FIC: Aftermaths, Part 85

[geri_chan]

Title: Aftermaths, Part 85
Rating: NC-17 overall, but most chapters are closer to PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin, Theodore/Blaise, and a few other minor pairings
Word count: ~10,860
Warning: AU; written pre-HBP
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising
Summary: Aric spends the full moon with Lukas and his pack; Williamson and Amos are tried and sentenced

Part 84, (Previous chapters can be found under the aftermaths tag.)

***

Aric received another visitor after lunch, a man that he didn't recognize, who appeared to be in his twenties and had dark brown hair. "Yes?" he asked cautiously.

"Hello," the man said, smiling at him pleasantly. "I'm Brian Perry. I'm a member of Lukas's pack. You don't know me, but I believe that you've met my wife, Kyra, and my nephew, Martin Parry. He's a sixth-year Gryffindor at Hogwarts."

"Oh, right," Aric said. "I didn't know that Martin was your nephew, though."

"My family disowned me after I was turned, so it's kind of a secret," Brian said without any bitterness. "Martin is the only one who's still speaking to me."

"I can relate to that," Aric said ruefully. "Well, it's nice to meet you, but..."

"But why am I here?" Brian finished. "I wanted to greet you on behalf of the pack, for one thing. And I also thought you might like to talk to someone who's been through the same thing you have. Takeshi is very knowledgeable about werewolves, but he isn't one himself. And Remus and Lukas have lived with their lycanthropy for all of their lives, and I'm not sure that they can really understand how disconcerting it is to suddenly be turned, to be bombarded with a sensory overload..."

"Yes!" Aric exclaimed, suddenly feeling a sense of relief that someone understood what he was going through. "Just this morning, I overheard a couple of nurses whispering about me, feeling sorry for the poor Dietrich boy. I'm sure they didn't realize that I could hear them. And I can hear all these other little sounds that I normally wouldn't, and it's driving me up the wall!"

"I know," Brian said sympathetically. "You'll find that your sense of smell has become more sensitive, too. Smells that used to be pleasant, like perfume, might be too strong and overpowering for the wolf to enjoy. And you'll find yourself being able to pick up subtle scents that a normal human would never notice. As I said, you'll find it disconcerting at first, but eventually you'll get used to it. And it does have some advantages. For example, I can recognize my mate's scent anywhere." He smiled, his eyes looking a little distant and dreamy for a moment. "It's reassuring, to be able to smell her scent and feel her presence in our flat, even when she's not there."

Aric wasn't sure that was enough to make up for all the disadvantages, but complaining about it wouldn't change the fact that he had been turned, and Brian was trying to be helpful, after all. "What about the transformation?" he asked nervously. "What is that like?"

Brian's expression turned grave. "I won't lie to you. It was terrifying for me at first. It's not so much the pain, although it does hurt, but the fact that you can feel your body changing, and feel the wolf's mind taking over your own. Doing it without the Wolfsbane Potion is..." He visibly shuddered. "...horrible. Transforming with the potion isn't as bad, because you retain your sanity, but the wolf's instincts still become stronger when you take wolf shape. Your sense of sound and smell is even more enhanced, but most of all, you can feel the wolf in your mind. I...I didn't get along with the rest of the pack at first, and I'd avoid them as much as I could when I was human, but we had to spend the full moon together. At first, I tried to sulk in a corner all night, but the wolf is a social creature, and I found myself wanting to join the rest of the pack--to romp and play with them, or even just to sit quietly and be near them. Sometimes we'd get into scuffles, and Lukas would come over and break it up. And when the pack leader growls at you, all you want to do is roll over on your back and submit to him." Brian grinned. "Sometimes I even feel that urge in human form! Lukas can be quite intimidating."

"Try taking Physical Defense lessons from him sometime," Aric said dryly. "And I know you mean well, but you're not really being very reassuring."

"I know," Brian replied, looking unoffended. "I just wanted you to be prepared. But it does get better with time. It'll go easier on you if you don't fight the transformation, and try to accept the wolf. A wolf is really not so different from a human when you come right down to it. Both seek companionship. Both defer to their leaders. Are the Houses at Hogwarts really so different from a wolf pack? Doesn't the Headmaster command the school, and the Minister of Magic command the wizarding world, the way that Lukas commands his pack?"

"I suppose you're right," Aric conceded. "And Lukas is certainly a better leader than Cornelius Fudge was!"

"And in some ways, perhaps a wolf is superior to a human," Brian continued. "Wolves are loyal to their pack. They work together to support and protect each other. From time to time, a wolf might try to challenge the pack leader, but he'll do it openly. Wolves don't try to stab each other in the back the way the pureblood nobles do."

"I guess you're right," Aric said reluctantly.

"The pack will help you," Brian said reassuringly. "I know the idea of being surrounded by wolves seems a little scary, but even when we weren't taking the Wolfsbane Potion, being with the other pack members made me feel calmer." Aric nodded, not really feeling convinced, and Brian said, "Look, I know none of this is really making you feel any better. All I can say is that in a couple of days, the worst will be over. Once you've undergone your first transformation, the others won't be so scary. And the pack will help you through it."

"Thank you," Aric said. It was true that nothing was going to take away his fear of the transformation, but the other werewolf's kindness did make him feel a little better.

"I know what it's like," Brian said softly. "Going from being a pureblood heir to being an outcast. I lost everything when I was turned. I had nowhere to go when I left St. Mungo's. Arthur Weasley was my roommate in the hospital, and we got to be friends. He loaned me some money--he didn't have much then, but he gave me what he could spare. That's the kind of guy he is. He also helped me find a job. And then Lukas found me and took me in. I lived in a cramped apartment with the other werewolves." He flushed. "I wasn't very grateful. Most of them had been werewolves a lot longer and were a lot more streetwise than me. I was scared of them, and I resented having to live with people I wouldn't have given the time of day to in my old life. But I couldn't leave, because I had nowhere else to go. I complained constantly about the life I had lost, even though most of the others had also lost their homes and families. I thought I was better than them, because I had been a wealthy pureblood before I was turned. The rest of the pack didn't like me much. They called me a whiner and were always telling me to shut up. I wouldn't have blamed them if they had thrown me out on the street, but they never did. And finally I realized that they never would. Because even if I was an ungrateful, annoying little git, I was pack to them, and a wolf is always loyal to its pack. They stood by me and looked after me in spite of all my whining. And I realized that they were my true family, and would never abandon me the way that my blood relatives had. Just as we will never abandon you, Aric. Because you are our packmate, our brother. And even if you weren't a werewolf, we would still love you, for saving Lukas's life."

"Thank you," Aric whispered, moved by Brian's words, and the obvious sincerity in his voice. He was too choked up to speak for a moment, but then he cleared his throat and managed to say in a normal voice, "I think you had it a lot worse than I did. I chose to be turned, so at least I sort of knew what I was getting into. And even if my family has halfway-disowned me, I still have a lot of people who are supporting me: Lukas, Takeshi, Professor Lupin and Professor Snape, my cousin Theo and his friends, and my sister Erika."

"I'm glad," Brian said warmly. "Welcome to the pack, Aric."

He held out his hand, and Aric shook it. "Thank you. I'm glad to meet you...brother."

***

Aric was released from the hospital the next day and returned to Hogwarts, with stern instructions from Takeshi and the Healers to take it easy, get plenty of rest, and not exert himself. Brian had been right; breakfast in the Great Hall was something of a sensory overload, as he was bombarded by sounds and smells. The smells were mostly pleasant--the aroma of the breakfast foods, although he did notice that a few of the girls were wearing perfumes that made him want to sneeze. As for the sounds, he did overhear some of the students gossiping about him, but there were so many people talking at once, that it all mostly fused into an incoherent buzz. Dumbledore welcomed him back and praised him for his heroism, and the students, particularly the Slytherins, applauded loudly. Aric was both embarrassed and pleased by all the attention, but he was very relieved when breakfast was finally over, and he could retreat to the privacy and quiet of his dorm room.

His housemates welcomed him back with more warmth than they had ever shown him before, and a few of the younger ones wanted to ask him what it was like to be a werewolf. But fortunately, Theo and Dylan convinced them to leave him alone and let him rest. He spent most of the day resting in bed reading. He wasn't up to facing the crowd in the Great Hall for lunch, so Lupin had the house-elves deliver a meal to his room.

He tried to relax, but it was difficult to forget that the full moon was tomorrow, and he couldn't help but worry about what the transformation would be like. He even resorted to reading Theo's book to take his mind off of things--which resulted in an entirely different set of problems, but a little sexual frustration was preferable to imagining what turning into a wolf would feel like. There were a number of things he looked forward to trying with Takeshi after they moved in together, and a few things that were probably more titillating on paper than in practice. At least page fifty-two didn't seem to involve any acrobatics that might result in strained muscles. It showed the hero of the book making love to a beautiful young man who lay beneath him, an expression of ecstasy on his face, his long legs hooked over the hero's shoulders. It didn't seem all that different from having sex with a woman, which made it seem less intimidating than some of the other things in the book. Aric indulged in a brief fantasy where he was the hero of the story, and it was Takeshi writhing in pleasure beneath him, until he suddenly realized that Takeshi had only mentioned a fondness for page fifty-two, and had never said whether he pictured himself on the top or the bottom. Aric broke out into a sweat and set the book aside, thinking to himself that it was going to take some getting used to, being in a relationship with a guy. But then he thought of Takeshi's smile and silk-smooth hair and sweet kisses, and he smiled. Even if there was some initial awkwardness and embarrassment, eventually they would work things out. All that really mattered was that they loved each other and could finally be together.

***

Meanwhile, Lukas and Lupin were in Snape's dungeon quarters arguing over where Aric should spend the full moon. Lukas wanted to take Aric to the townhouse where his pack lived, and Lupin thought he should stay at Hogwarts.

When Snape suggested that they take their argument somewhere else so he could read the Daily Prophet in peace, Lupin objected, "We're not arguing, Severus. We're discussing."

"You're 'discussing' very loudly, Lupin," Snape said sarcastically.

"I'm responsible for him," Lukas said stubbornly. "I'm the one who turned him; he's part of my pack."

"I'm just not sure that it's a good idea for him to spend his first full moon with your pack," Lupin told Lukas, ignoring Snape. "I think that he might feel intimidated and overwhelmed with so many other wolves around. And they're all strangers to him except for you. I thought it might be easier if he spent it here with just a few people that he's familiar with--you, me, Severus, and the boys."

Lukas shook his head. "Well, he's met Kyra and Brian, but you're right that they're mostly strangers to him. But I think that, in a way, he might feel more comfortable transforming in front of strangers. You have to understand the pureblood mentality, Lupin. He won't want people who have known him as he was before to witness his humiliation."

"But he doesn't--"

Lukas waved off Lupin's objections. "Oh, I know that he no longer considers non-humans to be monsters, but when you have lived in that world for so long, it's impossible to shake off your upbringing that quickly. Among my pack, he'll just be another werewolf, not a pureblood who's fallen from grace. I think it would be best, for the first time at least, that there are no humans around when he transforms. And I think it would do him some good to see that's he not alone. Here at the school, he's the sole werewolf among the students, while at the townhouse he'll merely be one of many. It will make him feel like less of a freak or outcast."

"What do you think, Severus?" Lupin asked.

Snape shrugged. "What he said about pureblood upbringing is true. My father went into seclusion to avoid having to face his peers after he lost his Ministry position. It all depends on whether Aric's pride outweighs his fear of spending the night with a pack of werewolves."

"The Slytherins often seem to have more pride than common sense," Lupin said with a smile. "Although that's a Gryffindor failing as well. I suppose we should go talk to Aric and let him decide."

Lukas blinked in surprise, then smiled a little sheepishly. He was so used to making decisions for his pack, that it hadn't occurred to him to ask Aric's opinion. "He's old enough to make his own decisions," Lukas agreed. "Takeshi's coming by soon to see Aric, so let's talk to him then.

***

Takeshi stopped by in the afternoon to deliver his Wolfsbane Potion, which pleased Aric. He didn't really have to do that, since Snape had already brewed a batch for Lupin and Lukas. Aric choked down the potion, and was rewarded with a kiss and a cup of tea, but he soon found out that this wasn't just a romantic visit, because his two werewolf teachers had also arrived to discuss where he was going to spend the full moon.

"I thought I'd just stay in my room," Aric said hesitantly. "I'll be safe, since I'm taking the potion, right?"

"Yes, but you shouldn't be alone, especially for your first transformation," Takeshi said gently. "A wolf is a social animal and doesn't like to be alone, and besides, it's easier to bear when you have friends or family to support you."

"I would like for you to come meet my pack and spend the full moon with us," Lukas said. "We'd like to welcome you to the family."

"But if you prefer to stay at Hogwarts, you're welcome to spend the night with us," Lupin said, smiling at Aric warmly.

"Us?" Aric asked.

"Severus, Theo, Dylan, and myself," Lupin replied. "We always spend the full moon together. It's become something of a family tradition."

"If you want to stay at Hogwarts, I'll stay with you, too," Lukas said. "But I don't think that you should be alone during the full moon."

"Because something bad might happen?" Aric asked apprehensively.

"No, Aric," Lukas said in a surprisingly gentle voice. "It's just that--as Takeshi said--the transformation is easier when you have other people with you. The first time you transform is always a little scary."

"Were you scared? Your first time, I mean?" Aric asked.

"I was terrified," Lukas replied promptly, without any sign of shame. "But my parents stayed with me--I was just a small cub then, so a strong Sleeping Potion was enough to keep me too sedated to bite or scratch. And having them near me calmed me down. My mother always sang lullabies to me during the full moon, even after it became too dangerous for my parents to stay in the same room with me, and that seemed to calm down the wolf a little, even during its worst rages."

Takeshi reached out and laid his hand over Aric's. "I'll stay with you, too," he said tenderly.

"No!" Aric said sharply, without thinking, then felt guilty when Takeshi looked hurt. "I mean, that's nice of you, but...um...if something goes wrong..." He struggled to find an explanation that wouldn't hurt Takeshi's feelings, which was rather difficult, because he was having difficulty explaining it to himself. He knew that his fear was mostly irrational, but that didn't make it any less strong.

"There's no danger if you're taking the potion--" Takeshi started to argue, but he subsided when Lukas shook his head, although he still looked a little hurt and unhappy.

"I'm sorry," Aric said contritely. "I'm just nervous, I guess. I didn't mean to snap at you. I know there's nothing to worry about, but still...what if the poison has some weird effect on the potion? I don't want to hurt you if anything goes wrong."

"It's all right," Takeshi said gently, squeezing Aric's hand. "You don't have to apologize. I know you must be nervous. I've spent plenty of time treating werewolves at the hospital and the clinic, and I've been present during several transformations without any problems." He and Lukas exchanged a look. "But if it will make you feel more comfortable, I'll entrust you to Lukas or Remus tomorrow night."

The three of them waited expectantly for him to make a decision. The thought of being around an entire wolf pack was a little intimidating, but so was the thought of transforming in front of Theo, Dylan, and Snape. They lived with Lupin and had apparently witnessed his transformations, so Aric knew that they wouldn't be frightened or disgusted by him, but still...he didn't really like the thought of having an audience. And of course he didn't want to bite them, either, on the off chance that something did go wrong. At least with the werewolf pack, he'd be on equal footing, since they would all be transforming, and would be unlikely to hurt any of them--at least not permanently.

"I'll spend the full moon with your pack," Aric said to Lukas in a quiet, hesitant voice. "If that's what you think I should do."

Lukas nodded, looking pleased. "Then I'll meet you here tomorrow. We'll leave before it gets dark, so we can have an early dinner with the pack. It'll give you a chance to meet everyone before moonrise."

The word "moonrise" filled him with terror, no matter how many times Aric told himself that there was nothing to fear. He nodded silently, afraid that his voice might squeak with fear if he spoke.

Lupin must have sensed what he was feeling, because he suddenly gave Aric a hug and said reassuringly, "Everything will be all right, Aric. I promise. I'm always here if you need me."

At least that startled Aric out of his fear. "Ah...okay, Professor," he said, feeling a little flustered and embarrassed. "Thanks."

Lupin chuckled. "Don't mind me; Severus says that I'm a sentimental Gryffindor idiot. And you can call me 'Remus' if you want. I won't be your Professor for much longer, but I hope that I can be your friend."

Lupin's grin was so infectious that it was impossible not to smile back at him. "Okay, Remus," Aric said. "Thank you."

Takeshi kissed him on the cheek, right in front of Lukas and Remus, which made Aric blush, which he supposed was pretty silly. It wasn't like the other two werewolves didn't know what was going on between them. "I need to get back to the clinic, but I'll stop by with your potion tomorrow."

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Aric whispered anxiously. Then he realized that there was no point in whispering, since the other two werewolves could probably hear him. This heightened sense thing seemed to have a lot more drawbacks than advantages.

"No, I'm not," Takeshi said softly, with a look of such love in his eyes that Aric could not doubt him. "I wish I could be with you, but I know that Lukas will take good care of you. And you'll see that there's nothing to fear." He kissed Aric again, and then left with Lupin and Lukas.

Still, Aric felt bad about hurting Takeshi's feelings, and he promised himself that he would find a way to make it up to his lover later.

***

Takeshi was still feeling a little hurt as he left the dorm with Lukas and Remus. "I know that he's scared, but I thought he knew that he could trust me," he said sadly.

"It's not so much you that he doesn't trust, but himself," Lukas told him. "He's afraid that he might lose control of the wolf and hurt you. It's the greatest fear that any werewolf has, the fear that we might hurt our loved ones. Along with the fear that our loved ones will see us as monsters."

"But I'm a shapeshifter myself," Takeshi argued. "And he knows that I work with werewolves--"

"It's not a rational fear, Takeshi," Lukas interrupted. "Aric knows all these things. Intellectually, he knows that his fears are irrational, but he can't help himself." He added in a gentle tone of voice that seemed to be meant to take the sting out of his words, "Only another werewolf can truly know what it's like. Even though you are a shapeshifter, it's not the same thing. You retain control of your mind when you change, and the change itself is a conscious, voluntary action, unlike the forced transformation of a werewolf."

"I can understand how Aric feels," Remus said softly. "I was afraid to let Severus watch me transform. But he insisted on staying, and I felt such relief to know that he still loved me, that he wasn't frightened or repulsed by my wolf form." Then he grinned. "And he's very good at scratching me behind the ears!"

"Let Aric spend this full moon with the pack," Lukas told Takeshi. "Once he understands that he's still himself even in wolf form, and that he won't turn into a ravening beast, I think he'll feel a little easier about letting you spend the next full moon with him."

"He is a Slytherin," Remus said thoughtfully. "And Slytherins don't like to lose control of themselves in front of other people, even people that they love--in some circumstances, especially people that they love. And undergoing the transformation into a werewolf is the ultimate loss of control."

"I understand," Takeshi said, feeling much better. "I'll be patient with him. I won't pressure him, but I won't give up, either. I want him to know that I love him no matter what form he takes."

"Persistence," Lupin said cheerfully, "that's the key. You keep wearing them down until they're too tired to fight you anymore." His eyes sparkled with mischievous glee. "That is how I won Severus, after all!"

Takeshi laughed along with his two friends, feeling almost lighthearted. Aric was nowhere near as formidable as the Potions Master, after all. It wouldn't be easy, but he was confident that everything would work out in the end.

***

Meanwhile, in his quarters, Snape suddenly sneezed and then muttered to himself sourly, "Why do I have the feeling that someone is talking about me?"

***

The hours passed all too quickly--or at least, that was the way it seemed to Aric--and before he knew it, he was taking the Floo with Lukas to the werewolves' townhouse. He stood there for a moment, feeling tongue-tied and awkward as he faced a crowd of unfamiliar faces. Then he spotted Brian, who smiled at him in a friendly manner and stepped forward to shake his hand, and then Kyra gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said, "Welcome to the pack, Aric."

The blonde werewolf twins, Lance and Lyra, suddenly ran up to him and began chattering at him eagerly. "I remember you, you're Uncle Takeshi's friend!" Lyra told him.

"Now you're a wolf, like us!" Lance said enthusiastically. "That's great! Now you can play with us!"

Their mother came and gently pulled them away. "I'm sorry about that," she said apologetically to Aric.

Aric was a little taken aback by Lance's statement, but he could see that the children didn't mean any harm. They had been werewolves for most of their short lives, and lived in the midst of a pack of werewolves, so it probably seemed normal to them. He smiled, a bit wryly, at the thought of a household where humans were the odd ones out.

As if echoing his thoughts, Max--the human child that he also remembered from his trips to the clinic--said wistfully, "I wish I could be a wolf, too."

"Max!" his mother Rachel exclaimed, sounding as if she didn't know whether to be horrified or amused.

Aric crouched down so that he could be on eye level with the boy. "Well, you're pretty lucky that you don't have to drink the Wolfsbane Potion; it tastes really awful." He grimaced in an exaggerated manner that made Max laugh.

"Yeah, it does smell really gross!" he agreed.

"And when you go to Hogwarts," Aric continued, "you can study Transfiguration, and maybe you can learn how to turn yourself into a wolf. That would be a lot better than being a werewolf, because you wouldn't have to take the potion, and you could change at any time, not just during the full moon."

"Really?" Max asked, his eyes lighting up.

"It's possible," Aric replied. "But not everyone can become an Animagus. It takes a lot of magical talent, and you'd have to study very hard."

"I'll work hard!" Max said eagerly. "Boy, I can't wait to go to Hogwarts! Will you help me study, Aric?"

"Sure," Aric replied. "Although Transfiguration isn't really my best subject." Then an idea occurred to him. "Professor Lupin's friend, Sirius Black, is an Animagus. Maybe he can help you with your studies when you're old enough."

"I like Sirius, he's nice," Max said happily. "He can turn into a dog; that's almost as good as a wolf."

The way Aric handled the children seemed to endear him to the other werewolves, and for the most part, they greeted him warmly. Two of the younger werewolves, Kian and Kai, were only a year or two older than he was, and asked him a lot of questions about Hogwarts and Durmstrang.

"It's too late for us," Kian sighed wistfully. "But at least the cubs will be able to go to school."

"It would have been great to have had the chance to play Quidditch," Kai sighed. Apparently both he and Kian were Quidditch enthusiasts, although they'd never had the chance to play, and didn't get to see many matches. Tickets could be expensive, especially for matches between the most popular teams, and were considered a luxury that took second place to more important expenses--like food and rent.

"Maybe you could teach us to play, Aric," Kian suggested, and several of the other werewolves looked interested by this idea. "Just for fun, of course."

"We could call it the Werewolf Cup," Kai joked.

"Sure," Aric said. "We'd need a large, open space where we could play, though."

"Amos Diggory is going to prison, right?" Kian said. "Which means that Lukas will probably get the estate. You'll let us play on the estate grounds, won't you, Lukas?"

"I can just picture a Bludger flying through the window," Lukas sighed, shaking his head, but he was smiling.

"We're going to live in a mansion!" Kai laughed excitedly.

"It's not mine yet," Lukas pointed out dryly. "Don't count your chickens before they're hatched."

"Come now," Rachel said, smiling at all of them indulgently. "We'd better sit down to dinner before it gets too late."

They made casual small talk as they ate, seeming to deliberately avoid any serious or touchy subject matters, like Aric's family or how the others had been turned. Instead, they talked about how most of the werewolves who had lost their jobs were being rehired now that their innocence had been proven, and Kian and Kai said that they'd been hired to work at the Sakura, which was expanding into delivery service. Kian was training to become a chef, and Kai was going to be a delivery person.

"They're also hiring a couple of your yearmates when they graduate," Kai told Aric. "Two Hufflepuff kids, Hannah and Ernie."

Which led to more discussion about Hogwarts and Quidditch. The younger werewolves questioned him eagerly about both subjects, and also teased him gently about his relationship with Takeshi.

"We knew he was pining over someone, but we didn't know who," Kian said. "You're quite the heartbreaker, Aric!"

Their teasing seemed good-natured, so Aric tried not to take offense, although he was a little embarrassed. It was really not so much different than joking around with his friends at Hogwarts or Durmstrang.

One werewolf, though, sat back and watched him with a cool, slightly wary look on his face. He didn't look hostile, exactly, more like he was observing Aric and waiting to see how he would act before passing judgment on him. He supposed that the werewolves had good reason to be wary of purebloods, but he didn't really like the idea of someone looking at him that way, like Snape evaluating a student's potion with a critical eye. The werewolf, who had been introduced to him as Ash, had a long scar across his face, which made him look a little scary, like the sort of person you wouldn't want to run into in a dark alley.

There were a few humans in Lukas's pack: Max, two other children, and a couple of humans who were married to werewolf spouses. After dessert, the adult humans shooed the reluctant children upstairs to be put to bed.

"But I want to watch," Max protested. "I want to play with Lance and Lyra, and I want a piggyback ride, Uncle Lukas!"

"Not this time, Max," Lukas said, picking up the boy and giving him a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Tonight is a special night, just for the wolves, to welcome Aric into the pack. But I'll give you a piggyback ride upstairs, and read you a bedtime story before the moon rises."

Max seemed placated by that, and Lukas lifted the boy onto his shoulders and went upstairs with the others. Brian told Aric quietly, "Lukas thought you might feel more comfortable without any humans around tonight." Aric nodded gratefully. He had enough to worry about without feeling self-conscious about being watched, not to mention being afraid that he might bite an innocent child!

The pack grew quieter as moonrise drew closer, most of them taking seats on the couch or on the floor, waiting in silence or talking to each other very softly. Aric paced nervously in one corner of the room, a little apart from the rest of the pack. He felt, more than heard, a presence coming up behind him, and turned to see Ash standing beside him.

"Relax, pack brother," the older werewolf said. "It won't be as bad as you think."

"I hope not," Aric said. He tried not to stare, but his eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the scar on the other man's face. "Did you get that when you were turned?" he asked hesitantly.

Something cold and dangerous flashed in Ash's hazel eyes, just a brief flicker, but it was enough to make Aric regret his impulsive question. Ash fit the image of a stereotypical werewolf much better than Brian or the twins did. "There is an unspoken law in the pack, not to ask each other about the past, unless someone chooses to volunteer that information," Ash said in a level voice. "Most of us have painful memories that we wish to forget. Lukas always tells the new members that they are leaving the past behind and starting over fresh."

"I'm sorry," Aric apologized. "I didn't mean any offense." It was actually a rather appealing concept--starting over fresh, no one knowing anything about who you had been in the past. But of course everyone here knew his background--the story of how he had been turned had already been printed in the Daily Prophet.

"It's all right," Ash said. "You didn't know." He gave Aric an appraising look and added, "Perhaps someday I'll tell you how I got this." His fingers lightly traced his scar. "When I know you a little better."

Aric took that to mean, "When you have proven yourself to me and I know that I can trust you."

"I'm very grateful to you for saving Lukas," Ash continued. "And I'm glad that Takeshi seems to have found happiness with you. But remember one thing..." He slung an arm around Aric's shoulders in a companionable manner, but his feral, sharp-toothed grin was more threatening than reassuring. "Takeshi is a good friend of mine, and if you break his heart, you will answer to me, packmate or not."

"Of course I won't break his heart!" Aric said indignantly, then gave the other werewolf a suspicious look. Takeshi had never mentioned the names of the "past boyfriends" he had brought home to meet his parents. "What's it to you, anyway?"

Lukas descended the stairs, saying, "It's almost time."

Ash smiled and said, "He's my friend and I don't want to see him get hurt, that's all," and moved away before Aric could question him further. Lukas gave him a questioning look, and Ash just smiled innocently.

Aric didn't have time to worry about it, because a shaft of silver light spilled through the window, and he gasped as he felt a sudden, intense pain wracking his body. He dropped to his knees, crying out in pain and surprise; it felt like every joint in his body was being twisted in a different direction.

Lukas knelt down beside him, his face pale and strained. "Don't try to fight it," he said. "Give in to the change; it will pass more quickly that way."

Aric was too terrified to heed Lukas's advice, but the transformation swept over him against his will. He screamed as he heard his bones cracking, felt his flesh twisting and reshaping itself. He watched black fur sprout on his arms and hands, watched his fingers fuse together to form a paw, watched his nails lengthen into talons. His scream suddenly changed into a howl, and he realized that the transformation was complete.

He felt a cold nose touch his face, and he literally yelped in surprise. A large yellow wolf was nuzzling him, a concerned look in its yellow-green eyes.

"Lukas?" he tried to ask, but it came out as a short bark. The yellow wolf nodded and licked his face in what seemed to be a reassuring gesture. Obviously, it was more than a little weird to have your teacher licking your face, but it seemed perfectly natural to Aric's wolf self. He automatically started wagging his tail, then turned to stare at this new appendage. He tentatively wagged it again; it definitely felt very strange to have a body part that didn't exist on his human body--sort of like having an extra arm or leg.

Lukas watched him carefully, then seemed satisfied that Aric wasn't going to freak out and have a nervous breakdown. (Could a wolf even have a nervous breakdown?) In any case, Lukas licked Aric's face again, then ambled off and lay down on the rug beside the fireplace.

Aric cautiously walked around the room, testing his new body. Walking on four legs took a little getting used to. If he thought about it too much, he would get flustered and stumble, but he found that if he tried not to think about it and let the wolf's instincts take over, he could manage okay.

All around him the other wolves were greeting each other, touching noses and licking faces, and in some cases, wrestling in a playful manner. Two blond wolf cubs chased each other's tails, then pounced on each other, yipping happily, and rolled across the room like a little ball of golden fur. In one corner of the room, a black wolf and a wolf with pale golden fur--Aric thought they were Kian and Kai--curled up together, nuzzling each other in a very affectionate and somehow intimate way. Aric mentally raised his eyebrows (the wolf didn't really have any), but the other wolves paid the pair no heed, so it obviously wasn't a big deal to the pack. Well, at least it meant that they wouldn't give him and Takeshi a hard time. Lukas had certainly taken things in stride, and even Ash's reservations didn't seem to have anything to do with Aric's gender.

The other wolves greeted him in a reserved manner, seeming to understand that he was nervous about all this. Brian barked out a greeting and wagged his tail, his mouth dropping open in a lupine grin, and Kyra gave him an affectionate lick on the face. Even Ash came over and briefly but politely touched noses with him. Aric noticed that Ash's scar carried over to his wolf form, as did the gray in his hair. Aric also noticed that each of the wolves had their own unique scent. He couldn't really find the right human words to describe it, but while each of them obviously smelled like a wolf, there was a subtle difference to each individual.

He watched the pack, feeling a little calmer. Being a wolf was a little weird, but he still felt like himself. He didn't have any uncontrollable urges to bite or attack anyone. A few of the wolves were playing, a few were nuzzling each other, like Kian and Kai, but most of them were just sitting or lying on the living room floor. Lukas lay in front of the fireplace, eyes closed, apparently dozing, but his tail moved slowly from side to side, waving languidly in what seemed to be an idle, unthinking motion.

Lyra and Lance stopped wrestling and stared at Lukas, their attention seeming riveted by his tail, their heads moving back and forth, following the motion of his waving tail. They crept up behind him, like wolves stalking their prey. Lukas was still dozing, seemingly oblivious. The twins pounced at his tail, but it suddenly jerked up out of reach, then settled back down to the floor. The twins stared at each other in confusion, obviously not sure whether Lukas had done it on purpose or not. Then the werewolf leader rolled over on his side, snoring loudly. The cubs looked relieved, then determinedly pounced on his tail again, and once again, it jerked out of reach at the last second. The twins let out little yips of laughter as they kept pouncing at his tail, which kept darting out of reach. One of them (Lance?) finally gave up and jumped on Lukas's back instead, while Lyra kept chasing his tail, finally catching hold of it in her mouth.

Lukas suddenly jumped to his feet and jerked his tail up, sending both cubs tumbling across the floor. He cuffed the twins lightly with one paw and growled at them, and they ran away to hide behind their mother. Lukas growled, paced in circles on the rug beside the hearth three times, then lay back down and closed his eyes again. And before long, the twins started stalking his tail again, their eyes eager and unrepentant.

Aric shook his head and laughed, which came out as a soft "wuff." Then he found a corner of the room where he wouldn't get in the way of the wolves who were playing, and lay down. Well, this wasn't really so bad, he told himself, although it was still a little unnerving to look down and see black-furred paws instead of hands or feet. He yawned, his long, pink tongue curling, suddenly feeling sleepy. All that worrying had worn him out, or maybe it was because he was still recovering from the poison. He stretched out, laid his head down on his front paws, and closed his eyes. If he slept, maybe the night would pass more quickly, and when he woke up, he'd be human again.

He was just starting to doze off, when he felt sharp little teeth sink into his tail. He woke and leapt to his feet with a startled yelp. He instinctively turned on his attacker with a snarl and lashed out with one paw. He heard a yelp of pain, then realized that he had struck one of the twins. Before he had a chance to react, Ash leapt at him and knocked him over, snarling and baring his teeth. Aric snarled back at him and slashed at his face with his front paw, leaving a row of bloody scratches across Ash's snout. And then they were rolling across the floor, biting and clawing at each other as the other wolves began barking, sounding alarmed.

And then someone was barking at them loudly and angrily, and a heavy body slammed into them, stunning both Aric and Ash. Lukas seized Aric by the scruff of his neck with his jaws and hauled him off of Ash, flinging him to one side with a quick jerk of his head. Then Lukas cuffed Ash, a real blow this time, hard enough to send him flying across the room, and the scarred wolf scrambled to his feet and backed away, whining and tucking his tail between his legs.

Lukas turned on Aric, growling and snarling angrily. An overwhelming, instinctive fear gripped him, banishing rational human thought from his mind. Before he knew what he was doing, Aric rolled over onto his back, tucked his tail between his legs, and threw back his head, exposing his throat. He whimpered in terror as he saw Lukas's jaws open wide, and then they closed around his throat, firmly enough that he could feel the sharpness of Lukas's teeth, but not hard enough to break the skin. Then Lukas released Aric and turned towards Ash, who immediately rolled over and exposed his throat as Aric had. Lukas closed his jaws around Ash's throat, then released him, and then cuffed both of them sharply on the ear and gave each of them a stern glare.

Slowly, Aric's humanity returned to him, but he was shaken by how quickly and completely the wolf had taken him over. Both Brian and Takeshi had been right when they had said that the wolf's instincts were stronger during the full moon--if anything, that was an understatement.

A black-furred wolf--and somehow Aric knew it was Rachel--stepped forward and growled at Lukas in a way that was both gentle and disapproving. And somehow, mostly by the tone of her voice, Aric understood what she was trying to say: "Don't be so hard on the boy. This is all new to him; he was just reacting instinctively."

Aric heard two soft little whimpers, and saw that the twins were slinking towards him, crawling on their bellies (a sign of submission, according to his DADA textbooks), ears and tails drooping. They whined at him contritely, and again, he knew what they were saying: "We're sorry, we were only playing."

Aric made what he hoped was an apologetic sound, and lowered his head to lick their faces. {I'm sorry, too. You just startled me; I didn't mean to hurt you.} The twins seemed to understand, because they looked relieved.

Then Ash approached him, not quite slinking, but with his head hanging, a sheepish expression on his face--one that looked almost comical on the face of a wolf. And Aric understood that even if the werewolf seemed to have a chip on his shoulder about Aric for some reason, he also had reacted mainly out of instinct, to protect the twins. Aric touched his nose to Ash's in a conciliatory manner. He was relieved to note that scratches on Ash's face had closed up and were healing. Without thinking, he gave them an apologetic swipe with his tongue, although the human part of him was slightly appalled at the thought of licking a strange guy's face. But it seemed to be the right move, because Ash licked his face in return, looking much more friendly than he had all evening.

The twins barked and wagged their tails, looking up at him hopefully. {So you want to play, do you?} Aric thought, and barked and waved his tail in an inviting manner. The twins gleefully pounced on it. Soon, some of the older werewolves were joining in, and Aric found himself romping, tail-chasing, and wrestling for most of the evening. Lukas remained apart from the mob, watching from his place beside the hearth with amused and indulgent eyes.

Finally, they collapsed into an exhausted heap of furry bodies. His head was resting on someone's flank--he thought it was Kian's, but he was too sleepy to be certain--while the twins were curled up against his side, already snoring. Katherine gave his face an affectionate lick, as if to thank him for playing with the cubs, and lay down beside them. The human part of Aric thought he should probably feel a little uncomfortable about all this, but the wolf craved the closeness of its pack, and was perfectly content.

{Well, I'll worry about it in the morning,} Aric decided, and closed his eyes and went to sleep.

***

The next morning, Aric awoke in a tangle of human bodies. The twin's heads were pillowed on his stomach, and his own head was resting on Kian's thigh. Katherine and Ash were lying on either side of him. Startled, Aric started to sit up, and the twins made sleepy noises of protest. Moving more slowly, he carefully eased the twins off of him without waking them, and tried to move out of the pile of sleeping bodies without stepping on anyone.

Lukas was still lying on the rug beside the fireplace, but he rose, yawned, and stretched as Aric made his way towards him. "How do you feel, Aric?" he asked.

"Okay, I guess," Aric replied. He felt tired and a little sore, but Takeshi had said that was to be expected. Then he realized that he didn't feel as sore as he should. "In fact, I feel pretty good." He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it to one side to check his shoulder; the bite wound was completely healed, the skin smooth and unscarred. "The bite mark! It's gone!"

"Then your healing powers are working as they should," Lukas said, sounding pleased. "It's one of the few benefits of being a werewolf."

"Maybe there are others," Aric said slowly, thinking of the way that the pack had made him feel welcome, and the feeling of contentment he'd had at the end of the night.

Lukas smiled at him approvingly and patted him on the shoulder. "You handled yourself pretty well last night. I'm sorry if I was a little rough with you."

"It's okay," Aric said. "We were all acting on instinct, I guess. Being a wolf is going to take some getting used to."

"I should have warned you about the twins," Lukas said apologetically. "Or warned them to be more careful of you, since it was your first time transforming."

Aric grinned at him. "How many teeth-marks are there on your tail?"

"If it weren't for our healing powers, there would be quite a few," Lukas laughed. "The pack will be waking soon. Would you like to help me get breakfast started?" He hesitated. "Or perhaps you'd prefer to return to Hogwarts now?"

Aric thought it over for a moment. "No, I'd like to stay. I'll help you with breakfast, but you'll have to tell me what to do. I don't really know how to cook."

"I'm not much of a cook, either," Lukas admitted. "But it doesn't really take a lot of skill to fry bacon and eggs."

So the two of them started breakfast, and before long, Rachel and Katherine woke and came over to help. They set the table with heaping platters of toast, eggs, bacon, and sausages, and bowls of porridge for the children, with plenty of milk and brown sugar. Max offered Aric a spoonful, which he ate to be polite, and he had to admit that it wasn't half-bad, although the wolf much preferred the sausages and bacon. And if some of the bacon was slightly burnt, everyone was too hungry to notice. The transformation apparently left them with wolfish appetites, because all the werewolves devoured their meals hungrily. Between bites, Aric talked and joked easily with the other werewolves, and the children chattered at him nonstop. Apparently having a new "uncle" was quite a novelty to them. Having younger siblings was quite a novelty to him, too, since he'd been the youngest child in his family. After breakfast, he played with the kids for a little while, but soon found himself worn out from giving piggyback rides and having Max and the twins pounce on him. At least they weren't able to bite his tail this time. Funny--it had been weird having a tail, but now it felt a little weird not to have one.

So he felt a little regret, but mostly relief when Lukas said, "That's enough. You can play with Aric another time. He needs to get back to school."

"Okay," Max sighed reluctantly.

"Will you come back and play with us again?" Lyra asked wistfully.

"Sure," Aric said, patting her on the head. "I'll come again on the full moon. Or before then, even."

He said goodbye to the children, then stopped to talk to Ash before he left. "Takeshi means a lot to me," he said. "I know I've done some dumb things in the past, but from now on, I'll work hard to make him happy. I would never intentionally do anything to hurt him." And then he recalled that he had hurt Takeshi yesterday without meaning to. "Maybe I could bring Takeshi with me on the next full moon?"

"Of course," Lukas said. "Takeshi is not a wolf, but he is part of the pack."

"Friends?" Aric asked, extending his hand towards Ash. The other werewolf hesitated for a moment, then nodded and clasped his hand firmly.

"Typical men," Kyra said with a snort of amusement. "They beat the crap out of each other, then become best friends."

"He did not beat the crap out of me," Ash protested indignantly. "I was winning the fight."

"No way!" Aric objected. "I was winning! After all, who's the one who got his face scratched?"

"Knock it off," Lukas growled. "Or I'll beat the crap out of both of you."

Ash just laughed. "You fight pretty good for a pampered pureblood," he told Aric, with a note of grudging respect in his voice.

"I should," Aric said with a grin. "I've been taking Physical Defense lessons from Lukas all year."

He said goodbye to his packmates, and while he was not exactly eager for the next full moon and transformation to come around, he found that he was looking forward to seeing the pack again. Somewhere along the way, he had shifted from thinking of them as "Lukas's pack" to thinking of them as "my pack."

Lukas grinned, as if he could read Aric's thoughts, and put an arm around his shoulders. "You're part of the pack now," he said. He grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, flung it into the fireplace, and together he and Aric stepped through it and returned to Hogwarts.

Lupin was waiting for them when they returned. "How did everything go?" he asked, looking a little anxious.

"Fine," Aric replied casually.

Lukas smiled and ruffled Aric's hair fondly. "He got into a little scuffle with Ash, but nothing serious, just normal wolf aggressions. We worked everything out."

"With a good smack upside the head," Aric said with a rueful smile, rubbing his ear. Of course it didn't hurt anymore, but the memory was still very vivid in his mind, along with the memory of Lukas's strong jaws and sharp teeth closing around his neck.

Lukas swatted at him playfully, then continued, "He's actually very good with the cubs. Maybe I'll have him baby-sit sometime."

Lupin laughed, sounding relieved. "I'm so glad everything worked out, then," he said, and hugged Aric tightly.

"Boy, you werewolves sure are a touchy-feely lot," Aric joked, but he hugged Lupin back, and it felt strangely good--not in a sexual way, but more of a sense of satisfaction and belonging.

"It's a pack instinct," Lukas explained. "The wolf always craves companionship and contact with its pack.

"Did you two eat yet?" Lupin asked. "Breakfast is over, but I could have the house-elves fix something for you."

"We ate a huge breakfast, but I wouldn't mind a little snack," Aric admitted.

"That's only natural," Lupin assured him. "The transformation uses up a lot of energy. So, what did you think of your new form?"

"It wasn't so bad," Aric said. "But it's a really weird feeling, to have a tail!"

"I know, isn't it?" Lupin agreed. "And then after it's over, sometimes I still have the urge to wag it even though it's not there!" And the three werewolves laughed together as they headed down to the kitchen.

***

The Wizengamot had scheduled the trials for Amos and Williamson the day after the full moon. Arthur had apologized to Lukas for the inconvenience, but everyone was anxious to have the trials over and done with, Lukas included. Arthur did see to it, however, that the trials took place in the afternoon to give Lukas some time to rest and recover. So Lukas dressed in his finest velvet robes and his father's torc, and went to court to both testify in and observe the trials.

Williamson's trial was something of an anticlimax--at least to Rita Skeeter, who looked disappointed, obviously having expected something much more dramatic. The disgraced Auror pled guilty to all charges, and confessed his crimes in detail, clearing the names of Snape and the werewolves. Lukas noticed that Williamson kept glancing nervously at Snape, who sat in the spectator section, glowering at him balefully. Madam Bones announced a sentence of life in prison, which Williamson accepted meekly, with a bowed head.

Amos's trial, which took place immediately afterwards, was slightly more complicated. There was no question of his guilt, and just to make sure of it, several witnesses testified about his crimes, including Lukas and Aric. Tonks and Kingsley also testified about the confession he had given under Truth Potion--including the admission that his parents had murdered Cynric, which caused quite a stir in the courtroom. Rita, who was beginning to look a little bored, immediately perked up and began scribbling in her notebook with her acid-green quill.

Amos's lawyer pleaded with the Wizengamot to show his client mercy, arguing that Amos had been misled by Williamson. After all, he pointed out, it had been Williamson who had come up with and carried out the various crimes--including the plot to kill Lukas. For the most part, Amos had simply been an observer.

"Even if he did not take an active role in the crimes, he still had knowledge of them," Madam Bones said disapprovingly. "He knew in advance about the staged werewolf attacks and failed to prevent them." Elias Pritchard, a member of the Wizengamot who had been the first victim of the attacks, nodded vigorously in agreement and glared at Amos. "And most heinous of all," Bones continued, "he conspired with Williamson to murder his own nephew. Even if Williamson was the one who carried out the attempted murder, Amos agreed to it and stood by and watched as he did it. He even attacked his younger nephew, Tristan Ames-Diggory, when the boy tried to defend his cousin."

"He deliberately used a nonfatal stunning spell on Tristan," Amos's lawyer Whitby argued. "He did not want Tristan or any of the other students to be hurt."

"That does not excuse attempted murder," Arthur Weasley said coldly. "And whether he intended it or not, a number of students were put in danger because of his actions. As we heard earlier, Aric Dietrich was nearly killed and only survived by being turned into a werewolf. I am sure that the fact that Amos did not intend for him to be hurt is of little comfort to Mr. Dietrich and his family."

"Of course Mr. Diggory feels terrible about that," Whitby hastily said. "But he has been under extreme emotional stress since his son died." Whitby went on to argue that Amos had not been himself when he had conspired with Williamson, that his grief over Cedric's death and his fear that his parents' secret might be exposed had affected his judgment and caused him to act irrationally. Even if it been wrong, Whitby argued, Amos had covered up his brother's murder out of love for his parents.

"The temporary insanity defense, eh?" Tonks muttered disgustedly to herself; having finished with her testimony, she had taken a seat in the spectator stands near Lukas. "Whitby's picked up a few tips from the Muggle world, I think."

There was a long and heated debate among the Wizengamot members. One faction, led by Arthur, Madam Bones, and Mathias Donner, argued that Amos should receive the maximum sentence of life in prison, the same as Williamson. Many others, although they were shocked by his crimes, felt that they should show some leniency towards Amos, believing Whitby's argument that Cedric's death had driven him over the edge. A few members who were staunchly against non-human rights and who had been sympathetic towards Amos previously, now turned against him because he had indirectly caused a pureblood--Aric--to be turned into a werewolf. Finally they reached a compromise, and Madam Bones rapped her gavel on the desk to call for order, and announced the verdict.

"Amos Diggory, you are sentenced to twenty years in Azkaban for your crimes," Bones said in a loud, clear voice that carried to every corner of the room. "And because you have proven yourself unworthy of the title, Cyril Lukas Gravenor Diggory is hereby appointed head of the Diggory family. Ownership and control of all monies, properties, and other assets belonging to the Diggory family are transferred to him, effective immediately." She rapped the gavel sharply one last time. "Court is adjourned."

Amos was led out of the room, looking weary and dispirited. There seemed to be no anger or defiance left in him at all; he didn't so much as glance at Lukas, not even to glare at him. He paused only briefly to say to his wife, "I'm sorry, Helen," in a hollow voice, then let the guards take him away without waiting for a reply.

Tonks quietly congratulated Lukas, but he didn't feel the sense of triumph that he might have expected. He felt some satisfaction, of course, but it was hard to celebrate when Gwendolyn was weeping brokenheartedly. Even though Lukas despised his uncle, he knew that Gwen loved Amos and could take no pleasure in his prison sentence. Many innocent people had been hurt by Amos's actions--including his own family. Tristan would no doubt be hurt as well, and Amos's wife Helen looked devastated.

She came up to him after the trial ended and said quietly, "I am so sorry. Amos was acting strangely recently, but I had no idea what he was up to. I know that it's no excuse, but he really did change after Cedric died. He became harder, more bitter. I think he was looking for someone to blame."

Lukas just nodded, not knowing what to say. It would be hypocritical to offer sympathy or forgiveness that he didn't feel, although he actually did feel a bit sorry for Helen, if not for Amos.

"The house at Ottery St. Catchpole belongs to you now," Helen told Lukas, without any apparent bitterness. "I'll be packed up and moved out within a week."

Gwendolyn shot Lukas a pleading look, and he said awkwardly, "You don't need to do that." He wasn't cold-hearted enough to throw Amos's wife out on the street, when she'd had no knowledge of his crimes. Besides, he would hardly feel comfortable living in Amos's old house.

But Helen smiled at him sadly and shook her head. "You are very kind, considering everything that my husband put you through, but I don't think that I could stand to live there all alone without Cedric and Amos. It holds too many painful memories. I plan to move back in with my parents. My mother is in poor health, and my father could use some help caring for her. And my sister lives nearby, and it will be good to be able to spend time with her and her children as well. Please do with the house what you will--sell it or rent it if you don't wish to live there. It doesn't come close to making up for the way that Amos wronged you." She had been remarkably composed under the circumstances, but now she began to weep. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad that Cedric isn't around to see what his father has done!"

To Lukas's relief, Gwendolyn stepped forward to embrace and comfort Helen. Robert Ames moved away from the women, beckoning Lukas to follow him, which he gratefully did. Looking as uncomfortable and awkward as Lukas felt, Robert said quietly, "Best give them some time alone. Gwen and Helen are close and they both love Amos, in spite of his faults. They can comfort each other better than anyone else right now." He held out his hand and Lukas shook it. "I admit that I had my doubts about you at first, and I'm sorry. You've conducted yourself with bravery, honor, and compassion. I am sure that you'll be a good Lord of the Diggory family, Cyril."

Lukas thanked Robert, then turned to leave, hoping that he could manage to sneak out without having to talk to Rita Skeeter. However, Morrigan, who had also been among the spectators, suddenly appeared at his side to nix that idea.

"You need to counter all the bad press that the werewolves have been receiving," the lawyer said sternly.

"What makes you think that Skeeter will write a favorable article about me?" Lukas grumbled.

"A dramatic reversal of fortune, a werewolf villain turned hero and Lord--the Daily Prophet's readers will eat it up," Morrigan said confidently. "And the series of articles that she did on your pack after the war were her best-selling and most popular pieces, except for the Harry Potter interviews. Rita has no morals, it's true, but her number one goal in life is to sell papers, and as long as you help her do that, she'll be on your side. Now go make nice to the press." She placed her hand on his back and firmly pushed him in the direction of the reporter, who was smiling at him with an eager and predatory look on her face. So Lukas sighed and went over to face Rita Skeeter and her acid-green quill.

Part 86