Harry had his arms around his knees, and he pressed his face tightly into the material of his robe. He did not move, and by the harsh breaths being taken in and let out nearby it would have been clear to him that the wolves were still there. Three of the great beasts sat, a ways away from him in a dimly lit cave. The cave was deep, but narrow, and it would have been pitch black if it were not for the small clusters of mushrooms emitting a soft greenish glow. They reflected on the small pools of water here and there. A thin stream ran throughout the cave, and the whole place was very damp. This was clearly getting to Harry, who sat shivering with his socks and trainers wet. He was shaking so badly one would wonder if he was crying, but he would not lift his face from his knees.

       “Who will do the honours of turning him?” said one of the wolves with a deep, rasping growl, and Harry flinched.

       “I imagine Aldhelm will want to do it,” said the other, this one quite obviously female. “He is the strongest, as well as the largest, and will give the boy the best chance at victory. Unless, Angus, you think you should be the one to do the honours?” Her tone was mocking.

         “Shut up Hazel,” Angus said, clearly in a bad mood.

        “How do we know the boy’s got the guts?” said the third wolf in a soft, dangerous voice as it stepped lightly around Harry’s shaking form, surveying him. Harry pushed his face further into his knees as the wolf breathed down his neck. Hazel answered.

        “Aldhelm said that once the boy sees he is one of us he will feel that he has to do it, for he will wish for freedom once more, and once we have victory we will have that in spades.” She lowered her voice and continued, “Between the three of us, I think Aldhelm is foolish to think the boy will switch sides so easily. But, all we will have to do is threaten to bite his friends. He’s a Gryffindor. He’ll do it to save them.” The female wolf crept forward and put her snout close to Harry’s face. “Won’t you, little Harry?”

      “Get away!” was the muffled cry that Harry gave as he scrambled backward, looking up briefly.

      “Did nasty Hazel scare you?” she said in response.

       The wolves let out barking laughs while Harry stole glances at them from over his knees. He was pale as a ghost. The fear on his face was easily read through his confusion over the plans he had heard.

       The wolves quieted down quickly and looked to the mouth of the cave. Harry had his eyes on their ears, which pricked back and forth. Suddenly, the female wolf let out a loud howl, which made Harry jump, his eyes wide. Then, floating with ghostlike quality, there was another howl way off in the distant reaches of the cave, in one of the small tunnels that led into the larger cavern. Quite suddenly everywhere was filled with the sound of baying wolves, and the rest of the pack came flooding in, whooping and crying out to each other in delight. The sound echoed strangely as the howls reverberated off the stone. Amidst the howls of wolves Harry watched tunnel entrance, and something that did not look like a wolf appeared to be coming out into the larger cavern. In the greenish gloom Harry squinted at the form. The thing came into view, and turned out to be Professor Snape, who was limping badly, but still walking. He did so with the help of a large stick, which he gripped in both hands. The largest of the wolves, Aldhelm, wrenched the stick from Snape’s grasp. For a moment Snape stood, and then he wobbled dangerously, and his right ankle gave out, sending him crashing to the stones with a loud crunch. There was a chorus of inhuman  laughter.

      “Sir!” Harry cried suddenly, seeming to have recovered the ability to speak.

         “Guard him too,” were Aldhelm’s instructions to the three wolves, as he towered over Snape, who stirred feebly. “We found him out in the forest. He will be of little use. I believe him to be sympathetic with the Dark Lord. We might as well turn him; perhaps then he will see what a monster Voldemort is.”

                Harry looked up sharply, eyes staring directly at Snape.

    “No ... I was a spy for the light, I do not believe in what he stood for!” said Snape, trying to stand with the help of a large stalagmite, looking panicked and out of his element. The wolves paid no attention, and a few were muttering amongst themselves.

     “Sir, how did you get here?” Harry inquired curiously, taking advantage of the pack’s disinterest.

     “Misfortune,” was all that Snape said in response, having managed to become calm once more.

     “Meddling, that’s what got you here,” growled Aldhelm suddenly, pausing in his pacing back and forth. “But ... you were right to suspect the man you were following.”

     “How so?” Snape dared as Harry perked up.

     “As I have said, Lord Voldemort is here once more,” muttered the wolf, eyes gleaming with anger. “That man is a servant to Him. We want both of them gone. For you see, we have a longstanding  ... grudge, shall we call it, against the Dark Lord. From what I have seen so far, you are not familiar with what He has done to us … what He caused.”

     Snape did not respond, but instead was silent, waiting for Aldhelm to continue. It was clear to see that Aldhelm was in the mood to tell of the injustices laid upon him. He began freely.

     “All of us here,” started Aldhelm, looking weary and filled with regret as he glanced around the cavern at the pack of wolves standing and watching them, “every wolf you see, was once human. I am sure you have been wondering about our miraculous ability to produce human speech. It all began when the Dark Lord was looking for recruits. He welcomed everyone, humans, dementors … and half-breeds alike. Werewolves, in fact. The Dark Lord welcomed us with open arms, and promised us things we could only dream of. He did not allow us into his inner circle, but He promised things far greater than recognition in his army. He promised us purity … to be fully human once more.

 "The Dark Lord claimed he was having a potion made by the best of the best, a potion that would cleanse us of all werewolf blood, and lift the burden of monthly transformations with it. The potion was ours … just an arm’s reach away, and all we had to do was take part in one big job. The goal was to infect the head of the Auror office during the full moon, banishing him from society and causing a brief bit of turmoil that would allow Him to succeed in one of His plots, though He would not tell us what that was. To be bitten was a fate worse than death for the head Auror, but none of us cared, for the prize was beyond our wildest dreams. And all of the wolves you see here believed that for such a difficult task the Dark Lord would honour His promise.” Aldhelm let out a low growl, and then without warning struck out at the rock walls of the cave, his sharp claws biting into the rock with a sound that made both Snape and Harry wince.

      “But it was a fool’s dream,” he said, angry voice strangely grating, like the sound of the claws on rock. “There was never a miracle potion; He knew very well He could never cure our disease. Instead we were given a potion that He had no idea the effects of. We all drank … to health … to prosperity. But when we all woke up, we looked like this. Claws, fangs! We became werewolves forevermore, without the light of the full moon, all hours of the day, for the rest of our lives. The only difference was that we kept our minds, our powers of speech. And since we have done nothing but use those two merciful gifts to plot His downfall. For we knew He survived, we always knew. The forests of Albania were not only His hideout, but ours. We vacated soon after we became aware that we could not destroy Him alone, and now He does not know where we are. But we are right under His nose, and sitting before me is the final step to our plan. For with this new asset, our defeat of Him is inevitable, and then we shall rise to be the new power, and have the promised freedom, so long overdue.”

     Snape -  leaning heavily on  a thick stalagmite -  followed Aldhelm’s gaze, which was on Harry, who was sitting perfectly still and looking ghostly in his pallor.

    “Potter?” he hissed. “How will Potter be your key to power?”

    “He defeated the Dark Lord once, did he not? Everyone says that he has the ability to do it again. There was a rumour in the months before the Dark Lord’s downfall that the one that would vanquish him was drawing near, a prediction some say. I do not know for sure, but the Dark Lord seemed to know what He wanted when He kicked down the Potters’ door.”

    “Sir, what does he mean?” whispered Harry when Snape wobbled  dangerously where he was standing.

    Snape paid no attention to Harry, his hands gripping the stalagmite even harder, until his knuckles were white. “He is just a boy, he cannot defeat him. You are fools to think so.”

    “Really? The boy has already defeated Him once; the rest is only a matter of time,” Aldhelm said quietly, his powerful gaze steadily trained on Harry. “But if this child indeed cannot do what the world says, then so be it. It may well be his destruction. But should he fail to do what so many say he can, there is a school full of youngsters just outside of this forest, and if need be we will bite them all and train an army to take Voldemort down once and for all, and rise to create a new order in which werewolves are given the freedom they deserve.”

   “But how do you propose an eleven year old boy can defeat the Dark Lord, should you even be right that the Dark Lord is present in the school?” inquired Snape.

   Aldhelm chuckled. It was the sort of laugh that chills to the bone. “He will have one thing the Dark Lord does not have … cursed blood. At the full moon in two days’ time I will bite the boy, transforming him permanently into a werewolf. He will be just like us. But the full moon will maximize the transformation, and then we will be one step closer to rising above to take our place. Simple, isn’t it?”

   Harry scrambled back as the wolves began to gnash their teeth. A few laughed harshly, taking joy in scaring him. Aldhelm was staring at Harry with a frightening intensity, and only looked away once Snape limped shakily between him and Harry, barely able to stand, yet somehow upon both feet.

   “You will not be able to go through with this,” said Snape with a low, dangerous voice. “Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard alive, is up in that school. As soon as he finds out, he will have you and your little pack running from this place with your tails between your legs.”

   “You say those words ... but you don’t believe them.” Snape swallowed thickly at Aldhelm’s words. “He can have all the information he wants on where you went, but he won’t find you. Not until it is too late.” Aldhelm grinned, and then with that he spun around. Claws clicking upon the stone, he ran from the cave, calling to a great many of his followers to come with him on business.

 The cave was almost empty again when they had made their retreat, and only about five wolves remained, the same three guarding Harry and Snape. Looking ill, Snape slid down onto a rock nearby.

    “Please Albus … don’t let me down,” he muttered so softly it could barely be heard.

Harry twisted his hands anxiously, his chest rising and falling rapidly. “Dumbledore is going to come, isn’t he?” he whispered.

     But Snape could offer no words of comfort. His lips were pressed tightly together, as though he feared to say what was on his mind.

***

Professor McGonagall ran up staircase after staircase, not letting age get in her way at all. The students that were on their way to breakfast paused to stare as she darted past them, seemingly hell-bent for a destination nobody seemed to know as questions followed her. She did not appear to notice the startled looks, or the worried glances.

It was not long until she was careening down the hallway that led to the staff room, and it was even shorter of a time after that that she yanked open the door, and practically threw herself into the room. Dumbledore was sitting with a group of Aurors. Professor Quirrell also sat in an armchair by the fire, a book on his lap, seemingly paying no attention to the little meeting going on.

    “Minerva, what is it?” the Headmaster inquired, looking worried. “Have you found Mr. Potter?”

    “No,” she said breathlessly. “Severus is gone.”

    “What do you mean gone? Surely he is somewhere in the castle …”

    “No, he isn’t,” Professor McGonagall said in disbelief. “I had thought he was in his quarters, and simply forgot that he was supposed to meet with me to discuss one of his students this morning. So, I went down and knocked on his door, and he didn’t answer. Then I got a house-elf to check to see if he was in there, and just unable to hear me, because I was getting rather worried. The house elf said he wasn’t in there, and then I went and asked his Slytherins if they had seen him today, and none of them have, not even a few who had gone to talk to him. They said he was not in his office, and that they waited for fifteen minutes before going to the Great Hall for breakfast.  And, he wasn’t in the Great Hall either.”

     “Oh dear …” muttered Dumbledore, glancing around the room. “Quirinus, go down to Severus’ quarters one last time for me to see if he has showed up since then, will you?”    

      “Yes Headmaster,” said Quirrell, closing his book. He got up and left the room.

      McGonagall closed the door shortly after Quirrell had left. She silently waved her wand at the door and then whirled around.

     “Severus followed Quirrell into the forest last night on my orders,” said Dumbledore in a hushed voice once his audience was looking upon him.

     “Do you think that Quirrell would …”

     “No, I do not believe he has the wit to take Severus down,” muttered Dumbledore. “Severus is by far superior with his spell casting, and there would be no way for Quirrell to catch Severus off guard, given the circumstances. Unless …” Dumbledore turned and stared into the flames of the fireplace for a few moments, thinking aloud. “No … no, Quirrell doesn’t know Severus well enough to know that … I do not believe this is his doing.” He turned to the team of Aurors once he had gathered his thoughts. “I would like your team to search the forest, as well as round up more Aurors. And … bring a few members of the Dangerous Creature Disposal Unit, just in case. One expert will not be enough. Tell the Committee that it is an emergency, and the unit must dispatch immediately. I fear there will not be time for consultation.”

         “It will be done,” said the tallest of the group. “Is that all, Headmaster?”

      Dumbledore nodded, and then wished the Aurors luck as they filed out of the room..

     “Albus … what do you know? What is it that you are not saying?” inquired McGonagall once the room was empty once more, and the door was secure. She gazed upon the Headmaster’s puzzled expression with concern.

      “Severus came to me the night before Harry disappeared. He said he had heard a strange clicking outside his office, and that on the way to tell me something was in the castle, he saw a shadow on the wall. He said it was the shadow … of a werewolf. He was sure of it. I haven’t seen him that scared in years Minerva.” Dumbledore’s voice had begun to shake slightly, and he looked ill at the recollection. “I - I told him he was seeing things, that he should go back to bed. It wasn’t even a full moon, though he thought it was one anyway. You know how he gets with werewolves … but, then Harry disappears … and now Severus. I don’t know what to make of it. But I am to blame for this, Minerva.”

      Professor McGonagall moved toward Professor Dumbledore and put her hand on his arm. “How could you have known there really was something roaming around here, Albus?” she asked him softly, looking up into his sorrowful eyes. “It was late … and like you said, it was not even a full moon. In fact, it still is not a full moon. Everything pointed to Severus simply panicking. I do not blame you, Albus.”

      “But he will, if he makes it out of this.”

      “Then he blames you. But right now, all we can focus on is saving him, and Harry.”

       Dumbledore sighed. “You are right. Thank you, Minerva.”

        There was a knock on the door, and Quirrell entered. “S-Severus is not in his q-q-quarters.”

       “Thank you Quirinus,” said Dumbledore. “Now that that we are sure, I can proceed. Alas we must part - I have business to attend to.”

      And with that he swept out of the room.

      ***

      Night was falling fast as one of the female wolves, Hazel, came charging into the cave. The members of the pack, who had been lying about and chewing on scraps of meat and bones from a deer a few of them had dragged in, looked up sharply, licking their chops.

“The forest is crawling with Ministry people,” spat the wolf that called herself Hazel. She said the word ‘people’ as though it were a disease.

    Harry and Snape looked up sharply, then at each other. It was too dangerous to say anything.

  “What do you mean, crawling with people?” growled Aldhelm, leaping to his feet and dropping the bone he had been gnawing on. There was blood on his snout.

 “They must have decided that we had to be in here,” she explained, not intimidated in the least by Aldhelm, despite the fact that many of the other wolves had frozen at the tone of his voice. “They’re searching the forest almost exclusively.”

  “Really,” said Aldhelm in a dangerously soft voice as he looked to one of the wolves nearby. “And why is that? Perhaps you can answer that, Rolf?”

   “I do not know,” wheezed the rather small wolf. The tip of his ear was missing.

    Aldhelm stood up and took a step closer.

   “Did you leave any traces behind when you and Kellen went to capture the boy?”

    “I thought you said you didn’t leave any evidence!” anxiously cried a thin, mangy looking wolf nearby.

     “Shut up, Kellen,” hissed Rolf. “I didn’t.”

     “You lie to me, Rolf,” Aldhelm whispered as he circled around him. “You were never good at lying. And yet you make it routine to do so. What did you leave behind?”

     Rolf did not say anything. With no warning, Aldhelm launched himself toward Rolf, face contorted and teeth bared. He flipped Rolf onto his back so quickly you could barely see it. Rolf let out a yelp as one giant paw pressed down on his chest, the other upon the throat as Aldhelm’s teeth glinted above his eyes.

     “T-The bag. The boy had a book bag. I think I ripped the canvas on it with my claws,” stuttered Rolf.

     “You imbecile!” roared Aldhelm loudly, making Harry jump along with the rest of the wolves. Snape remained still. “I told you to leave no traces. To be unseen! How else were we supposed to keep the Dark Lord from catching wind that we are behind all this?” But the anger was gone as quick as it came,  and Aldhelm took his paws from on top of Rolf, and began to pace. “This has changed the game entirely.” He paid no attention to Rolf, who was wheezing and cowering not far from him, looking stricken.

     “Nobody leaves this cave,” ordered Aldhelm after a few moments. “I need time to think. Do not bother me.”

      And nobody dared.