Favors
They had been called in, favors accumulated from years, perhaps decades, prior. A debt which was promised to be repaid in return for action. Surely such a deal was worth it in the long run, honor restored, peace found.
Dumbledore wasn't sure and glancing at her guest, as they made their way through the halls, she wasn't certain the woman knew either. "How was your trip?" A rough, scarred, face looked back with eyes boring into her own, eyes green with the faint tracing of amber so typical in one possessing the curse of Lycanthropy.
"A bit tiring, I will admit." Even her voice had a roughness in it, though the Headmistress did not blame her in one bit.
"Well, you will have plenty of time to rest and recover. There are several empty guest rooms for you to choose from."
The younger witch nodded, "Tomorrow, I will start on my tasks in the morning."
Augustina gave her reply, eyes shining in the same way the werewolf remembered from so long before. "Very well, I will trust you to take what actions are necessary to protect the students and ensure there are no further incidents."
"That is why I am here."
As they reached the guest housing, footsteps and conversation approaching from an intersecting hall, a pair entering their view before halting.
Grace Riddle and Harry Potter.
"Ah, wonderful timing as always." Dumbledore praised, before gesturing towards the one next to her. "Grace, you may remember Miss Lupin, and this is Harry Potter, the one you will likely hear quite a few stories about in the coming weeks."
Remi smiled, clearly hoping she would not frighten the boy. Harry, in the meantime looked at her with something of fond remembrance, not that it surprised Augustina in the least. He had mentioned Lupin in passing and it was just one more reason she had agreed with the outside assistance.
"Its… nice to meet you." He managed to reply, clearly uncertain as to how he should be addressing her. Remi merely nodded and a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder from his Head of House had him continuing towards the Slytherin dorms.
The remaining pair walked for a few moments before the Werewolf broke the silence, "Is that… him?"
"Indeed, he's the one who saved countless on the train. He is quite amazing for his age."
"Yes, he certainly is something."
There was an uneasy silence, and only a second later did Remi realize her mistake and try to backtrack the comment, but it was already out in the open. "I trust you will remain… professional while here towards the staff and, more importantly, the students."
Lupin quickly nodded, "Yes, yes of course there will be no problems from me, I promise Headmistress."
Dumbledore didn't look convinced for even a moment, but she nodded regardless, and gave one more 'keeping an eye on you' glare before turning and departing.
****
It had been stupid, incredibly stupid. Magic at that level could very easily prove lethal to the one wielding it just as those being targeted.
What had he been thinking!?
Riddle understood, deep down, Harry's choice. It was far too apparent after the few years of knowing him that he wasn't going to just stand by while others were hurt, especially not after the staff's utter failure of the previous year.
They had been given one chance to prove that, as adults, they could handle situations involving the safety and security of students. They had failed, utterly.
Now he would likely throw himself at every problem and threat without pause or hesitation, knowing the consequences of what would happen if he didn't. The question remained, what could they do about it.
The obvious solution was to convince his parents to ground him for the rest of his natural life, likely not a difficult thing to do, then lock him up in his room whenever he wasn't in class. Unfortunately, Harry likely wouldn't appreciate such a thing and he tended to find ways out of or into situations he shouldn't be able to.
Second option, tie their wrists together so he was no more than five feet from her at all times, that would make it damn difficult for him to find his way into any life-or-death situations without her being there to scold him.
Again though, he had gotten through wards that should have stopped him and could cast magic that shouldn't be feasible for his age. Who knew what he could do if given enough time and incentive?
Sending him to a different school was blatantly out of the question. Hogwarts was supposed to be safe and if it couldn't provide, she very much doubted any other location would be keep him out of trouble.
This all seemed to leave one very unfortunate option, train him until he was so dangerous that no one dared so much as look in his direction with ill intent.
She could do it too. Harry was already at a professional level in terms of skill and power, he was using elemental magic to a degree most couldn't even dream of, and he had only just started his third year of education.
Perhaps she had been taking his training a bit too casually.
Yes, they would need to focus more on this, past the simple 'dueling' and more into true combat magic. The problem was time. Despite her desires she couldn't just quit teaching and spend all of her time with the boy.
She needed help.
There were, of course, plenty of options but most of them weren't as convenient as one would hope. Dumbledore was likely even busier than she, as were the other Heads of House. Snape… was out of the question for the time being, even if she could convince Lily and James to sign off on the idea.
However , Remi Lupin's gaze certainly had not escaped her attention. Lycans had a natural lack of self-control but she could also recall the woman's talent in her own class years decades prior.
Without her consent Grace Riddle's mind wandered to certain… images, fantasies she had begun exploring during the summer. This time though they were far darker.
A feral Lupin taking advantage of Harry, pinning him to the ground, tearing at his clothes. A half-transformed creature mounting him, taking advantage of his body, using him.
It was wrong and she was slightly horrified that her own thoughts could conjure such things, especially considering what he had just gone through.
But still…
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