Chapter One
The cry of the Wolf
The village inn in New Hoaten was called 'The Howling Wolf'. It was a small inn, but respectable just the same, with old fashioned cheery rooms and a well lit bar. The owner, a beautiful tall blonde with long, sweeping hair, saw that 'The Howling Wolf' was the best inn near New Hoaten, and people flocked there to try some of the inn keeper's food and hospitality.
There were two sections to New Hoaten. One section, the East Side, was made up of the plain everyday sort of houses you'd expect to see in any other respectable neighborhood. The houses were set in straight lines, and nobody in that section seemed the least bit odd, except for one fifteen year old girl with overlarge glasses and yellow hair that resembled straw, who had a startling interest in magic.
The West Side, on the other hand, housed residents that were considered… well… a bit odd. There were houses standing that resembled turrets of castles to houses that seemed to shimmer with their own strange light. No one in this section in town had a mailbox, and children fond of running away at night swear that whispers in the dark, great flashes of light, and people wandering around in cloaks straight out of 'The Hobbit' are seen in the dark.
Of course, no one ever seemed to be able to prove that there was anything wrong with the West Side of town. Samantha, the innkeeper, had seen to that.
Samantha figured her wand idly, pretending not to hear the gossip floating up to her from around the round tables. Some of the people here were wizards and witches. Others were only foolish muggles. Rachel, the odd muggle girl, sat listening to every word a small group of wizards were saying. Samantha had had to wipe her memory more times…
"Yesterday night some… thing broke into me field. Six sheep! Dead! Blood all over the place! But here's the thing! None of them were eaten! I figured one of those wild dogs wanted some fun…"
Samantha winced, and glanced out the window. She knew what had happened all too well…
Last night had been a full moon…
Remus Lupin looked at the sign above the door of the inn wearily. He looked awful, his brown hair showing more and more gray, and his tired face showed more age then one would think possible.
Remus allowed himself a grim smile before entering the inn. 'The Howling Wolf' he thought. 'What a fitting name.'
Samantha glanced up as Remus entered the inn, then frowned. She hadn't seen him before, and with a small town like this it was surprising. She slipped on a small pair of magical glasses (which she had to wipe Rachel's memory twice to forget) and pretended to read a small slip of paper. Actually, she was watching Remus. The faint, golden glow around him marked him as a wizard. Samantha took the glasses off slowly, returning to her ordinary vision, and looked at Remus again. He couldn't be older then forty, really. Thirty-six was her guess. He'd look so much better if he didn't seem so wasted and ill…
"Can I help you, sir?" Samantha heard herself asking him. Remus smiled a bit.
"I'd just like some dinner," he muttered. Samantha nodded and hurried to the kitchens.
Samantha thought hard as she gathered one of the dinners together, lavishing on a bit more food then usual on his plate. That man looked strangely familiar… where had she seen him before?
"Here you are, sir," Samantha said, returning with Remus's plate. "Will you be staying long?"
"Yes, I suppose. I have a small house in the West Side of town, although I haven't used it in years." Remus said. "How much do I owe you?"
"Four sickles," Samantha said. Remus dug in his pocket and pulled out the change. "I live in the West Side, as well," she whispered. Remus smiled a bit.
"Do you know where I could find some work? I was working at Hogwarts for a year, but I resigned." Remus asked. Samantha considered.
"I could probably give you a job. Let me guess, you were teaching defense against the dark arts?"
Remus nodded. "If you could get me a job, I'd be thrilled."
"I swear that job is jinxed." Samantha grinned. "Meet me in the back office. I'm getting overloaded with work here, anyway." Samantha flashed Remus a dazzling smile. Remus grinned. She couldn't be that much younger then him… Samantha looked older then thirty…
Rachel sipped her cider, pretending she hadn't heard a word
The cry of the Wolf
The village inn in New Hoaten was called 'The Howling Wolf'. It was a small inn, but respectable just the same, with old fashioned cheery rooms and a well lit bar. The owner, a beautiful tall blonde with long, sweeping hair, saw that 'The Howling Wolf' was the best inn near New Hoaten, and people flocked there to try some of the inn keeper's food and hospitality.
There were two sections to New Hoaten. One section, the East Side, was made up of the plain everyday sort of houses you'd expect to see in any other respectable neighborhood. The houses were set in straight lines, and nobody in that section seemed the least bit odd, except for one fifteen year old girl with overlarge glasses and yellow hair that resembled straw, who had a startling interest in magic.
The West Side, on the other hand, housed residents that were considered… well… a bit odd. There were houses standing that resembled turrets of castles to houses that seemed to shimmer with their own strange light. No one in this section in town had a mailbox, and children fond of running away at night swear that whispers in the dark, great flashes of light, and people wandering around in cloaks straight out of 'The Hobbit' are seen in the dark.
Of course, no one ever seemed to be able to prove that there was anything wrong with the West Side of town. Samantha, the innkeeper, had seen to that.
Samantha figured her wand idly, pretending not to hear the gossip floating up to her from around the round tables. Some of the people here were wizards and witches. Others were only foolish muggles. Rachel, the odd muggle girl, sat listening to every word a small group of wizards were saying. Samantha had had to wipe her memory more times…
"Yesterday night some… thing broke into me field. Six sheep! Dead! Blood all over the place! But here's the thing! None of them were eaten! I figured one of those wild dogs wanted some fun…"
Samantha winced, and glanced out the window. She knew what had happened all too well…
Last night had been a full moon…
Remus Lupin looked at the sign above the door of the inn wearily. He looked awful, his brown hair showing more and more gray, and his tired face showed more age then one would think possible.
Remus allowed himself a grim smile before entering the inn. 'The Howling Wolf' he thought. 'What a fitting name.'
Samantha glanced up as Remus entered the inn, then frowned. She hadn't seen him before, and with a small town like this it was surprising. She slipped on a small pair of magical glasses (which she had to wipe Rachel's memory twice to forget) and pretended to read a small slip of paper. Actually, she was watching Remus. The faint, golden glow around him marked him as a wizard. Samantha took the glasses off slowly, returning to her ordinary vision, and looked at Remus again. He couldn't be older then forty, really. Thirty-six was her guess. He'd look so much better if he didn't seem so wasted and ill…
"Can I help you, sir?" Samantha heard herself asking him. Remus smiled a bit.
"I'd just like some dinner," he muttered. Samantha nodded and hurried to the kitchens.
Samantha thought hard as she gathered one of the dinners together, lavishing on a bit more food then usual on his plate. That man looked strangely familiar… where had she seen him before?
"Here you are, sir," Samantha said, returning with Remus's plate. "Will you be staying long?"
"Yes, I suppose. I have a small house in the West Side of town, although I haven't used it in years." Remus said. "How much do I owe you?"
"Four sickles," Samantha said. Remus dug in his pocket and pulled out the change. "I live in the West Side, as well," she whispered. Remus smiled a bit.
"Do you know where I could find some work? I was working at Hogwarts for a year, but I resigned." Remus asked. Samantha considered.
"I could probably give you a job. Let me guess, you were teaching defense against the dark arts?"
Remus nodded. "If you could get me a job, I'd be thrilled."
"I swear that job is jinxed." Samantha grinned. "Meet me in the back office. I'm getting overloaded with work here, anyway." Samantha flashed Remus a dazzling smile. Remus grinned. She couldn't be that much younger then him… Samantha looked older then thirty…
Rachel sipped her cider, pretending she hadn't heard a word