound not a memory, if I've met the person she's remembering to me, sometimes I can recognise, but often I can't. She sees the world from a different angle and in different colours than humans."

"Yes, well," said Draco.

"Is there a time when a soldier or a spy is interrogated by their own general?"

Draco blinked at him, "you know soldiers are really more of a muggle vocation?"

"Um," said Harry, "But … aurors then?"

"When would such an interrogation be scheduled?"

"After returning from a long mission, or being kidnapped for a while or something."

"Oh," said Draco, "debriefing, yes that is a thing that happens."

"That's what she wants your mother to do."

Draco's eyes widened, "Lady Nim, wants Mum to debrief her?"

Let's go with that. Nim was amused.

Harry nodded.

"But she doesn't want it to happen soon?"

Harry shrugged.

Draco shrugged, "alright never mind."

.

"Hey, Where's Nim?" said Dean.

"Lady Nim has gone to sit next to her kitten Malfoy," muttered Harry.

"She … wait, what?"

"She saved his life, she thinks he belongs to her," said Harry.

"Does he think so?" said Dean.

"No, he traded favours with Professor Snape to get him to put her side back together and gave permission for me to call him Draco, and considers the debt paid."

"Hmm," said Dean, "that makes slightly more sense."

"Right?" said Harry.

"Are you jealous?" said Hermione.

"A little," said Harry, "on the other hand, she calls me master and sits on me, she calls him kitten and sits beside him, I don't see any reason to feel jealous about that."

Hermione's eyes widened, "I suppose not," she said.

.

"Alright everyone," said Professor Snape, "is everyone ready?"

Harry looked around, he wasn't alone in this detention, Draco was here too, so were Tracy and Roger, so were Rebekah and Isaac Gamp. So was a huge hufflepuff that Harry didn't know.

"Yes, Professor Snape," they all said.

"I'm under the impression that tonight's rendering project will be significantly safer than our last several, in that there should be no wildlife to contend with. However the ingredients that we will be handling are significantly more deadly. So look sharp and no funny business. You make a mistake and it might be your last. And none of your fellows will appreciate being collateral damage. Does anyone want to back out now?"

"Is the pay the same as usual?" said Tracy.

"Fifty percent better," said Professor Snape, "and the deadly ingredients rider to the safety bonus if we have no mishaps."

"Fine," said Tracy.

"I'm in," said Roger.

"Standard confidentiality rules apply," said Professor Snape, "is everyone OK with that."

"What are the standard confidentiality rules?" said Harry.

"No talking about the 'windfall' until it is all rendered and shipped and paid."

"Oh," said Harry, "yeah, that sounds fine."

"And even then no one gets to talk about how or where or why, you merely get to add 'basilisk' to your portfolio of things you've helped render."

There were a couple gasps, and then a proud and smirking, "still in!"

"Yeah," said Harry, "Thanks, I appreciate that."

.

By midnight they'd gotten the most dangerous items dealt with: venom, teeth, and entrails. The muscle mass would be useful for similar kinds of things as dragon meat.

Someone made a joke about keeping the skin, and Harry suggested that they each were welcome to take enough for a vest or duelling robes, in place of their hazard bonus. Professor Snape, however, disagreed with cutting it up before it was cured, saying it would be better to strip it off as whole as they could, Then turn it over to professionals to be tanned, and only then get their armour tailored.

That was readily agreed upon, since no one had the money ready to pay for getting it tanned. There were several suggestions, but nothing conclusive was decided, until Harry suggested that Mr. Engelbart the leather-smith on Old Manxim Court might tan it, or have a preferred tanner to recommend.

Either that was the best idea, or Harry being the customer, meant he was right by default.

.

By the next night they'd gotten enough of the meat that only Issac Gamp was interested in scraping away at what was remaining, considering the reduced price for the lesser cuts. Harry could tell that Manvel Juxbourg, the Hufflepuff prefect, wished he could continue to participate, but he had other duties to attend to.

Harry suggested that if the meat would keep as well as it had, perhaps they could wait a week to catch up on other duties, but Professor Snape said that once exposed to the air, they should finish as fast as they could. Unless the plan was to use it for compost, which wasn't an uncommon usage for low quality dragon meat.

"Can it compost in place?" said Harry, "could we just levitate it long enough to put a tarp under it, and come back in spring and carry off the remainder as compost?"

Professor Snape just stared at him and shook his head.

Harry shrugged, "It's why I asked."

So it was decided that Harry and Issac would meet alone the following evening or two to finish as much of the rest as they cared to, but everyone else would be paid based on what was already achieved.

.

"So what has Snape had you doing until past midnight," said Ron when he had returned that first night.

"Professor Snape," said Harry wearily, "dissection and ingredient preparation, thank you for waiting up for me, but I'm home safe now, let me get a shower."

"Oh," said Ron, "Take Nim with you, she's been terrorising the chess pieces."

"I'm sure," said Harry, "Cat after my own heart. Does she at least still leave them alone until they've been eliminated?"

"Yes," said Ron, "Thank you for teaching her that much at least."

"You're welcome, Ron."

"How about it Nim? Shower?"

Nim purred and led the way up the stairs.

.

In Ancient Runes as an argument started between the fourth years about something that probably none of the third years would understand until spring. Hermione turned to Harry and whispered "Why is Rebekah Gamp making eyes at you today?"

"I don't think she was making eyes at me," said Harry, "I think she just hadn't shared a class with me before this, so she hasn't had a chance to finish staring."

"I think it was more than that."

"Maybe. In detention I mentioned where I got dragon hide gloves cheaper than at the apothecary. And told her enough that she could owl to get replacements."

"So just that you were your normal helpful self, and she's surprised?"

"Maybe just that without Ron here to chase them off they're all realising that I'm not afraid of slytherins," said Harry.

"Good point," said Hermione, "though you and Draco patching things up helped too."

Harry almost lashed out, but realised he didn't really care that much, and did mildly prefer things to stay 'patched up,' so he shrugged, and admitted to enough of the blame that there would be nothing to fight about, "I guess it was time I grew out of that also."

...-...

Lupin

"Hello Harry," said Professor Lupin.

"You look awful," said Harry.

"I feel awful," said Professor Lupin.

"You know Professor Snape took over your class again today, and assigned more werewolf essays, these on political and legal ramifications of the curse."

"And you want a quick answer whether I will grade such an essay before you bother to write it?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind that information," said Harry, "actually I sort of still want you to correct my previous essay, even if you don't grade it." Harry held it out.

Professor Lupin drew back a little, "What do you mean?"

"Just read it, and tell me where I'm wrong," said Harry, "Maybe it will help me in preparing for this month's essay."

They stared at each other. Professor Lupin took the essay, and started reading, after a moment he sighed and stepped back, "Would you like to come in?"

"Yes, Thanks," said Harry.

A few minutes later they were seated in two upholstered chairs while Lupin scratched a few notes in the margins of Harry's parchment.

"You're very much like your father in some ways," he said.

"That doesn't sound much like a compliment," said Harry, "You might want to be more specific."

"What?"

"Professor Snape says he was an arrogant bully."

"He was arrogant," said Professor Lupin, and waved at the parchment between them, "but there is a difference between knowing that you are right, and knowing that other people are wrong."

"Huh?"

"Sometimes one of those implies the other, but much more often, they don't have anything to do with each other."

"Me being right, doesn't make you wrong if we're not talking about the same thing, or … if you're not disagreeing with me."

"True, and?"

"If you're wrong and I disagree with you … why wouldn't that make me right?"

"If the thing under question is a binary, then yes, disagreeing with the false statement leads you to the true statement. But perhaps I am wrong about guessing how many apples are in a sack. You guessing a different number than I, doesn't make you any more likely to have the correct number. You need a better method to find the actual truth than just disagreeing with people who come to conclusions you don't like. The most interesting questions are often questions of value, or structure. Not binaries."

"Yes, I see."

"For instance: Your essay is very factually accurate and even handed. It sees the infected as: a person, a victim, and a survivor. Someone who can do their duty of protecting their fellows if they but take certain appropriate precautions. It also sees the uninfected as wise to take practical precautions, and paranoid to take additional unhelpful precautions."

"Right," said Harry.

"I'm sure that most of your fellow students would skip the first part, being uninfected they will only identify with the uninfected. Depending on how carefully they present the fraction that they learned, perhaps they manage not to disagree with you. In which case: You're both right, but they have recorded significantly less of the truth. In the other case perhaps they make some errors, or make exaggerations in their effort to prove themselves right thinking mages. Or just as likely in their effort to be done with an unexpected and unwelcome assignment quickly and with low effort."

"I'm painfully aware," said Harry, "though not as painfully as you."

The professor stared at him, "I wondered about that. Is this really intended to be evenhanded, or is it an attempt to curry favour with your Professor?"

Harry shrugged, "Isn't all politeness and attempts to identify with anyone, just an attempt to create trust and understanding? You know, just basic communication."

"There's trust and understanding, and then there's … flattery."

Harry shrugged, "I can try that later if you want, but you'll have to give me more material to work with first."

"Like what?"

"How did you get bit? Was it on one of your creature hunts? Were you rescuing someone?"

The professor looked shocked then intrigued, "I've rescued people on my hunts before, but no, it's the other way around. I was bitten as a young child. My condition makes me resilient to certain dangers. I see myself as a protector, because this condition makes me either a danger and a vector for the curse, or a shield against other dark things, and I choose to be a shield."

Harry stared for several seconds, "No flattery is necessary, that is brave and impressive."

Professor Lupin smiled tiredly, "That's nice of you to say. Now then, how did you figure out that I am a werewolf?"

"Twice I saw you dead tired the day after the full moon. On the train my kneazle told me you smelled like a wolf and a dark creature hunter. Late September, she said you went outside the wards and caged yourself. This time I thought to ask if she can smell the difference between witches and wizards, and she verified that you aren't a witch hiding as a wizard for some reason." Harry shrugged, "That all adds up to lycanthropy-werewolf better than to anything else I know of. Not that I'm an expert on monthly curses, or wolves. Maybe you just have a wolf familiar around…"

"It intrigues me that at 13 you're already aware of transgenderism, and connected it to an unexplained monthly cycle."

Harry shrugged, "Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon are so strict about not speaking about anything out of the ordinary that my cousin Dudley and I tend to watch all the weirdest things we can find on the Telly, when Aunt Petunia isn't around."

"Ah yes," said Professor Lupin, "I hadn't thought about how your Aunt Petunia's obsessiveness might play into the equation."

"You know my Aunt?"

Professor Lupin shrugged, "Not well, I met her at your father's wedding reception. I met your mother in study group, but mostly I hung out with your father … he and Black had a pranking group. Yes, It crossed the line into bullying from time to time. Your father could see things from the point of view of someone else, better than most even," he tapped Harry's essay, "but only if and when he applied himself to the task, which often wasn't until he was explicitly told he was missing something and he needed to make the attempt. I was the technical planner, runes and arithmancy, you know."

"The Engineer," said Harry.

Professor Lupin raised an eyebrow, "no, no engines."

"The mother of one of my friends told me that an engineer isn't just someone who builds engines, it's someone who plans and tells you how or how not to do the thing, so that when it doesn't work they can say 'I told you so,'"

Professor Lupin smiled, "That describes your mother even more than it does me, but yes, I did a lot of planning. She and I didn't tend to plan together until later when we were working together against you-know-who."

"Ah," said Harry.

"And then, later because my smell is so recognisable compared to the average, at least to other werewolves, and there were many more werewolves on the other side, and it wouldn't do for them to find our safe houses by tracking me. It was decided that I should mostly handle international missions. After that I saw them quite a bit less often."

"Oh," said Harry, "That makes sense."

"Which in a round about way, leads to how I ended up with the network of contacts that allows me to do the dark creature hunting that I do now."

Harry nodded.

...-...

Break In

The Halloween feast was awesome, to the extent that Harry could take his mind off of history and just enjoy the moment.

Nim wondered if this was that feast where there would be bonfires and dancing after and swimming apples to hunt. Harry replied sometimes but not at Hogwarts.

Nim was disappointed.

"Hermione, Trivia question: how long ago did Hogwarts have a different Halloween feast format?"

Hermione listed several ancient traditions leading up to modern times, many of them shifting with changes to faculty. Neville and Percy seemed to be paying more attention than everyone else except Nim.

Nim sent Harry blurry images of the activities she recognised. The only ones with Hogwarts decorations in the background were those Hermione listed as replaced within the last 20 years. Several of the images seemed to be at county dances and other things he'd seen only from Telly. Harry was never sure if she could really differentiate his memories of Telly programs from real memories.

.

As the party reached its pitch, Harry turned to Hermione, "Just so you know, Nim just informed me that she and Crookshanks are leaving the tower again, this time they're following a big rat."

"Oi," said Ron, "Not Scabbers?"

"I doubt it," said Harry, "She recognises Scabbers and knows the only game she's allowed play with him is chase him into his carrier, she's not allowed to touch him once he's inside, and not allowed to bite him at all."

Ron huffed.

"They're 'leaving the tower again' I think that's what she meant, I'm just translating from pictures. Some of the pictures she grabs from books I read or runes, so it can get kind of weird. The 'again' might have just meant co-hunting with Crookshanks again."

Hermione huffed, "and you can't get her to clarify?"

Harry shrugged, "when I interrupt hunting excitement, I'm not going to get a grammatical answer, I'm going to get spatial awareness of everything a cat thinks is pertinent to the hunt."

"Can you tell where they are?"

"Um, no, they're out on the grounds somewhere, they … might be chasing birds or bugs or bats at this point."

"Bats," said Hermione, "I didn't get him rabies shots yet."

"What's that?" said Neville.

"Rabies used to be called hydrophobia," said Dean.

"I thought that was just dogs, horses, and humans," said Neville.

"It's most mammals," said Hermione, "It just presents differently, because of different blood temperatures, and different immune system capabilities."

"I think there's a potion for it," said Neville, "horses and humans get the same one, crups and dogs get a different version."

Hermione relaxed.

.

The calm and festive mood dropped away when on returning to the dorm, they found the portrait door vandalised, and the fat lady no longer in her frame.

"What do you say," said Harry with a yawn, "we go into, actually make that everyone … what do you say we move everyone into one or four of these unused classrooms, and conjure cots, that way we can nap until the professors get this sorted, and the crowd will be out of the way of them moving back and forth?"

"Good idea," said Hermione, "Let me tell Percy."

So they did that.

The professors came, got a portrait that was willing to guard the tower door, moved him into place, got the door open, went in and verified that everything was as it should be, and there were no intruders.

There weren't, the Fat Lady had done her duty that far at least. So everyone was roused and they went up to bed.

"I say," said Dean, "Where's your cat?"

"Out hunting," said Harry, "She does that in the evening sometimes, especially when the feasts get long and boring, at least to her way of thinking."

"She thought that was boring?"

"She recognised it was Halloween, ate her share of my meat and rice, and then wanted to hunt swimming apples, I said we wouldn't be doing that, so she went hunting other things, she said she got into the tower alright …" Harry frowned, "who let her in I wonder. Anyway, she later said she was going out again, following a rat."

"Did she say anything else?"

"That Crookshanks was with her, so I shouldn't worry, and neither should Hermione."

"Hence you're not worried."

"Exactly."

"But … isn't she normally back by now?" said Neville.

Harry shrugged, Nim are you alright?

Fine.

Catch your rat?

Yes.

Are you coming back soon?

Met that dog again, having some exploring. Will be back in plenty of time for showers and breakfast.

Good. How did you get through the portrait?

Perfect blankness.

You have a way to go around don't you?

Maybe. Can't explain right now.

What?

OH. DOG.

Right. Have fun. Stay Safe.

Harry shrugged and opened his eyes.

"Do you know how creepy that looks," said Dean.

"Oh, lay off," said Ron.

"Did you get an answer?" said Neville.

"They caught their rat, She's found another friend to play hide and seek with," said Harry.

"Wait a second," said Ron, "Where's Scabbers?"

"He'll be in his carrier," said Harry, "unless he's noticed that Nim went out."

"No," said Ron, "His carrier was right here, where it always is, and now it's gone."

"Oh," said Harry.

"Did someone just kick it under a bed?" said Neville.

"I don't know," said Ron.

So they tore the room apart a second time that night.

Neither Scabbers nor pet carrier were found.

Ron tried to report it, but none of the prefects cared enough to tell McGonagall before morning. Which understandably made Ron angry, but everyone understood the reluctance to interrupt the Deputy Headmistress again on a night after someone tried to break in on her Lions.

.

Nim wasn't around when Harry woke up, but she did appear part way through his shower, and spent more time scrubbing herself on his ankle than she did trying to get wet.

When they went down to breakfast, she was less interested than average in eating, and more in curling up in his lap. Harry was alright with that.

The papers came. The third page news was that there was a new lead on the Sirius Black case, but instead of something about Black (or someone) being foiled in an attempt to break into Gryffindor Tower at Hogwarts, it was about Peter Pettigrew, (who'd been long thought dead), being found in a cage charmed unbreakable and imperturbable, branded with a dark mark. Along with an anonymous note saying he was the Potter's secret keepers and that Sirius Black was innocent. There were even pictures of an ugly little man with a pointy nose and beady black eyes shivering. He was missing a finger on his left hand.

One follow up editorial, suggested that although Sirius was in jail for the deaths of the twelve muggles, the court might have been willing to accept that as accidental, if he wasn't also implicated in everyone's minds, in the betrayal of the Potters, previously unremarkable war heroes, just like the rest of the auror service. But after the fall of self styled dark lord, The Potters had been catapulted to celebrity status, and Sirius Black cast as the villain that betrayed them to their deaths, though that meeting had serendipitously precipitated the fall of the dark lord.

Another editorial suggested that it was all a holiday prank transfiguration, in very very poor taste, to sully the name of a war hero, and the creature should be kept under observation for three days to see what it untransfigured into when the magic wore off. And imputing all sorts of horrible vices to the sort of vagrant who'd prey on the public's minds with this sort of gas-lighting when we should stand firm in this time of terror with Sirius Black on the loose.

Yet another suggested: Even if Pettigrew was alive, that wasn't a crime. And shutting him up in a cage and leaving him in the Ministry was kidnapping. Writing 'libellous and defamatory accusations' was merely that, until one signed one's name and pledged one's sickle that you were telling the truth and requested the ministry to press charges. Without taking that step the kidnapper (or kidnappers) were not doing themselves any favours by multiplying the charges against them. So of course, the only lawful path open to the Aurors was to let him go. But of course ministry overreach being what it was, some Auror probably would, probably already had, put down their own sickle to have him tried for something, anything to get some veritaserum in him and find out what he was guilty of, so that they could disappear him off to Azkaban before the people learned the truth.

Not that the author was making any suggestions what 'Truth' was so important and so terrible that it was worth a man fleeing the country, or living in hiding, or what ever he'd been doing for 12 years.

The fourth editorial pointed out Sirius Black's brother Regulus and cousin Bellatrix Lestrange were violent death eaters, and it was clear from his auror records that Sirius Black was also perfectly capable of violence. Also that Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew were erstwhile best friends, and had fought in front of muggle civilians, which counted as a breech of the statute of secrecy and reckless endangerment. The only questions that remained were 'did Peter's Dark Mark and previous friendship with Sirius, mean that Sirius could now finally get convicted of an additional charge of conspiracy with death eaters added to his sentence. Instead of just the deaths of the twelve muggles?'

"I've seen this before," said Hermione.

"What?"

"They convict an innocent man on something stupid because they can't get the real charge to stick, then sentence him as if they did manage to convict him of the larger crime. Then the evidence comes in, that someone else is guilty of the main crime, and they convict both of them of the main crime and conspiracy, rather than apologising to the innocent one for the wrong sentence on the small crime that no one actually cares about."

"Huh?"

"Never mind," said Hermione.

"Hermione," said Harry, "Did you just say you think Black is innocent?"

"Not exactly," said Hermione, "Just that the first article says they sentenced him for one crime because they were mad at him about something else that … might not have even been a crime to the normal way of thinking."

"No, no, no," said Harry, "If he betrayed my parents to you-know-who, with the knowledge that it would get them killed, that's conspiracy to commit murder."

"Oh," said Hermione, "Yeah, but they didn't convict him of that, they convicted him of killing Pettigrew and 12 muggles, which ought to be a bigger crime, nothing against your parents Harry, just 13 is more than 2. And murder is more than conspiracy to commit."

"I know what you mean," said Harry, "and I agree, unless my dad gets counted extra for being a police man, which does happen in some jurisdictions in some circumstances, Not sure it applies to aurors or conspiracy to commit murder."

"An interesting point," said Hermione, "I wonder if we have access to law books in the library."

"I wonder if court documents are public record," said Harry, "I'd like to see for myself what the evidence was. One piece of new evidence shouldn't threaten to overturn an entire case like this, unless it was a bad case to start with."

"Hmm," said Hermione, "I'm not sure that's true. It might depend on how much credence is put towards, 'beyond reasonable doubt'."

"I think you just agreed with me," said Harry.

Hermione wrinkled her nose, then narrowed her eyes, "Merlin, now I need to see those court documents."

"You guys are crazy," said Ron.

"What?" said Harry.

"Do you two not have enough homework that you have to invent extra to keep from being bored?"

"Not that," said Harry. "More like, last year Hermione solved the mystery while sitting in the library. If she'd stayed there until we arrived, you know, we might have been done a week or two earlier."

"Huh," said Ron, "Didn't think of that."

"Or we'd have all been petrified and no one would have been awake to rescue anyone," said Hermione.

Ron grumbled.

"Anyway," said Harry, "why not solve the mystery sitting in the library, or writing letters, it makes the rescuing part easier and less dramatic if we already know what we're going to be fighting, and how to do so."

Ron shrugged, "Ok, sure, but what exactly is the mystery?"

"Whether Sirius is innocent or guilty," said Harry.

"More to the point," said Hermione, "Whether the British Wizarding society is a respectable country, or a damn banana republic."

Both her friends stared at her.

"Language?" said Ron.

"No," said Harry, "I think it may have been justified use."

Hermione nodded.

Ron shrugged.

"How do we find out how to write for court records?" said Hermione.

Ron shrugged, "Do you want me to ask my Dad?"

"Is there a faster way?" said Hermione, "Are any of our classmates parents work for the aurors? Or the courts."

"McGonagall used to be an auror or something," said Ron, "but that was ages ago."

None of them wanted to talk to McGonagall right now.

"Susan Bones?" said Harry.

"Yeah," said Ron, "definitely Susan, I'll come with you."

.

Two days later the newspaper announced that the Hall of Records was in uproar, it seemed that many court documents had been stolen or misfiled, and it was throwing into question the convictions and sentences handed down under the Bagnold administration when Bartemius Crouch was head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. A thorough audit was being conducted.

The editorials speculated on everything from whether the chaos of 'a thorough audit' would be a good time to 'disappear' more court records. To just how many were in prison without trials? To who besides Bartemius Crouch, and or, The Hall of Records guards could be held responsible for such a thing. To what the legal process would be for someone, if the court records of their conviction could not be found.

.

On the fourth day, like clockwork, Pettigrew was missing, and a third of everyone was saying it must have been a conjured prank after all. And another third was saying their acquaintance in the ministry said their friend said that he'd admitted to some interesting things during questioning, and there were lots better ways of detecting conjurations than 'waiting for them to expire,' and of course the DMLE would have used them all before wasting good veritaserum on him.

...-...

Library

Padma looked up to see her sister placing down her books on the opposite side of the table.

"You look upset."

"Hermione quit divination last week, I didn't want to believe it but she didn't come this week."

"And this is a problem because?"

"She's the only person I know smarter than you, um not counting grandma but that's different."

Padma blinked, "Ah! I take it she didn't just drop a course that she felt wasn't in her interests?"

"She said it was a waste of everyone's time."

"Hmm," said Padma, "You don't believe her?"

"I don't want to believe her, it feels like I'm this close to figuring out how to do some of the exercises, and then she yelled and quit."

Padma sighed, "I also think it's a waste of time, but I'm not the one who can remember dreams well enough to pick them apart."

Parvati sighed, "Yes, well."

"Any progress on your recurring nightmare?"

"The one where I'm running away?"

"Yes, that one, are there others?"

Parvati shrugged, "There's something heavy on my shoulders."

Padma tilted her head and eyes toward Parvati's book bag.

"No," said Parvati, "something woolly with hands and breath."

Padma raised an eyebrow.

Parvati shuddered, "Too many hands."

"Oh," said Padma and shuddered too, "Colour?"

"I think black, but I'm not sure. Maybe black or white or both. (Maybe grey and the ambient light makes a difference?)"

"Any of that have symbolism?"

"Running away is avoiding something, obviously, something on my back is a burden, black means unknown or unexamined, hairy hands means lack of gentleness, but so far, no one has tried to hurt me."

"Is Hermione's temper tantrum the worst that's happened to you recently?"

"Well there was the attempt to break into gryffindor tower."

"Hmm."

"Oh, and last time it was snow to run through instead of desert, (desert means loss or misfortune or loneliness or hopelessness). Snow represents everything from unexpressed emotions, to innocence. Falling snow represents fresh start and new perspective, but I don't think there was any falling except what I was kicking up with my running."

"Or it might just be that you need to add another blanket."

Parvati shrugged.

"Does running fast enough to kick up snow signify anything?"

"It's still just running away from something."

"And it's running away, not trying to shake off the black thing?"

"Correct."

"Hmm, alright."

"My other recent symbolic dream turned out to be about when I should work my history essay, which I am doing, so that will be fine."

"Ah, I'll keep quiet then."

Parvati smiled.

Padma smiled back.

...-...

{End Chapter 6}