Alright, Allen admitted to himself that he'd been defeated, since Annie liked the outfit so much, he might as well just accept that it was a werewolf-fur coat...
After spending some time as a guest, Allen finally remembered his actual mission, they still hadn't bought any supplies!
Even though his headmistress was quite easygoing, Allen really didn't want to test the limits of her patience by returning empty-handed after spending a whole day wandering around.
When they announced they were leaving, the silly werewolf couple quickly got up to see them off. The Gora Valley's internal security was top-notch, without a local escort, outsiders couldn't even enter the area in the first place. Naturally, even tighter defenses protected the more important locations within the valley. Without revealing his identity, Allen had absolutely no chance of entering those.
As the group chatted and walked toward the valley's entrance, they soon arrived at the fireplace where Allen had originally arrived via Floo powder. After bidding farewell to the guards once again, Allen prepared to light a fire with his wand.
But just as he was about to cast the spell, a sudden violent spatial ripple surged through the air.
Allen reacted instantly, pulling Annie back with lightning speed. Nelly, who was a moment slower, grabbed her husband and retreated to the corner of the room. With a quick use of Disillusionment Charms, they all vanished into the surroundings.
It was only after they'd hidden that Allen realized he might have overreacted.
All the recent skirmishes with the Ilvermorny students had put him on edge, making him overly sensitive to any unusual movement. But this was a werewolf stronghold, surely no one would launch a raid in broad daylight, right? If anyone were to attack them, it'd only be their age-old enemies, the vampires, and even they wouldn't be so reckless as to strike just before noon.
Allen gave a sheepish chuckle and was about to brush off the awkward moment, he'd just played the startled bird, jumping at shadows.
But then he noticed something strange.
That couple, their faces weren't laughing. Instead, they wore the exact expressions you'd expect from a husband returning home only to be told by his wife that the cabbage in the backyard had run off with a wild boar.
Why the shocked and furious looks?
Allen turned around, and found his answer.
Two people had just Apparated into the valley, familiar faces.
That alone wasn't too strange. In fact, Allen had run into plenty of acquaintances on this trip. As long as they weren't here to borrow money, most meetings went well.
But the problem was... these two weren't just standing close, they were practically glued together.
Yes, negative distance.
Now, don't get the wrong idea, nothing magically indecent was going on. They were simply kissing. Just your standard, full-contact, face-to-face, "I missed you so much" kind of kiss.
Which, again, wouldn't have been a big deal. As long as there wasn't some messy love polygon involved, you could just avert your eyes and move on.
But this particular pair?
One of them was an Auror from the Ministry of Magic.
The other... was the chieftain of the werewolf tribe, the same one who had once captured Allen.
What in Merlin's name!?
Allen felt his entire worldview collapse in an instant.
He'd thought he'd seen it all, guns, ships, bizarre virtual reality devices, catgirl cafés. He'd even heard of people forming deep emotional bonds with their iPads. But this... This was still just 1990! And the wizarding world was already this open-minded!?
Since when did wizards develop a taste for interbreeding with werewolves?
Should he chalk this up to classic American wizardry? Maybe the moon really is rounder in the U.S., and that's why their werewolves are apparently more alluring than their British counterparts?
Just think, Bill Weasley, even after becoming a werewolf, had nearly had his wedding vetoed by his own mother. If not for Fleur's unwavering insistence, their marriage would've been called off. And Tonks and Lupin? Their love had faced countless hurdles before finally blossoming.
Meanwhile, these American wizards were out here speedrunning relationships like this?
Respect. Absolute respect.
That said... the two werewolves watching had a very different reason for being shocked.
They weren't stunned by the cross-species romance.
They were stunned that their chieftain had been stolen away by a human!
To rise to the rank of chieftain at such a young age, she had to have the support of the entire tribe. And yet here she was, ignoring all eligible werewolf suitors to be with just some regular wizard?
You've got to be kidding! What had that Auror even done?
Sure, he helped them escape, but he didn't compare at all to the young wizard standing right here, the one who had saved the entire tribe!
Sure, he might be a bit young... but still, he'd be a much better match for the chieftain!
As these thoughts raced through their minds, Allen suddenly felt a wave of hostility from behind. He glanced around cautiously, but found nothing.
What Allen didn't know was that Gary, yes, the Auror, hadn't been accepted by the tribe as easily as he made it seem.
Werewolves had an innate resistance to magic, which was exactly why wizards found them difficult to deal with. But that resistance was a double-edged sword.
When werewolves got sick, they couldn't rely on magical medicine, because their resistance blocked its effects.
That's why the Wolfsbane Potion was considered a special case. Even the strongest magical concoctions, like Draught of Living Death, couldn't fully knock out a werewolf.
Gary had only earned his place in the tribe, and won the heart of its most beautiful woman, because he'd developed potions that actually worked on werewolves.
That said, the chieftain wasn't just any woman, within the tribe, she'd already been elevated to a goddess-like figure, beyond the reach of mortals.
If not for the fact that Nelly was a woman, and that Gary's "goddess" wasn't the chieftain but Nelly herself, those two wolf guardians would've ripped Gary to pieces right then and there.
Sure, he helped them find a permanent home, but the tribe had paid dearly for it too! Maybe they could let him off with just a light mauling?
Luckily, the two werewolves present weren't radical fanatics, so Allen and the others got to overhear the ensuing conversation.
After a long, affectionate embrace, the two finally separated.
The Auror tenderly stroked the chieftain's hair and spoke with a soft, loving voice:
"All right, Shan, my sweet girl, don't be anxious. I won't be gone long.
I'll talk to my family. I'll talk to the Ministry too.
Once this mission's over, I'll resign from the Auror office and come back to be with you.
Then nothing will stand in our way. We'll be together forever.
Wait for me, Shan."
Her response was a kiss full of passion and promise.
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