Harry had enough; he didn’t want to play with Malfoy anymore.
He was ready to go to the school Hospital to look for Evan and Hermione to check out on their injuries.
"By the way, I have to find Ron; I haven't seen him since we split up in the morning."
Ron certainly doesn't know that Evan and Hermione were attacked by a werewolf. Harry thought he should deliver the news to him, and they could all discuss the matter of Sirius Black together.
Yet, he stopped in his tracks when he heard a miserable hoarse cry for help coming out of Professor Lupin's office.
It really sounded like Ron's voice!
Why would Ron be in Professor Lupin's Office? And why would he ask for help?
Harry had no time to think about such things, and he rushed over to the door.
But Malfoy was faster than him. He was already standing in front of the door. He gently waved his wand and it opened.
Almost instantaneously, crowds rushed into the office. The decoration inside was very plain and shabby; with few ornaments. The most eye-catching thing was a very large tank of water that stood in the corner. A sickly green creature with sharp little horns had its face pressed against the glass.
It was a Grindylow, pulling faces and flexing its long, spindly fingers.
In front of the tank, Ron stood pale, his hands clenching his wand in front of him, his body trembling and his face filled with horror and anxiety.
He looked back and saw Harry rushing in and he immediately collapsed to the ground.
Harry saw Ron’s mouth wide open, as if he was making a silent cry. His eyes were popping out. He seemed to be calling his name.
“What happened, Ron?!” Harry rushed forward, anxiously asking, “What are doing you here?!”
Harry stopped talking, and turned to where Ron was looking, where he saw a suffocating creature shrunk under Professor Lupin’s desk staring back at him with its yellow eyes.
The creature had its hands over its head, and it curled up under the table. Its body similar to that of a normal human, but it was covered in long dark grey hair. It was his head that was horrible. It was a wolf’s head.
It was a werewolf. Harry hurriedly pulled out his wand as fear rushed through his heart.
Evan and Hermione had just been attacked by a werewolf in Hogsmeade; and now there is a werewolf breaking into Hogwarts Castle. Is it also here to attack the young wizards?
But underneath the table, that creature wasn't going for any drastic actions, nor was he attempting to use his sharp fangs and claws to carve the young bodies of the students. He just curled up looking at Harry incapable, with pain all over his face.
Harry was surprised to see the tears flowing out of the werewolf's eyes. As he looked at them, he suddenly felt that his gaze was really familiar.
Harry felt that those eyes weren't fitting of such a creature. He had a feeling the werewolf who was in tears in front of him was none other than Professor Lupin.
How could this be possible? How in the world could Professor Lupin be a werewolf?
Something must have gone wrong. Perhaps it was a failed experiment; perhaps it was a spell that backfired turning him into this.
Otherwise, how could he explain that the beast in front of him has not rushed to shred him to pieces just yet?
Harry felt it necessary to communicate with him. At the very least, from what it looks like here, this werewolf is completely different from the legend. It didn't seem to be dangerous at all.
"Professor Lupin?" Said harry softly. He said it so quietly the even he couldn't hear himself, as if only his lips were moving.
The werewolf further curled underneath his desk and nodded. His tearful eyes were full of pain.
"Good god!" Harry's eyes went wide open. His guess was correct, the werewolf was Lupin indeed.
But now, he was no longer afraid, and warmth got back to his body. He put his wand down and approached him. He must help him.
But before he reached him, he heard Malfoy yelling behind him. "Look at what we found, a werewolf that broke into the castle!"
Malfoy closed in and looked at Professor Lupin curling up under his desk, and then immediately ran back to his fellow Slytherins. It seemed like not a drop of blood was running through his pale face. However, his mouth was showing an unprecedented malicious smile.
Harry looked furiously at Malfoy who was pretending to be surprised.
He and the other Slytherin students must have known all about this in advance; otherwise, they wouldn't have taken everyone straight to Professor Lupin's office.
It was an obvious conspiracy. Perhaps, it was them who made him into this.
Harry wanted to explain to everyone that the werewolf in front of them was Professor Lupin, and that he wasn't dangerous.
But it was of no use. Hearing Malfoy's cry everyone gasped as they took a step back.
The mood was dreadful and everyone thought of the attack that just occurred in Hogsmeade. There are too victims lying already in the school's hospital, and rumor has it that the 2nd grader named Evan Mason was Killed by the werewolf.
Now, a werewolf actually got into the castle and was right in front of them.
Is he here to attack them? That's just too horrible. Panic spread amongst them gradually. After all, werewolves used to be more like mythical creatures. But now, they have been appearing one after another. And furthermore, whoever is bitten by one of them will become a werewolf himself.
No one dared to approach the table. Only Harry and Ron were still there.
Harry turned and saw Percy running out of the crowd. So he wanted to ask him to keep any more people from seeing Professor Lupin's current appearance.
He could tell from the Professor's eyes that it hurt him.
Harry thought about persuading everyone to understand that there wasn't a werewolf under there, and that it was just professor Lupin. But there was no time for him to do that; Ron, who was besides him, suddenly whispered: "Diffindo!"
At once, his wand emitted a dazzling red light!
"No, Ron!" Harry shouted loudly. But Ron's curse went over him to hit the poor Lupin was curled up underneath the table.
No, it actually missed him!
The red light did not hit Professor Lupin; it actually hit his table instead!
Bang! It flew backwards, and Professor Lupin who had been hiding underneath it appeared as a werewolf to everyone.
"Look!" Seeing Professor Lupin's appearance, all the young wizards held their breaths as they took one more step back.
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