Reaper's Heir (Book 3)

Chapter 7

Chapter VII

It had been a week since Sirius Black had gotten into the school and slashed the fat lady to ribbons. Neville had apparently started keeping a list of the passwords into the common room because the new knight portrait changed it so much. When he'd said it in the halls, within earshot of Malfoy, I had reminded him to be careful about sharing that kind of information. Daphne and I settled into our seats, chatting as more students trickled into the classroom. I pulled out my notes, flipped to a fresh page, and opened my textbook to the page about Redcaps we'd ended our last class on. Malfoy sauntered in, still wearing his stupid sling, despite the fact that he seemed perfectly fine. I wasn't surprised that he was still milking the incident with Buckbeak though. I was more surprised that nothing seemed to have come of it yet.

The door burst open and Professor Snape swept in, the shudders snapping closed as he pulled a screen down, covering up the blackboard. "Turn to page 394."

Malfoy scribbled something on his parchment, balled it up, and opened his hands, a moth now sitting in his palms.

"Excuse me, sir, but... where's Professor Lupin?" Harry asked.

"That's not really your concern, is it, Potter? Suffice it to say, your professor finds himself incapable of teaching at the present time. Page 394." Professor Snape waved Malfoy's moth away, blew out a candle, and tapped a projector with his wand. A slideshow began, showing a woodcut of a wolf-like beast. Ron began flipping through his textbook one page at a time and Professor Snape flicked his wand with a scowl. Ron's book aggressively flipped to the proper page.

I finally flipped to the right page, staring at the text as I processed the information. "Werewolves?"

Hermione turned to our professor. "But, sir, we've only just begun learning about Red Caps and Hinkypunks. We're not meant to start nocturnal beasts for weeks --"

"Quiet!"

"When did she come in? Did you see her come in?" Ron asked Harry.

"Now. Which of you can tell me the difference between an Animagus and a werewolf?" The entire class stared as the slide changed to an attacking werewolf. Malfoy's moth fluttered over to Harry. "No one?" Professor Snape prompted. "How... disappointing."

Hermione's hand went up seconds before she answered the question. "Please, sir, an Animagus is a wizard who elects to turn into an animal. A werewolf has no choice in the matter. With each full moon, he transforms and no longer remembers who he is. He'd kill his best friend if they crossed his path. Furthermore, the werewolf only responds to the call of its own kind."

Malfoy howled mockingly until he was cut off by Professor Snape. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy! However, one must admit to feeling your pain. That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger. Tell me. Are you incapable of restraining yourself? Or do you take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all?"

"You asked a question and she knows the answer!" Ron snapped, staring Professor Snape down.

"Ten points from Gryffindor!" He began making his way back up the aisle. "As an antidote to your ignorance, I prescribe two rolls of parchment on the werewolf by Monday morning, with particular emphasis on recognizing it."

"But sir, it's quidditch tomorrow," Harry argued.

"Then I suggest you take extra care, Mr. Potter. Loss of limb will not excuse you."

The rest of the class was less eventful, as we learned the origin of the term werewolf and the different ways to become one. I tried to make sure my notes were as informative as possible to make the essay easier. Still, it seemed like an odd topic for Professor Snape to give us while Professor Lupin was out. Our defense against the dark arts education had certainly been spotty, what with getting a new teacher every year, but why would he have us jump ahead? Perhaps Professor Lupin had asked him to get us a bit ahead while he was out? Even with that being the most likely explanation, it still didn't seem entirely right.