It's Christmas Time Again: A Time-Traveling TMS Holiday Extravaganza

Christmas 2009 (Part Four)

Harry helped me hoist myself up on the bed beside him. It had been awhile since we'd had a talk like this. "You're growing up so fast," Harry muttered, wincing as he pulled me up.

"I'm trying not to," I said dryly.

Harry laughed, "It's inevitable. Whatever some people may think." He looked me over. "So. Talk to me. What's on?"

"My father was a werewolf," I said.

Harry nodded, "Yes, he was." He watched me for a moment and my face must've shown how at a loss for words I was because he said, "I know you're afraid of the idea of werewolves."

"They're scary," I said.

"I thought so, too, before I met your father."

"I hate that everyone knew him except me," I said.

"I wish you'd gotten to."

"Even this werewolf guy that hurt you tonight knew him and I didn't."

"Werewolf guy?" Harry asked.

"Storm something."

Harry said, "Storm didn't hurt me. I was bit by a particularly aggressive Crup." Harry pointed to his leg, which I hadn't even noticed was sticking out from under the blankets and bandaged up.

"But they said you were hurt at the werewolf pack house?"

"I was. The crup was the pet of one of the residents there. He attacked my leg. There was a disagreement between the two leaders and it got rather heated up and the Alpha, who's sort of like a King, asked the Ministry for assistance resolving the issue. Storm asked for me specifically because he knew I knew about the pack a bit more thanks to your Dad, and I was stupid and got myself chomped by the Crup."

"I thought you might've got turned."

Harry shook his head. Then, "It wouldn't have been the end of it if I had."

"But then you would've... been one."

Harry shrugged. "Then I would've been one."

I looked up at him. "Am I... one?"

"No."

"Are you sure? Maybe it takes time, maybe I will transform suddenly and go on a - a killing rampage."

Harry shook his head.

Looking back, I don't know how he didn't laugh. I would've laughed.

"You're not going to suddenly transform."

"But - what if I inherited it?"

"You didn't."

"How do you know?"

"For one, you would've transformed before now. There is no age that lycanthropy becomes active."

I opened my mouth to argue but Harry continued:

"And for two, it isn't inherited except under very, very rare circumstances, and those are not your circumstances. So you absolutely did not inherit lycanthropy."

A weight felt like it had been lifted up.

"Your father worried about that, too, when your parents had you, you know. He didn't want you to have it, and even though he knew logically that you wouldn't be born with it, he was still afraid."

"If it isn't a bad thing, why was he worried?"

Harry shifted a bit, wincing when his leg moved as he did. I glanced at his leg and then back to him. "I'm alright," he said.