Moony carefully carried the golden object through the trees, his fur bristling at the magic he felt radiate from the hunting compass. He had encountered these objects years go when he had still been a teen – and he had been the target. There was little he could do to throw off a tracker except to keep moving, but like any other creature, he did tire eventually. Then he’d have to attack his hunter. And the last time he had killed a hunter, he had been chased away by the townspeople, forcing his family to move.

               At that time, instead of moving with his family, however, Moony had left on his own. He had been seventeen, the legal age in the wizarding world, so he was able to search for a cheap place to live in order to keep his parents safe and stable in their new home. It was hard on all of them, but Remus believed he had done the right thing, even if he could never stay in a new place for long.

               Moony made it back to his cabin, but before he could even think about shifting back, rustling caught his attention. He froze midstep, glancing over his shoulder.

               A figure darted away from behind a tree. A figure with a fedora on his head.

               The man with the fedora, Moony thought.

               Snarling, Moony dropped the object and chased after the figure, leaping over tree rootsand fallen branches. The man never looked back, turning to hide behind a tree. Moony bared his teeth. I have you now, he thought.

               Moony slid behind the tree snarling, fur bristled, ears flat.  

               But the man was gone.

               Moony’s ears turned sideways, his head swiveling around. Where did he man go? How could he have disappeared so quickly? Moony sniffed the ground around the tree, but there was no scent to follow. Huffing, the wolf turned back to his cabin, picking up the dropped compass and walked to his cabin, shifting into Remus as he entered.

               Walking over to his small dining table, Remus set the tracker down and opened the fridge, pulling out a carton of eggs and juice. Making a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and pouring him a cold glass of orange juice, Remus sat back down at the table and ate his food as he studied the object. He turned it over in his hand, spotting a pea sized hole in the back. The jagged edges of the hole told him it should not be there.

               Humming at the sight, Remus picked up his knife and felt the object for a groove. When he found one, he used his knife to pry the back end off the object, revealing its internal structures. Whatever had pierced the object had done a lot more damage on the inside. Gears were bent at odd angles and some pieces looked burnt. Some magical sparks flared briefly, indicating magical damage as well.

               Remus sighed. It would be harder to fix this than he thought.

 

               Severus lowered his broom to the ground, casting an annoyed glance in Harry’s direction. After Harry’s attack on the field back in fall, Severus had asked Dumbledore to referee the game in case anyone tried to attack Harry again. The headmaster had agreed. But then the little menace had to show off and catch the snitch in impossible timing. Wasn’t much of a game in Severus’s opinion, but the large grin on the boy’s face made Severus want to smile – but he didn’t, especially with the mob of Gryffindors rushing Harry on the field and cheering his name.

Severus sent the broom flying back to storage and walked off the pitch, his work completed. Now he had another task to complete before sundown – find Quirrell and interrogate some answers out of the stuttering buffoon. Severus had several suspicions of the DADA professor, but there just wasn’t enough time in the day to collect enough evidence. Not with classes to teach and papers to grade.

Over the last few weeks, he had begun shifting in his private quarters most nights in order to accomplish more work before retiring for the night, to the disappointment of Harry and the boy’s friends. However, with the work load increasing as the year went on, he needed more time spent indoors. Still, that didn’t stop him from giving Harry a detention a night or two during the week – or from giving the Golden Trio a detention now and then.

The “detentions” were for show, they were never recorded in the record log books. He usually made sure to find some reason to snap at Harry or the trio around the castle, whether for cheeky remarks in class or for “being up to something” in the hallway. When he had the three alone for their detention in the potions’ classroom, he would ask one of the elves to bring tea and allow the three to work quietly on homework or chat amiably with each other and himself as Ajax. And when it was just Harry, sometimes he allowed the boy to stay in his private quarters for tea.

Severus snorted as he remembered their first detention back when Hermione brought the hunting compass to him.

“This is my first detention ever anywhere!” Hermione whined, sitting at one of the tables. “This isn’t going on the records, is it? It will ruin me!”

“Will you relax?” Severus snapped, finishing up grading a few potion vials, the results of his fifth-year class. Most of the vials held a well brewed potion, one or two held a putrid smelling disaster. Finally, Severus was finished with his grading and set the rest of his work from other classes aside. He glared at the three children sitting in the front row. “For your information, this detention is off the record. I just needed some excuse to bring you three to the classroom without it appearing suspicious.”

Hermione visibly sagged in her seat.

“Now, as for you finding out about the cursed line, I must say, as impressed as I am, it was none of your business to look into.”  

“I’m sorry about that,” Hermione said. “I just wanted to help Harry with his friend, I didn’t realize it would be you.”

“If it had been me or not, you cannot assume that everyone will accept or even want help from an eleven-year-old.”

“Twelve, sir.”

Severus narrowed his eyes at the girl. “You think an extra year will make your assistance to a stranger all the more welcoming?”

“No, sir. Sorry.”

Severus huffed, but before he could continue, a knock at the classroom door caught his attention. Severus stood and walked over to the door, opening it for Remus to walk through. Severus had invited the man to join, but the kids were surprised to see him. Harry grinned brightly. Remus smiled at the three sitting sideways in their seats to look back at him.

“So, what’s the verdict?” Severus asked, shutting the door.

“It seems to me like the compass had been punctured,” Remus said, walking over to the three and sitting in another seat. “There’s a small hole that goes straight through the mechanics. Strange, really. So, what will we be doing for our detention, professor?”

The three children laughed, and Severus rolled his eyes. “Scrubbing the floor with your toothbrush,” he snapped.

               “It’s a shame I didn’t bring mine,” Remus remarked.

               “Your tongue will do just fine.”

               The kids laughed harder and Remus smirked. Harry frowned and looked back at Severus.

               “Hermione said the picture was on a unicorn when she took it off Professor Quirrell’s desk,” the boy said.

               “Yeah, but I don’t think Professor Quirrell had any need to be looking for unicorns,” Hermione said.

               “So you’re telling me,” Severus raised an eyebrow, “that you stole the compass, not borrowed it from your professor?”

               “Well, I was going to return it,” Hermione turned in her seat, facing forward so her back was to Severus. “It’s still technically borrowing.”

               Severus walked back to the front of the room, the two boys sitting correctly in their seats as well. Severus would let the thievery go considering which professor was in question. Everyone was silent as they watched Severus pace the length of the classroom in front of them. Severus had his arms crossed, his fingers drumming against his elbows.

               “Punctured by a unicorn?” he thought aloud. His eyes met Remus’s. “You don’t think . . .”

               “Ha,” Remus barked with laughter, “that’s preposterous. It’s not like the man has a need for any unicorn parts. But if a unicorn did puncture it, it must have been the very tip of the horn. It’s possible that that is what could have damaged the compass.”

               “Hmm,” Severus drummed his fingers lightly against his elbows again before uncrossing his arms with a shake of his head. “Perhaps, you’re right. Do you think you can fix it?”

               “I’ll give it a try, but it may take a few weeks. A couple months even. I would have to fix the damage to the compass, then restore the magic components to the device, then let t charge to working order. And that is if I can fix it. I’m honestly not sure how repairable it is.”

               “If there is anything I could do to help . . .”

               “I’ll let you know.”

               “So,” Harry interrupted. “Can we leave now, or . . .”

               Severus glanced at the fidgeting children. They were obviously bored with their “detention.” He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think so. We have much to discuss.”

               Severus pulled out of his thoughts as he watched the sun slowly lower in the sky. How he hated sunsets. He sighed and leaned against a tree in the forest, glancing out into the small clearing before him. Quirrell better arrive soon. But if the man did not, there were enough trees to disappear in to.

               Thinking back to the detention, Severus remembered how he had explained to the children how they were to proceed from here – the kids were not allowed to discuss his curse of situation with anyone. If they wished to visit, they may, but it would have to be under the guise of detentions. And they would need his permission each time they wanted to visit, and a simple owl to him for an answer would be fine. That way, he could hunt the trio down and find some awful excuse to give them detention.

               Footsteps caught Severus’s attention and he stood up straighter. Quirrell was muttering as he made his way to the clearing.

               “Sev-Severus?” Quirrell called out. “Don’t know-know why you wanted to-to meet here of all places.”

               “I thought you might enjoy the sunset,” Severus said, glancing over at the slowly disappearing sun. “I thought we could chat, privately without any students overhearing. Besides, they aren’t supposed to know about the Philosopher’s stone. What do you know about it so far?”

               “I-I . . . I don’t . . .” Quirrell stammered.

               “It’s really not important,” Severus waved the question off despite how important it really was. “Do you like unicorns?”

               Quirrell paled considerably, but the man pulled a confused face. “Unicorns? I don’t-don’t understand?”

               “Is the question really that complicated? Let me try again. Do you like unicorns? Do you like to watch them frolic in the woods? Do you like to feed them? Hunt them?” Severus had stepped closer and closer to Quirrell until they were directly face to face, glaring at the man with the last question.

               “Hunt-hunt them? Why, no-no-no one could catch them.”

               “So one would think. Let’s get one thing straight: you don’t want me as your enemy, Quirrell.”

               A noise above them caught their attention. Severus and Quirrell looked up in time to see a child on a broom fly away back to the school. Severus’s eyes narrowed as he recognized which student it was. Oh, he would deal with that eavesdropping brat soon enough. His eyes flickered over to the nearly gone sun and he felt the familiar ache in muscles and bone.

               “We will be speaking again,” Severus said before leaving the confused, stuttering man in the clearing, disappearing behind the trees. The sun vanished behind the mountains. He kept walking as he stripped his robe off, pausing long enough to allow himself to shift into his centaur form. He draped his robe in a tree branch.

               Stretching briefly, Severus began galloping towards the Quidditch pitch, just in time to see Harry shut the broom storage door and turn for the castle, nearly running for the building.

               Pawing the ground, Severus galloped at full speed, snatching the surprised child around the waist as they intersected. He galloped to the greenhouses, going to their old usual spot, out of eyesight. Severus didn’t set Harry down, instead he found a large rock near the edge of the trees and raised a hoof to it. Draping Harry over his now bent leg, Severus planted three firm smacks to the boy’s upturned bottom.

               “Ah!” Harry cried out more in surprise, “Ajax!”

               Severus set Harry on his own two feet, stepping away from the forest. Harry reached back and rubbed his bottom indignantly, giving Severus a surprised look.

               “What was that for?”

               “Spying on me in the Forbidden Forest, which you know you shouldn’t be anywhere near. Forget that eavesdropping is considered rude and inappropriate, you deliberately put yourself in danger.”

               “I saw you go in there and I thought you were going to shift so I followed. Then Quirrell –”

               “Professor Quirrell,” Severus quickly corrected.

               “You called him Quirrell,” Harry glared.

               “He and I are both professors and I am not an imprudent brat who should have some decency of showing respect to their elders.”

               “Fine, Professor Quirrell” – Harry stressed the word “professor” – “met with you. I didn’t know you had a meeting with him. I didn’t think you would mind that I followed if you were going to shift.”

               “For the past several months, I have emphasized the importance of staying away from that forest unless I am with you directly. Have I not?”

               “Yes, but . . . I was going to land next to you but then Qu-Professor Quirrell showed up.”

               “And instead of turning around, you decided to stay and hear the conversation. How much did you hear?”

               “It was hard to hear you . . .”

               “That’s not what I asked.”

               Harry was silent, staring at the ground, his hands slowly lowering from where he had rubbed the sting out of his bottom. “Not a lot,” Harry muttered, “but you said something about a Philosopher’s stone.”

               Severus sighed. Just wonderful. His ears flattened and he gave Harry a very stern look.

               “You will forget that conversation ever happened.”

               “Is that what the dog is guarding in the school?”    

               “It would be pointless to keep it from you now. Yes, it is, but this information stays between us, understand?”

               “Well, we kind of had suspicions about what it was already . . .”

               “Then it stays between you three, is that clear?” Severus snapped, more irritated now.

               “Someone is trying to steal it,” Harry argued. “And you know that. It’s Professor Quirrell, isn’t it? You keep suspecting him. And . . . unicorns?” Harry tilted his head, frowning up at Severus.

               Severus rolled his eyes, though he was glad that Harry didn’t quite make the same connections Severus was with the unicorn problem. He stomped the ground with a hoof as he looked off in the distance, Harry following his gaze with a bewildered look. Huffing, Severus looked down at Harry.

               “You do not need to concern yourself with any of this, Harry. You are safe and the adults in the castle have it all under control.”

               Harry looked down, not saying anything. Suddenly, the boy’s eyes blinked rapidly before he snapped his head up and gave Severus an accusing look, his eyes narrowed. “You smacked me,” he said.

               “Yes, I did,” Severus said, crossing his arms and standing himself to full height. “You disobeyed one of my most important rule and eavesdropped on a conversation that was none of your concern. You are lucky I did not do as my mother would and take a ruler to your backside. The Forbidden Forest is dangerous, and you risked your skinny neck for no other reason than to follow me.”

               Harry lost his glare and looked back down. The boy’s features softened.

               “No one’s ever cared about my safety as much as you do, Ajax.”  

Severus felt every muscle in his body relax, even his heart, how that was even possible he didn’t know. He smiled down at the boy, lowering his torso so he could see eye to eye.

“Then let me be the first and obey me,” he said softly. “Stay away from the forest unless I accompany you.”

“Like you did on Christmas,” Harry smiled.

Severus nodded.

Harry reached up and wrapped his arms around what he could reach of Severus, who snorted and aided the boy by lifting him up and giving the child a proper hug. Harry pulled back, Severus resting him slightly on his withers.

“Do you think . . .?” Harry started to say.

“Hmm?” Severus encouraged.

“I was just wondering if maybe you’d . . .”

A noise in the trees caught their attention and they both startled, looking up to see Moony bounding toward them.

“I thought I smelled someone familiar on the wind,” Moony said, wagging his tail happily as he came up to the two.

“Moony!” Harry exclaimed. Severus set Harry down to allow the boy to greet the annoying wolf. “How’s the compass coming along?”

“It’s a pain, but I’m working on it,” Moony answered as he rolled over to expose his stomach, allowing Harry to give him some belly scratches. “How has your day been?”

Harry went into detail about how quickly he had caught the snitch earlier that day, Severus allowing himself to lay down in between the greenhouses, listening to Harry’s excitement about the game and Moony’s chatter about his work. He wondered about what the boy may have been trying to ask him, but his brain couldn’t come up with an answer. He’d have to remind Harry another time about it, but for now, he’d enjoy the cool night.

               “There you are, Harry,” a voice said, startling Severus who whipped his head around.

               Hermione and Ron were approaching the greenhouse, slipping next to Harry and Moony. The wolf enthusiastically greeted the other two children, jumping and romping all over. Severus rolled his eyes but gave the children a “good evening.”

               As Hermione started asking Moony a thousand questions, Harry scooted closer to Severus, sitting and leaning against the centaur’s torso.

               “Our pack herd has grown a lot, don’t you think?’ Harry asked.

               Severus watched as Moony snatched one of Hermione’s books and ran off with it, the two kids chasing him to get it back. Moony must have had enough with the questions. Severus snorted and looked back at Harry, who had rested his head against his side. Brushing a hand through the boy’s hair, Severus nodded. “Yes, it has.”