Sacrifice

Hi everyone :)

Many thanks for the wonderful reviews :) They are the pink in my otherwise green coloured life O.o As always, my thanks come with replies at the bottom :)
Now, important anouncement time! I have but one chapter of this to write now. Because of such (and also just because I'm impatient XD) I'm now going to start updating every Saturday. That's right people; weekly updates! Which means in a mere thirteen more weeks, this story will all be over! Though that's still quite a while away, isn't it? :D
Enough talking, on with the chapter.

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In total, it appeared that Harry would be required to remain in the Infirmary for at least three days. Although the damage to his leg bones would be easy enough to heal, the damage to his muscle and flesh would take a little longer to heal to a degree where it would then be safe to experience the strain of everyday life. Therefore Harry would remain and Fenrir would as well, having threatened Madam Pomfrey into submission in the matter (though, to be fair to the medi-witch, she had put up very little resistance).

At that moment, in the afternoon of the day in which it had all happened, Harry was alone in the Infirmary. Fenrir had stalked off at around midday, claiming that he was going to search out Snape to see what could be done about Sirius. It was a reason that had made Harry smile. Although they weren't really fond of each other, Severus and Fenrir did seem to be able to get along and work together if the situation called for it. The Alpha certainly tolerated more from the professor than he did from anyone else (who wasn't Harry). It was both a relief and a reason to feel happy for the teenager. He knew Fenrir wasn't really one for loneliness, but it was surely nice for him to feel he had something of a comrade in Severus.

The sound of the Infirmary doors opening had Harry rolling his head so he could see who was entering. Of all the people he expected to see, Hermione wasn't one of them. The girl seemed a bit wary of entering at first but upon seeing that there was no one in the room except Harry, she became much more confident.

"So the rumours are true." She said by way of greeting as she moved further into the room.

"What rumours are those?"

"Everyone's talking about how you saved Draco Malfoy from a werewolf attack last night." The girl revealed, finishing her sentence just as she reached the boy's bedside and took a seat. She glanced to his bandaged leg in concern. "Is it bad?"

"Nothing that a few days of treatment won't fix." Harry reassured her.

"That's good." Hermione smiled before she glanced around herself. "There's no one here with you?"

"My Alpha's with Sev, no doubt ranting about the entire situation."

"I hadn't realised you were so friendly with Professor Snape."

"You sound surprised."

"I am." Hermione admitted. "I didn't think anyone was close to Professor Snape...Unless you count Professor Dumbledore."

"It's not easy to gain Sev's friendship, but once you have it and he opens up a little, you find out what a wonderful person he really is." Harry explained happily. "I like to think I'd be with someone like him if I didn't have my Alpha to look after me."

"Why do you need anyone to look after you?" The girl asked, apparently a little annoyed by the comment.

The dark haired teenager offered a gentle smile however. "Well, apart from the fact trouble seems to like me?" He said playfully before he grew more serious. "I imagine you're used to words to help you in figuring out what other people think and feel. I am much more comfortable with actions. My Alpha looks after me because he loves me, and I'm the only one he's looked after in a very long time. To be looked after, I believe that's the ultimate declaration of love."

Hermione was apparently rather speechless at that and she was silent, her eyes slightly widened. Before anything else could pass between the two youths, the Infirmary door opened again, catching both of their attention. Harry was rather relieved to see it wasn't his Alpha (he adored Fenrir but the man did seem to intimidate his younger friends) but instead it was the familiar form of Ron Weasley.

"Ah, Ron." He greeted happily, beckoning his friend over. "You've heard the gossip too."

"Impossible not to have." The ginger haired teenager mumbled, seemingly very shy for some reason. "How ya feeling?"

"Not too bad now, thanks." Harry assured before he remembered he already had company. "Oh, Ron, this is Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is Ron Weasley."

"Yes, we know each other." The girl said a little awkwardly, staring off to the side. "We're in the same House, and the same Year."

"Oh yeah, of course you are, you told me that when we first met."

Hermione offered a weak smile to Harry then before he gaze flickered onto her House mate. "Ron." She said politely but nervously.

"Hermione." Ron mumbled even more nervously.

From where he was sitting in bed, Harry couldn't help but grin in amusement. He saw what was going on between the two and he now remembered how the girl had reacted to the mention of Ron Weasley when he had first met her. So there was a case of adolesant shyness going on? He'd been told by Severus that it was normal for teenagers to be uncomfortable about such things as romantic and physical attraction. Harry thought it very peculiar but he supposed it was impossible to grow up shy of such things what one had been raised by Fenrir Greyback. Naturally, Harry was immediately eager to try and help his two friends.

"Well, I, uh, had better get back to the tower now." Hermione said then, obviously quite eager to escape. "Um, maybe I'll come back and see you again tomorrow?"

"Sure, I'll still be here." Harry assured before he pinned a smile on Ron. "Why don't you walk back with Hermione, Ron?"

"What? Why?" Ron practically squeaked.

Harry shrugged with a false innocence. "Just didn't think a young lady should have to walk the corridors of Hogwarts."

"Oh honestly, why not? What could happen?" Hermione huffed, scowling but blushing nonetheless.

Once again, the dark haired teenager innocently shrugged. "I just think that walking back with you would be the caring, gentlemanly thing to do."

Just as Harry had intended, some part of that sentence managed to persuade Ron (though it was impossible to tell which part, exactly, had done the trick) and suddenly he was all for the idea. "I don't mind walking back with you, Hermione, that's as long as you don't mind of course."

Hermione was quite at a loss for words again for a moment, looking indignant one moment and then reluctant the next and then, finally, resignful. "Oh for the love of...All right then," she sighed as she moved away from the bed and started towards the Infirmary doors. "Come on then, Ron."

It was actually quite comical to watch the way Ron scampered after the girl like a puppy with a crush. Harry couldn't help but very quietly chuckle to himself, the smile remaining even after the other two teenagers were long gone. In fact, he was still grinning even when the Infirmary doors were once again opened to reveal Fenrir, Severus, and Draco.

"Smells like teenager hormones in here," Fenrir grunted, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Wouldn't have anything to do with the two love-sick whelps we just passed, would it?"

"Who else?" Harry chuckled again.

Fenrir gave another grunt then that sound a bit like a laugh but might also have been a noise of contempt (it was sometimes hard to tell). Upon reaching the boy's bedside, the man offered Harry a quick kiss on his lips before sitting on the edge of the bed and slinging an arm around the teenager's slight shoulders. Immediately, Harry cuddled against his Alpha and, for the first time, took notice of Severus and Draco.

"Hello, you two," he greeted, his smile still lingering. "How are you bearing up after last night, Draco?"

"I'm good, thanks to you." The blond murmured, his voice partly shy but also full of admiration and adoration.

It was noted by Fenrir and he wasn't impressed by it. He sent the blond teenager a hard look until Harry jabbed him gently in the side. It was enough to soften the glare but not make it disappear completely.

"There's something you need to know, Harry." Severus spoke then, sounding rather serious. "Because you saved Mr Malfoy's life, he now owes you what is called a Wizard's Debt. This means that you can ask anything of him and he is bound by law to do all in his power to do it for you."

"That's terrible!" Harry gasped. "To think that Draco would be forced to do anything just because I saved his life! I did that so he wouldn't die, not to make sure he owes me some extreme favour!"

"We know that's not why you saved him, Harry, but that doesn't change the fact this is now how things stand; Mr Malfoy owes you a Wizard's Debt."

"Draco owes me nothing." Harry said stubbornly. "Draco, forget all about it, you owe me nothing."

"But Harry..." The blond tried to protest.

"No," the dark haired boy cut his friend off. "I want nothing to do with this wizarding practice. It's completely manipulative, not to mention grossly unfair."

"You sure about this, Pup? Could be a good thing, holding such a debt over a Malfoy." Fenrir revealed.

Harry, however, simply shook his head. "I don't want his debt."

Severus sighed at that and gave Draco and unimpressed look. "It appears as though you were born with more than just a silver spoon in your mouth, Mr Malfoy."

"Don't say it like that!" The blond almost yelled before he remembered he was talking to a teacher. "Sir." He added lamely onto the end.

The Potion professor was clearly unimpressed with the lack of respect but he made no comment on it. Instead, he turned his attention back onto Harry. "Has Black shown himself yet?"

"Behind you." Fenrir grunted, obviously not impressed with his mate's godfather's entrance into the Infirmary.

They all turned to look to the doors and watched as Sirius slowly made his way in, Remus at his side. The man did look rather sheepish and regretful and that was all it was that made Harry open to the side of seeing him.

"Come to admit the stupidity of your actions? Or to beg forgiveness?" Snape sneered.

"Stuff it Snivellous, this isn't any of your business." Sirius shot back before his manner completely changed as he turned to his godson. "Harry, if I had known things would turn out this way, I never would've done what I did. I wouldn't hurt you for the world, you know that."

"Yes, I do, but me getting hurt isn't the point." Harry said gently, a sadness running through him as he began to realise that Sirius was not as regretful as he should've been. "The point is, you tried to have someone killed just because you don't like them."

"I was trying to protect you!" The man insisted heatedly. "And the plan was never to get the Malfoy killed, just, y'know, scare him a bit."

The teenager sighed and shook his head slightly. He was a fool to think that Sirius would actually be remorseful about what he had done. No, Sirius was a man who could rarely admit, even to himself, that he was wrong. Whether he was in denial or simply lying to himself, he believed that he had done nothing wrong other than accidently get Harry hurt.

On top of that, the entire situation seemed to have been somewhat of a wake-up call in Harry's mind. Suddenly, he was very aware that he was very dangerous company to keep. Even if Sirius had learned his lesson and never tried anything of the sort ever again, there were others. Death Eaters and Voldemort himself were an ever constant threat in the teenager's life; what if a friend got dragged into something? The adults around him, they were responsible for themselves, they understood the risks getting involved in his life would create. But could teenagers understand that? Did Draco understand that? Could Harry continue his friendship with Draco in good conscience knowing that he might be dragging the blond into something devastatingly dangerous?

The answer was obvious.

"Draco..." Harry murmured sadly. "Maybe it would be better if we didn't see as much of each other anymore." He said reluctantly, obviously unhappy with his own decision.

"What! But why?" Draco demanded, aghast and completely surprised by the sudden rejection.

The dark haired teenager gave his friend a very sad look. "Being a part of my life is obviously very dangerous, I wouldn't be able to bear it if you got hurt. So, please, just stay away."

The Malfoy looked furious at that for a moment before that anger seemed to melt into something more akin to devestation. He said nothing more and instead turned and all but ran from the Infirmary. Harry felt his heart ache and had to suck in a deep breath in an attempt to hold his tears in check.

"Harry..." Sirius tried gently.

"Looks like your plan worked in the end," the teenager said bitterly, his unshed tears clear in his voice. "You might not have wounded Draco physically, but you certainly caused him, caused us, a great deal of emotional pain. I guess, in the end, you won. Congratulations."

"Harry, I..." The man tried again.

"No, Sirius," Harry interrupted him, holding out an arm as a sign for his godfather to stop. "Just...Just go away."

"You heard him, Black, make yourself scarce." Fenrir grunted threateningly, rising and coming to stand between his mate and the other adult.

If not for the presence of Remus, Sirius would have no doubt continued to fight. However, the tame werewolf gently led his old friend away, murmuring reassuring words as he did so. They left the Infirmary quietly, and then silence was all there was as Fenrir sat on the bed beside Harry and the teenager cuddled into his side, allowing a few tears to fall in mourning for his lost friendships with both Draco and Sirius.

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A day passed by after that and Harry was determined to not see Sirius, because if he saw the man, he'd forgive him and that was the last thing he wanted to do at that moment. No doubt the day would come when he would forgive the man, but that day hadn't arrived and would no doubt not arrive for quite a while. Harry wanted to stew in his anger for a little while, perhaps make Sirius suffer a little. After all, it was a rather terrible thing to do and for such a stupid reason as well.

However, Harry had been called to Professor Dumbledore's office for a reason unknown. The teenager was suspicious that it might be an attempt to get him and Sirius to patch things up and it made him rather reluctant to go. He knew that it was not an invitation that could be denied though and so he made his way to the headmaster's office regardless. As Fenrir's presence hadn't been requested and considering the man was napping when the house-elf had arrived with the message, Harry had chosen to go alone. He imagined his Alpha would've just told him to go by himself anyway.

And so he trod the now very familiar path to Dumbledore's office, spoke the very familiar password and then made his way up the very familiar stairs. He knocked on the same old door when he had reached it and entered upon receiving the invitation to do so. That, however, was when things became quite different.

Sirius's presence had been expected, as was Dumbledore's. Remus's presence was no real surprise either. However, the presence of Draco was surprising and beside Draco, another blond who looked exactly how Harry imagined his friend would when he was forty or so. He thought it was safe to imagine that the man was Draco's father and that immediately put the teenager on edge. Absolutely everyone he had ever met had told him that the senior Malfoy was a dangerous man, that he was a Death Eater, that he was loyal to Voldemort. As Harry moved through the office, over to the side Remus and Sirius were standing in, he was suddenly very regretful of the fact he hadn't woken Fenrir up.

"Ah, Harry, there you are," Dumbledore greeted him, neither his tone or manner betraying the perception that everything was safe and fine. "There's someone here who would like to meet you."

"Mr Potter?" The long haired, blond man said then, his voice a lot like Draco's in accent but nothing like it in tone. "Lucius Malfoy." He introduced himself, stepping forward, closer to the teenager, and offering his hand for a shake.

Very, very warily, Harry accepted the hand and gingerly shook it, only too aware of Remus' sombre mood and the tense form of Sirius behind him and the almost frightened look that Draco had on his face. "Nice to meet you, sir." He somehow managed to get out in an impressively steady voice.

"I hear that it's you I have to thank for my son's safety. I'm in your debt." Somehow, the way that was spoken, it sounded anything but a positive thing.

"Oh, well, you know, it wasn't really anything special." Harry denied awkwardly.

Mr Malfoy gave a stiff inclination of his head then before he turned his attention onto Dumbledore. "Of course, I didn't just come here to pass on my thanks to Mr Potter, I came here to see that action is taken for the safety and well being of Hogwarts and its students."

"Oh?" The headmaster asked simply.

"I demand that the one responsible for the attack on my son be made to leave the school and its grounds immediately."

Harry gasped in horror at that, his eyes widening at the shock. Fenrir was going to be forced to leave? But it wasn't even his fault! Of course, Harry would go with him, but he couldn't imagine Dumbledore letting him go without a fight. Perhaps he could get Severus to help, maybe create a distraction while he stole away into the night and found Fenrir wherever the Alpha might be waiting for him...

"It's time for me to hand in my resignation then." Remus suddenly spoke up, attracting shocked looks from everyone else in the room. He turned a very serious look onto Lucius Malfoy. "I'm the one who attacked your son."

It took all of Harry's self control not to let his jaw drop in sheer shock. He really didn't know what to say to Remus' false admission of guilt and so had no other choice but to remain silent.

"Of course I was going to resign whether you had come to demand it or not, so no further action needs to be taken."

Perhaps Mr Malfoy knew that it was a lie, or perhaps he was just annoyed that he now couldn't open Fenrir up to attack, but whatever it was the man knew or thought he knew, he was obviously not happy with Remus' "confession". He was too refined to cause a scene or to even try and call the man's bluff, but his expression spoke volumes. He was angry, he was disappointed, he was annoyed, and he was frustrated. Yet he still did a remarkably good job of keeping all of it inside, only allowing small parts to escape in the sneer on his face.

"Well then, I believe my business here is complete." He said primly.

"Then allow me to escort you from the school grounds." Dumbledore said then, rising from his seat and moving around it.

"That won't be necessary." Mr Malfoy declined rather sneeringly.

"But I insist." The headmaster said, making it very clear this was not something that he was going to give up on.

Therefore, Mr Malfoy allowed the elderly wizard his small victory and left the office without further word, Dumbledore following on behind him. When the door shut behind them, the tension in the room shattered all at once and everyone immediately relaxed. Harry was the first to speak, and he hurried straight to Remus to address him.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Didn't I?" Remus asked with good nature. "Hogwarts needs you far more than it needs me, Harry, and we both know that if Greyback had to leave, you'd follow him without question. Besides, being who I am...Well, I expected it to happen eventually."

"You shouldn't have had to expect it though." Harry said somewhat bitterly.

"Perhaps." The adult consented, although he didn't sound particularly convincing.

"I'm sorry about all of this, Harry." Draco spoke up then, not moving forward but looking as though he desperately wanted to. "I'm just in the habit of telling my father things. If I had known that he'd..."

"Doesn't matter." Harry sighed as he waved his hand. "What's done is done and all that." He turned his attention back to his Remus then. "I am going to miss you though."

"We'll keep in touch." The man promised with a fatherly smile.

Harry returned the smile with one of his own and hugged the man tightly around the waist. "We'd better." He mumbled, his smile only growing when he felt hands settle on his shoulders.

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Not a week later and things, on the whole, were back to normal. True, Remus was no longer the DADA professor and had been replaced by Sirius, Draco was no longer a part of Harry life, and he still hadn't made up with his godfather, but other than that things were normal. Harry's leg was now completely healed and he was once again wandering around the school without a care. At that moment, while Fenrir took one of his customery mid-morning naps, the teenager was in the library for no other reason than he was bored; why not look for a book? Even if he didn't find one, the process of looking would at least give him something to do for a little while.

Harry scanned the books on the shelves with both his eyes and his fingers, running the tips of them over the spines idly as he read the titles briefly. There was nothing that took his fancy however. He had tried the Potions section first, and then he had looked in a section called Divination. Now he was...Which aisle was he in? He wasn't sure, he'd lost track of where about in the library he was.

His mind preoccupied with trying to figure out what section he was in, he quite forgot about reading the book spines yet he continued to run his fingertips across their leather spines. His mind froze abruptly though when his fingers touched something that made a shock of fear run through him. He gasped and yanked his hand away quickly even as he questioned his behaviour. What in Merlin's name had frightened him so?

Turning his full attention to the book shelf, he was surprised by how easy it was for him to realise just what it was that had startled him. There was a book, much smaller and slimmer than the others, one that looked completely out of place, and just looking at it made Harry feel uneasy. Other than its size there was nothing immediately different about the book, it just seemed to radiate...Something. The teenager was frustrated to realise he couldn't even put his finger on exactly what it was making him feel wary and slightly scared.

Stubbornly, almost as though just to prove that fear was never going to hold him back from anything, Harry reached out carefully for the book. He hesitated for a moment when his fingertips were but a breath away, unsure of whether he really wanted to investigate the unnerving feeling coming from the book. His courage and stubborness soon caught up with him though and he went to pull it out again, anxiety and fear making his stomach churn the closer he got to the spine...

"Good morning Harry."

Harry released a startled gasp and flinched away from the bookcase as though it had tried to bite him. It took him only a second to regain his senses and realise it was actually Hermione who had spoken a completely non-threatening greeting. He breathed a long sigh of relief and instantly started to feel rather silly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." The girl apologised sincerely, apparently concerned by Harry's reaction.

"Doesn't matter." He reassured weakly, smiling a little.

"Is something the matter?"

"No, no, not really," Harry insisted as he went for it and just plucked the book off of the shelf. Nothing catastrophic immediately happened and he allowed himself to relax just a little bit. "What, erm, what are you doing here? Isn't it class time?" He asked, trying to make himself sound more casual and normal with little success.

"We have a project on at the moment, the professor allowed us to spend our class time in the library to do research." Hermione explained before he angled her head a little to try and see what Harry was holding. "What's that you have there?"

The boy glanced down at the book for a moment before he held it out to his friend. "Does this book make you feel funny?"

Hermione accepted it with a curious expression and looked it over quickly. "Can't say that it does." She murmured as she turned it over to look at the back cover. "T. M. Riddle? The author perhaps? I've never heard of him before." She then parted the covers and her eyes widened in surprise. "It's empty, the pages are blank."

"It's a notebook then?" Harry inquired curiously.

"I'd be more inclined to call it a diary. Most likely T. M. Riddle is the one who owns it."

"Why's it in the library then?"

"Perhaps they got it mixed in with their school books and put it on the shelf by accident." Hermione theorised before she looked back to her friend. "You said it feels funny to you though? How so?"

Harry shook his head a little. "It's hard to explain. It just...It feels like I need to be wary around it, like there's something not quite right, like there's something bad about it."

The girl made a thoughtful noise at that as she held up the diary and looked it over. "Well, it's possible that it is charmed to ward off others who might try to read it but I really don't feel anything from it. Maybe it's a faded spell and the werewolf in you is more sensitive to the magic than I might be. Anyway, whatever the case is," she sighed as she moved over to one of the tables. "If it already belongs to someone, we should probably leave it out, just in case they come looking for it." And with that, she set it down on the table-top.

Harry said nothing more on the subject but he continued to feel rather wary of the book. He put it to the back of his mind, however, and walked away with Hermione to another part of the library. When he passed the table again not an hour and a half later, he noticed that the book had disappeared from its space on the table. He should've felt relieved that it was gone, but all he could feel instead was a strange feeling of dread.

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A sharp gasp escaped Harry as his eyes flew open and he woke from his sleep abruptly. The memory of the dream he had just left made him shiver glumly and he wrapped his arms around his naked torsos. A quick glance at the unmoving lump beside him in the bed proved that Fenrir was still asleep. That was something at least. Whenever Harry accidently woke his Alpha because of a dream, he always got his ear bent about it afterwards. He knew it was only because Fenrir was worried and frustrated that there was nothing he could do to help his young mate but it didn't exactly make Harry feel any better.

Sighing lightly, the teenager threw his legs over the side of the bed and very carefully stood up. He didn't want to disturb Fenrir when he had successfully woken without doing so and he was feeling rather restless so he would try and walk it off. Once around the dungeons, he imagined that would be enough to tire him out sufficiently. And if not, he'd just walk a little further until he did feel tired.

Naturally, he grabbed his robe before he left the bedroom, picking it up from the floor where it had landed before he and Fenrir had got into bed together. The robe was pulled on even as the teenager moved through the living area and it was just as he was pulling open the portrait that the hem fell to its place around his ankles. Once outside, he carefully guided the portrait back into place and then started on his way, his pace neither brisk nor a dawdle.

For the longest time his walk was uneventful. It was very dark in all the corridors without windows but thanks to the werewolf he had in him, his night vision was better than the average wizard and so he avoided bumping into anything. After a while, his plan was proving to be a success and Harry began to feel himself growing more and more tired. As he reached the part of the school near the rarely used girls' bathroom, he felt that his limbs were becoming noticeably heavier and he was feeling the definite urge to close his eyes. Due to that, he felt it was time to return to his bed.

However, as he turned to head back the way he came in order to retrace his steps back to his rooms, he found he had to pause when he heard a strange sound. It sounded a bit like grinding, like there were two rough surfaces being passed over each other. It was continuous though, which led to the explanation that at least one of the surfaces was very long. The noise seemed as though it was coming from everywhere at the same time, it was impossible to pinpoint where it was eminating from exactly.

Harry didn't dare breath in case he accidently blotted out a sound. It was so bizarre. Where was it coming from? And more importantly, what exactly was it producing the sound?

The noise continued but then another joined it. This time, it was more obvious what the noise was; it was a voice.

"Kill...Kill, mussst kill..."

Harry frowned at that, now feeling incredibly confused. He looked around himself curiously but saw nothing and no one. He even made a point of looking on the floor, by the walls particularly, just in case it was a snake who was talking to itself. There was nothing, however, and when Harry had decided that, the voice and the grinding had silenced and disappeared.

Although he was still completely confused, Harry shook his head and carried on his way. What he had just heard...It must've just been his imagination. A hallucination caused by sleep-deprivation perhaps; he was feeling rather tired at that point after all. Or simply just his ears playing tricks on him. He was sure that there really hadn't been anything to hear...

Still...

As the teenager once again turned back with the intention of heading back to Fenrir and his bed, he couldn't help but glance over his shoulder. He couldn't have really heard that strange voice from no where...Right?

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After wandering around and hearing the strange voice, Harry had returned to his bed to sleep surprisingly well. He had slept right through the rest of the night and only rose at mid-morning the next day when he felt Fenrir rise beside him. Wordlessly, Harry had shrugged on his robe (he found it too chilly to wander around without it in the colder months) and then they had headed into the living room and did as they always did when they first woke up; eat. The house-elves always left out a large breakfast for them at some time before the two werewolves rose. Neither were sure when the creatures did it but the tea was always hot, the milk was always icey cold, and the full English breakfast for the Alpha was always at the perfect temperature for eating, much to the man's disgust.

"How many times do I have to tell those bloody elves to stop cooking my meat." He grumbled angrily though still grabbed the plate of bacon, sausages, black pudding, scrambled egg, and fried mushrooms.

"The headmaster's probably over-ruled you." Harry replied as he seized the tea pot and proceeded to pour himself a cup.

"And how many times do I have to tell them not to include this crap?" Fenrir continued, pushing the egg and the mushrooms right to the very edge of the plate. "Leaves less room for the meat."

"Makes a change, doesn't it?" The teenager asked, sounding slightly bored and long-suffering, as though his mate wasn't saying anything he hadn't said before.

"I'm a werewolf, I'm supposed to be a carnivore."

"That's only in your animal form." Harry pointed out before he held out a cup to Fenrir. "Tea?" He said by way of offering.

Fenrir grumbled something under his breath, something the teenager didn't quite catch, but accepted the tea nonetheless.

They fell into silence then, as they always did when eating. The Alpha was never what could be described as talkative, but when eating he was even less of a talker. Harry was quite fine with silences which was why he never attempted to strike up conversations during meal times; he no doubt would've only annoyed his mate had he tried.

It was just as Fenrir was finishing off his last slice of black pudding that the quiet was broken by a knock at the portrait entrance. The two werewolves shared a brief look before Harry wordlessly stood and went over to the entrance. He pulled the portait back a little and peered out. It was no real surprise to find Dumbledore on the other side.

"Good morning Headmaster." Harry greeted the old wizard, standing back a little to allow him entry.

"Good morning, dear boy." Dumbledore returned, stepping through and then looking over to Fenrir. "Good morning Merick."

Fenrir didn't even bother to grunt in acknowledgement considering the ancient coot had used his old name.

"Have you been up long?" Dumbledore asked Harry with a smile.

"About fifteen minutes perhaps." The teenager revealed.

"Well, since you're both in the middle of your breakfasts, I won't keep you long then. Unfortunately, I'm here to be the bearer of bad news."

"Oh?" Harry asked, concerned.

"Early this morning, the caretaker's cat was found petrified in one of the corridors near the rarely used girls' bathroom. We believe it must have happened sometime last night." Dumbledore revealed gravely, his usual twinkly eyes dulled with the severity of the subject.

"Poor creature." Harry sympathised genuingly.

"Stupid creature." Fenrir sneered quietly.

"Yes, well, although I don't expect your sympthy," the old man said to Fenrir pointedly, "I am curious as to whether either of you noticed anything strange last night?"

It was with that, that Harry felt his stomch drop and a strange, dreading cold spread through him. He had a sudden ominous feeling and he wasn't sure why. After all, although hearing that voice was the first thing that popped into his mind, there was nothing that really related it to the petrification of a cat. The voice had been saying something about killing, not petrifying and cats. Although was petrifying a way of killing? Harry didn't know. If it was, surely Dumbledore would've said the cat was dead instead of specifically saying it was petrified? Yes, Harry felt fairly sure that the cat wasn't dead, and so what he had heard held no relation to the incident, surely. Still...The ominous feeling was still there and the pit in Harry's stomach remained empty.

The feeling must have somehow shown on his face or in his body language because Fenrir picked up on it. He gave his young mate a quick glance before he decided to get rid of their uninvited guest sooner rather than later.

"We both slept through the night," he grunted easily. "Didn't we, Pup?"

Harry glanced at his Alpha before meekly nodding his head in confirmation.

"So, there you go," Fenrir said to Dumbledore. "Can't help you."

It was hard to tell whether the headmaster believed the pair of werewolves or not. He did look very grave, but he made no comment on it and didn't try to challenge either of them. Instead, he gave a single nod and spoke: "Perhaps it would be best for you both to keep your guards up if you're out of your rooms at night; we don't know if whatever petrified Mrs Norris will petrify something or someone else after all."

"Duly noted." The Alpha gruntled.

"Then I'll leave you to yourselves." Dumbledore said with an inclination of his head before he turned and left, closing the portrait behind himself.

The moment the headmaster was gone, Fenrir turned an expectant look onto his mate.

Harry glanced at his Alpha for a moment before he looked off to the side awkwardly and spoke: "I woke up some time last night. I didn't want to wake you as well so I got up to go for a walk to tire myself out. Just when I was coming back, I heard a voice. I don't know where it came from, but it was talking about killing."

"And where was this exactly?" Fenrir questioned.

"Near the girls' bathroom, where the headmaster said that the cat was found."

Fenrir was silent at that and Harry desperately wished that he wouldn't be. He wanted reassurance, he wanted to be told that everything was all right, that he hadn't heard anything significant. But the quiet lingered and the look on the Alpha's face was anything but reassuring.

Perhaps if it had lasted any longer, Harry would have spoken up. However, he found that he didn't have to when, finally, Fenrir spoke again. "A coincidence."

"You think so?" Harry asked anxiously, willing to cling onto any other explanation at that point.

"Yeah." Was all Fenrir replied to that.

Unfortunately, that grunt wasn't enough to fully reassure Harry. It was basically what he had wanted to hear, and yet...He wasn't at all confident that it all was just a coincidence. And, truthfully, he didn't think Fenrir was all that convinced by his own theory either. The teenager said nothing though and instead kept his worries and doubts to himself. At that moment, there was no way of knowing anything for sure, so there was little point in voicing his fears. They would have to wait and see what else was to come in the future.

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End of Chapter 27.
Man, I hate this chapter -.- It's just a load of stuff that needed to happen, nothing particularly exciting about it. Perhaps it's just because I've read over it so many times to edit and tweak and such, fingers crossed that you guys find it more interesting XD.

Review replies are about to commence!

The Siner
You're welcome :)

elphaba
The wolfsbane wasn't tampered with, it really just was a botch job (didn't want a whole conspiricy thing being thrown up XD)

mithrilandjt
Yep, total idiot.

ladyroo88
Yeah, I think that bit (or the bit where Draco reveals the note) is where people realise that something dodgy is going to happen.

qwerty
In Sirius's defense, he is mentally disturbed, but still, I know what you mean; bad move, Sirius.

Rokkis
Wow, that's a fairly intense statement, saying that this chapter will determine whether or not you keep reading...Gah, I hope you approve >.<

Kati-chan
Marry you, hmm? Will you let me have a dog? Then I'd marry you in a second XD
One of your favourites, if not your very favourite, chapter eh? That is interesting. When I first wrote the last chapter, I didn't imagine many people would actually like it. But underneath the anger at Sirius I get the feeling that everyone really liked it. SO, yeah, apparently I know nothing ^_^;

Ice sCream Twinz
Yeah, jealous Fenrir is strangely attractive O.o

darkpyroangel06
Oh, I'm so happy to hear that your wedding ran smoothly and everything was beautiful ^_^ Once again, many congratulations and I wish you and your husband a life time of happiness.
The whole thing with Harry not acting more in pain came around because animals are usually experts at hiding their pain, it's a survival technique. So I thought that it could be another effect of the small amount of lycanthropy in Harry's system; he has the strength and control to be able to hide it when he's in pain, no matter how bad that pain might be.
Oh, and that last line almost made me choke on my mouthful of coffee ^_^;

PantiesAreOverrated
Is there anything better than winning at winning? :D
You've read all the chapters up to here (otherwise you wouldn't be on this chapter reading this) and I hope you've enjoyed them all ^_^
As for your proposal, I'll say the same thing to you as I did to Kati-chan; if you let me have a pet dog then I'll marry you in a second :D

DarklessVasion
I think Fenrir's already plenty soft when it comes to Harry (at least compared to what he's like to everyone else XD).

dana_aeryn
I'm very pleased to hear that I've converted you somewhat ^_^

That's all for another time, my lovelies. See you next week (yes, that's right, NEXT WEEK!). Until then :D

Hugs
Dream