Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 76: Unpleasant Company
"I never thought you would know how to dance," Morgan commented, her hands wrapped around his neck.
"Does that surprise you? I lived next to a castle for decades. I attended many parties during my time as court sorcerer."
"And in how many of those parties did you actually dance with someone?" Morgan asked.
Harry did not answer immediately. "But I watched many people do it. And I am a fast learner."
"That… you are." She winked at him.
"Mmm." His green eyes shifted around the hall, across the dozens of students dancing and those sitting at the tables, enjoying the music or having a conversation with their friends.
Most of the adults remained in their own section, observing the students having fun.
It was a scene filled with fun and joy. But Harry could see beyond this. A dark cloud was looming over Hogwarts.
"What is it?" Morgan noticed the sudden change in his eyes.
"Something is happening. I have a feeling…" He glanced toward Headmaster Dumbledore.
The old wizard, who had been all smiles and laughter all night, was now looking very serious, whispering something to one of the other professors.
"Come." Harry held Morgan's hand and walked swiftly toward the professors' table, only stopping when they were next to Dumbledore.
The Headmaster turned his head. "Harry… we may have a problem."
"I think so too. Tell me...what happened?" He inquired of the old wizard.
"I just detected some individuals passing the wards. I had to disable some of the defenses for the party and all its guests, but I left the one that detects people's intent…"
"So if someone with bad intentions walks in here, you would know," Morgan said.
Dumbledore nodded.
"How many?" asked Harry.
"At least a dozen, perhaps more."
McGonagall gasped. "Merlin! We need to notify the Ministry immediately. And get the children to safety."
Harry tapped Morgan on the shoulder. "You have sharper senses. What can you feel?"
Morgan sniffed a few times. "The air current in here is pretty bad, but… that's weird."
"What is it?"
"I smell something like… wet dog."
Dumbledore's expression grew somber. "Werewolves."
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"That way… most of the students should be in the Great Hall right now." Wormtail pointed with a shaky finger. He was surrounded by some of the most dangerous individuals in the country, many of whom were on the most-wanted list of the Ministry of Magic, with an order to execute on sight.
And the most dangerous of them all was their leader, Fenrir Greyback.
He was a tall, muscular man with long hair and a face that made him look more beast than human.
He sniffed around. "What a sweet smell… fresh meat."
The other werewolves walking behind them began to laugh.
"We love fresh meat for dinner!"
"The young ones are always the tastiest. So tender."
Wormtail was getting very nervous and questioned his Master's decision to give this delicate mission to these wild beasts. "M-Mister Greyback. The target—"
Fenrir snapped his head around, getting his face closer to Wormtail. "I have not forgotten our purpose here. Your Master will have what he wants. But my pack needs to be compensated for their work. So I'm not going to deny them a snack when it's so close."
Wormtail gulped. "T-that's… fine." He knew there was no way to have a proper argument with these werewolves. Once they fully transform, they are guided by their most basic instincts.
He could only trust that Fenrir would at least have enough self-control to get what they needed.
"Hmph. There is no need to be so afraid of us, Wormtail." Fenrir had a feral grin on his face. "No one is interested in taking a bite of you. I bet you taste like a sewer rat."
"Haha, true that!"
"If he tastes worse than he smells, then I want none of that." The other men chuckled.
"Alright." Fenrir simply made a gesture with his arm, and everyone went silent. "We are close enough here. You know what to do now… it's time to transform." He produced his wand, gave it a flick, and conjured a sphere of light that went on to float above them.
Loud, feral growls filled the corridor.
Fenrir Greyback smiled with satisfaction, watching his pack.
Most werewolves would need to wait until the full moon to transform. But these men were Fenrir's elite pack members. All of them had trained to control their gift, to the point where they only needed to focus on something that vaguely resembled a moon, and it would be enough to trigger the change.
Less than two minutes later, the fifteen men that Fenrir had brought were now looking very different. They were no longer men, but dangerous beasts with thick dark fur covering their massive bodies, their sharp claws ready to rip apart everything that got in their way.
Fenrir, however, remained unchanged. As much as he would like to join his comrades, it would serve him better to stay like this to secure the "item" they were hired to retrieve.
"Let's go hunt!" Fenrir's roar filled the hallway, and his pack responded just as he expected them to.
They rushed past him and went directly toward the Great Hall.
"You too, let's go. Get your wand ready. Tonight, you are going to be pulling your own weight." Fenrir grabbed Wormtail by the cuff of his clothes and dragged him along. "Don't think I don't know about your cowardly nature. But if you dare to turn into a rat and try to run away… I will chase you down and eat you whole."
Wormtail's body continued to shake as he dragged his feet along Hogwarts's floor.
In the distance, they could already hear how the gates were destroyed, soon followed by the screams of children.
Fenrir had a feral grin the whole time. "Step up the pace, rat. I don't want to miss the show."
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