HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

"They didn't report it; they handled it themselves," Aris concluded. "Reckless, but... in line with certain Gryffindor ways."

"Intuition." Ian smirked. "Of course, it could also be some fearless guy from another academy, but whoever it is, it's not something we can get involved in."

"Then let's just pretend we didn't see it?" Kevin was a little unwilling.

"See, remember, and then shut your mouth." Ian walked over and patted Kevin on the shoulder. "Kevin, this is a deep mess. Illegal Animagus can get you into big trouble, not to mention the possibility of werewolves, or even... things beyond that."

He didn't say it explicitly, but Kevin and Aris both understood.

"We're just fourth-year students," Severus turned around, his voice calm. "Our primary task is to graduate alive. Knowing too much about the rest won't do us any good."

Aris nodded: "Severus is right. It's enough for the four of us to know about this. Leaking it out will not benefit anyone and may even cause real trouble."

Kevin sighed and plopped down on the bed. "Okay, I just feel like Hogwarts is getting weirder and weirder. Before, it was just Peeves' pranks and the Chamber of Secrets, but now there are dark wizards, werewolves, and illegal Animagus students..."

"Times are changing," Ian said, his tone devoid of emotion. "Many people want to pretend they don't see it, but the changes have already happened. All we can do is make sure we don't fall behind, and... don't choose the wrong side."

All three nodded solemnly, thus ending the topic.

……

The next morning, the auditorium was still a bit chilly.

It was quieter than usual over at the Gryffindor table.

As Severus picked up his milk glass, his gaze inadvertently swept across the person opposite him.

James Porter was yawning, his eyes dark and swollen; Sirius Black was propping his head up with one hand, idly poking at the sausages on his plate, his hair a mess; Peter Pedru was munching on bread, his eyes half-closed, as if he might fall asleep at any moment.

The most eye-catching was Remus Lupin.

The plate in front of him was barely touched. His face was an unhealthy grayish-white, and his lips were bloodless. He seemed to have been drained of all his energy, mechanically shoveling oatmeal into his mouth with slow movements.

Lily was sitting next to Lupin, pushing the jam dish toward him and whispering something, her face showing obvious worry.

Lupin gave her a forced smile, shook his head, and indicated that he was fine.

Ian placed the buttered bread slices into Severus's plate with the naturalness of a gesture he had made countless times before.

"What are you looking at?"

Severus looked away and gently parted the edges of the bread with his fork. "Lupin."

"Hmm," Ian glanced at it too, "It looks like he's been up all night, no, it looks like he's been seriously ill."

After Ian finished speaking, he paused.

He put down his fork, his gaze lingered on Severus's face for a moment, then turned to the haggard boy at the long table opposite him.

Aris pushed up his glasses; he had been looking in the same direction just now, and now his eyes were slightly narrowed.

He didn't say anything, but simply picked up the pumpkin juice and took a sip, moving more slowly than usual.

Severus tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the table, so lightly that only Ian, who was standing next to him, noticed it.

Kevin was still piling fried eggs on the bread when he mumbled, "Who? Remus Lupin? What's wrong with him? He doesn't look well. Is he catching a cold? Lots of people have been getting it lately."

No one responded immediately.

There was a subtle stillness in the air.

Then, Aris coughed lightly and said in a tone as if discussing the weather, "I remember the last time I saw him like this was around this time last month? And before that, it was probably in the middle of the month."

Severus picked up his milk glass but didn't drink it. "His leave of absence is very regular. Professor Slughorn has mentioned several times that Mr. Lupin is 'not in good health' and needs special care."

"I'm not feeling well," Ian repeated, drawing out the last syllable, "and the timing is perfect."

Kevin finally managed to shift his attention away from breakfast, looking at this and that, and belatedly realized that something was amiss.

"What...do you mean?"

"It's nothing." Ian patted his shoulder, his tone returning to normal. "Hurry up and eat, we'll be late for Charms class."

But that afternoon, when they met in the Room of Requirement, Aris spoke first.

"I've discovered," he said, a blank parchment spread out before him, a quill pen hovering over it, "that the monthly haunting of the Shrieking Shack is most likely caused by werewolves transforming, and what we saw last night, coupled with the behavior of those Gryffindors today, strongly suggests..."

Kevin stared, his mouth agape, the quill pen twirling in his hand before falling to the table. "You mean... Lupin is... that one? Inside?"

Severus leaned against the bookshelf. "The symptoms match. Werewolves transform on the night of a full moon, expending a great deal of energy. Weakness the following day is a typical characteristic."

"But..." Kevin scratched his head, "He's a student! How could Hogwarts..."

"That's the key," Ian interrupted him, sitting on the windowsill with one leg bent. "If he is, there's only one explanation for him being here."

He looked at the others.

Aris tapped his pen on the parchment, wrote two words, and quickly crossed them out: "The headmaster is aware of and permits it."

The air was still for a few seconds.

"So, those three Animagus..." Kevin's eyes widened slowly, "They knew! They went... to be with him? Or to protect him? To prevent him from escaping?"

"It's more likely to prevent him from harming himself, or to provide some kind of...comfort or control if he loses control during the transformation," Aris analyzed. "Perhaps transforming into animal form is a more acceptable way for werewolves to act in their bestial state? This needs to be verified."

"There's no need to verify," Severus said calmly, putting the memory bottle back in his pocket. "Knowing this is enough."

Ian jumped down from the windowsill and walked to the center of the room.

"Lupin is a werewolf. Dumbledore knew this and allowed him to enroll. There were several students, most likely Potter, Black, and Pediru. For him, they risked training to become illegal Animagus and went to the Shrieking Shack every full moon. That's all."

He looked at his three companions: "What does this mean?"

Kevin hesitated: "Does that mean...they're really bold?"

Aris adjusted his glasses: "It means that Headmaster Dumbledore is taking a risk, and it also means that there is a close-knit group within Gryffindor that shares a huge secret, a secret that could get any one of them expelled or even face more serious legal consequences."

Severus continued, his voice even colder: "It also means that once this secret is leaked, it will be a huge problem for us, for them, and even for the principal."