The Loyal and Just

Chapter Eleven

The next day I went and visited Harry in the hospital wing.

"Hey," I say when I walk in, "how are you? I saw the match last Saturday. That was a huge fall."

Harry seems absolutely miserable.

"So what's up?" I ask "I heard about your broom. My dad has an extra one you could use. And the dementors, don't let them get to you."

"It not just that." Harry says "every time the Dementors come close I hear my mum dying."

Oh...

"I can't imagine what that's like..." I trail off "a lot has happened since we last talked."

I think back to finding out Lupin's secret.

"Hey I'm just saying, if you ever want to talk about anything, I'm free" I assure him.

"Yeah, thanks Aran." Harry says.

We talk for a bit but it's only the usual check up and I know that Harry's mind is still on the dementors, and maybe even something else.

"Hey, is there something else on your mind?" I ask him, and I add jokingly, "Seen any grims?"

"How'd you know?" he asks.

"Wait what?" I say, processing what Harry said. Sirius... Of course...

"Err," I trail off, "That's not a grim."

"Wait you've seen it too?" he asks, lightening up.

"Yeah, I keep seeing him around. Trust me, it's just a really large black dog."

"How can you be so sure about that?" Harry ask, "I've seen it twice now, both before life threatening experiences.

"Trust me, I've followed it around. The dog has nothing to hide and it doesn't have any grim-like qualities." I lie (about the hiding stuff part)

I can tell that brightened Harry up. We continued talking for a while before I left, after all I had something I wanted to talk to Lupin about something.

~✯~

I checked the moon last night and it's not a full moon anymore so technically Lupin should be all better.

I knock at his door, the same way I knocked the other day. Lupin opens it this time.

"Hello, what brings you here?" Lupin asks,

"I, uh," I try to come up with someway to ask Lupin about being werewolf without it sounding weird or awkward. "I just wanted to talk a bit."

"I guess I could answer a few questions" he says while beckoning me in. "But first, can I ask you something."

"Yeah, anything Professor." I say, though I have a pretty good feeling what he's about to ask,

"Have you seen any foxes around?" Lupin ask,

I smile a bit, "It depends, have you seen any wolves? I think I might've seen one in your office the other day."

That answer his question,

Nobody says anything for a while.

"It's okay, I won't tell anyone." I tell him

"Thank you, I doubt anyone would like knowing their teacher is a werewolf." Lupin says, "So when did you learn how to be an animagus? That's no small task, you know, for a third year. Trust me, I know."

"Well, in my first year I convinced Dumbledore to teach me. It took me a year and I can't say I'm disappointed."

"That's still a huge achievement." Lupin says, "The youngest I know people to become animagi are a couple of kids in their 5th year."