//------------------------------// // A Lot of Context // Story: Three Werewolves, a Pony, a Seer and a Skepticist walk into Hogwarts... // by SamuelK28 //------------------------------// In the end, none of the final four students ended up in Hufflepuff, leaving them with just the six new students and Limestone wondering how her current situation could get any worse. Ravenclaw also ended up with six new additions whilst Gryffindor received seven and Slytherin, much to the other houses displeasure, received the most with nine. As the last student took his place in Slytherin, Dumbledore arose and addressed everyone for a third time. “Alright, settle down everyone. That was most certainly one of the more interesting sorting ceremonies we have had in a while and I am sure you are all desperate for something to eat. But, before that, a few announcements. A reminder that the forest in the grounds is strictly out of bounds and full of dangerous creatures such as giant spiders, wolves and the like that will eat you if they find you in their domain.” Limestone’s eye twitched. “Great, just great,” she muttered to herself whilst internally telling herself to stop wondering how things could get any worse as they always, somehow or other, could. “Secondly, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death,” the headmaster went on. Oh, for buck’s sake. So, the danger wasn’t just outside the castle, it was inside to. Nice to know. “Thirdly, as you might have just noticed, several of our latest acquisitions suffer from lycanthropy. Now, I understand a few of you will be worried but I can assure you that we have put in place rigorous safety measures to prevent any accidents from occurring.” Okay, she had no idea what lycanthropy was but it didn’t sound good and she was sharing her dorm with two girls who had it. What next, was this all a sham and the real initiation was being thrown into the lake with her feet submerged in concrete blocks? “Lastly…” Here it came, Limestone thought to herself. “As you are all aware from the letters we sent out over the summer, this is a particularly difficult year for the school and as such we have taken the decision to insert a zero-tolerance to bullying policy. Anyone found breaching this will be immediately expelled and their wand snapped in two with no option of an appeal. Take this as your one and only warning.” Limestone couldn’t help but notice the elderly headmaster directing his gaze towards the Slytherin table upon finishing this final point. “Now, without further ado, Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you and enjoy the feast,” Dumbledore exclaimed as he sat back down to a huge cheer from the students as the empty dishes in front of them had become laden with food. Looking behind her, Limestone was also astonished to see four massive bowls had appeared in front of Teeth, who had quite happily tucked in to whatever he had been given. She swiftly turned back, the dog’s manners, or rather lack of them, starting to make her queasy. Also, if she didn’t act quickly, she was pretty sure the two girls either side of her would eat everything that was available and if not them, Scoti, who, despite her punitive size, had already managed to acquire a plate laden with delicacies. Thankfully, the two Lycans and many others on the table did not seem overly fond of vegetables and thus Limestone found it quite easy to fill her plate with what she wanted. To begin with everyone was too busy eating to say anything but as the food started to dwindle, Limestone felt it was time to get some answers. “Okay, now that we’re all fed, although I’m not sure I want to know, would one of you three like to fill me in on like everything that just happened?” Limestone pressed. “What exactly do you mean? Wait, are you really from another dimension?” Susan responded. “I thought Professor McGonagall had already covered that,” Limestone deadpanned in reply. Susan was about to enquire further when she felt a tap on her shoulder from her other side. “Huh, what do you want Scoti. Oh, a letter for her, okay. Here, no idea what it says but maybe it will answer some of your questions, who knows?” Susan stated passing Limestone the letter. Inside was a piece of parchment with four questions and answers on. Why the clapping and cheers for some and not others? Twenty years or so ago a war broke out as a nefarious wizard who now only goes by He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named gained enough support and power to attempt to topple the Ministry of Magic, our government, and form a new order solely run by pure-bloods, with muggle-borns and those with mixed heritage either killed or enslaved as second class citizens. The clapping was in support of those whose families opposed and fought against such tyranny whilst those whose families supported He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named were shunned for their families prior actions. Isn’t that a little unfair on children who weren’t even born at the time? He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named and his followers murdered many good muggles and wizards in their eleven years of tyranny and committed countless atrocities. My entire family aside my aunt Molly were wiped out and I was kidnapped and brutally tortured by one of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named’s top generals, Bellatrix Lestrange, during the greatest atrocity to ever hit wizarding kind worldwide in 1981. I was one year old and you shall see more of the scars I bare in due time. Thus, it is not that easy for many of us to forget the past and forgive those families involved. What was this great atrocity of 1981? On Halloween night in 1981 Voldemort and his followers targeted nineteen wizarding families that had defied them and prevented them from taking control of the Ministry for Magic for eleven long years, specifically those with one year old children for some unknown reason. Such information on the location of these families and the age of their children were obtained over several months by a traitor in the Ministry, Oswald Davies, who himself had fallen in love with a muggle and had then proceeded to marry and have a daughter with her, Tracey. To protect his own family, he selfishly put others at risk as this information was pivotal to the attack that night that led to the deaths of thirty-four people, including fourteen one-year olds, whilst other families’ lives were changed forever. That girl you saw apologise to Professor McGonagall when leaving the stage survived the vicious attack to her but is now a werewolf. The only good thing to come out of this night was the fall of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named himself, somehow defeated by a mere infant called Harry Potter. Still, his body was never recovered and there are fears he may one day return to seek revenge on Britain’s magical community. What Happened to Voldemort’s Followers? Some escaped and went on the run, others were imprisoned, whilst some avoided jail altogether by saying they had been under a mind control curse. You will likely have other questions, specifically to do with lycans and werewolves. The answers you seek for these can be found on your right and left. Scoti “Wow, that summed it up pretty well,” Susan commented having read the parchment herself over Limestone’s shoulder. “Did she just have this on her? That’s creepy,” Leanne commented having read the parchment over Limestone’s other shoulder. “Wait, didn’t the sorting hat say she was a seer?” Susan queried. “What’s a seer?” Limestone asked. “Someone who can predict and see the future through a variety of methods, such as dreams,” Leanne answered for her. “So, you’re telling me she had a dream as me and foretold what I wanted to know?” Limestone scoffed disbelievingly. “Sounds plausible to me. Why don’t we just, hey, where has she gone?” Susan said looking slightly worried that the girl on her right had slipped away unnoticed whilst she was reading the parchment she had passed onto Limestone. A small yip of delight from behind them caught their attention and they turned to see the most peculiar of sights, a well-fed dog laying on his back in a food coma whilst a petite girl gave him belly rubs with one hand. Meanwhile, in the other hand she held a sign that said, Yes, yes I did. “Clever girl,” Susan praised. “Agreed,” Leanne added. “Are neither of you going to question where she got the sign?” Both lycans shrugged their shoulders and stared at Limestone with blank expressions. Limestone’s head hit her hands. The bottom of the lake with concrete shoes was looking like the better option right now. And just like that Headmaster Dumbledore’s voice boomed round the hall once more. Limestone prayed for a miracle to get her out of this situation. “I hope you all enjoyed the main course but saved room for pudding because it will be on its way shortly. But first, several more announcements from staff. From Mr Filch the caretaker, a reminder that magic should not be used between classes in the corridors and that no one is to harass his cat Mrs Norris.” Limestone noticed that neither Leanne nor Susan looked particularly pleased at the last piece of that statement. To be fair, considering his reaction to Professor McGonagall, it was going to be incredibly hard for her to stop Teeth from chasing the cat if he ever caught sight of her. “Next, on behalf of Madam Hooch our flying instructor,” Dumbledore went on. “Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch or their head of house for more information. Thirdly, from Professor Sprout, please do not be alarmed by the giant cherry tree growing out of greenhouse three. Now, without further ado, I feel it is time for some dessert. Alka, Fidmong, Whomp.” And just like that an amazing array of puddings appeared on the tables, replacing the meagre remains of the main course. Limestone though wasn’t paying any attention, instead trying to desperately hide her head further in her hands. Why had he felt the need to bring that up? “Hey, you going to stand there like a can of dog food or are you going to grab some cake before Scoti eats them all, because, no joke, she’s just about taken a piece of everything available.” Limestone looked up to see Scoti holding up another sign whilst she was face deep in cake, just because I can’t speak doesn’t mean I can’t eat. And that was when, amongst all the other scars on her face, Limestone caught sight of the one that curved across the front of Scoti’s neck. “Oh, I didn’t realise you couldn’t actually…” Don’t worry about it. “Seriously, where are you getting all these signs.” Magic Limestone rolled her eyes and sat back down between Susan and Leanne. “So, when one of you are done devouring dessert, mind telling me what lycans and werewolves are?” “Sure,” Susan replied spitting cake everywhere. At this point Limestone was hoping they could not lose house points for table manners, otherwise they were in a lot of trouble. “Lycanthropy is usually a permanent disease passed on from werewolf to human through biting, if the human is unlucky enough to survive that is,” Leanne began after swallowing a large mouthful of chocolate fudge cake. “Unlucky?” Limestone queried filling her plate with an assortment of sweet treats. “Yes, you see what lycanthropy does is every full moon the infected host will transform into a mindless beast. Imagine a full-grown Teeth on two legs but untrainable, and that attacks everything around it, friends, family, doesn’t matter, and the worst part about it is the person knows exactly what they are doing but has no control over it. They are simply a passenger as the werewolf takes control for several nights a month,” Leanne explained. Limestone froze in the middle of picking up a slice of cheesecake while trying not to let the panic rising inside of her to seep out onto her face. “Don’t worry,” Susan’s muffled voice said through a mouthful of fudge cake. She paused momentarily as she swallowed the cake and then continued. “We’re naturally born werewolves or lycans as we prefer to be known. My dad’s a werewolf and both of Leanne’s parents are werewolves. Because of this we have greater control over our transformations, letting us transform whenever we like, although the current stage of the moon cycle determines how much effort we must put in and control we have. The closer we are to a full moon, the easier it us for us to transform…” “But also the harder it is for us to maintain control and not allow our full beast side out, at which point you should definitely run,” Leanne informed. “Thanks,” Limestone deadpanned sitting down with her selection of desserts, “I’ll make a note of that.” “You needn’t worry though, there’s a potion that will help us, and Lavender, maintain control during full moons,” Susan explained. “Yeah, it basically just makes us oversized sleepy dogs,” Leanne added with a giggle. “Plus, as lycans, we also have some freaky bonus powers, like the power to control werewolves, although we’re still discovering and learning about them.” “Why am I not in the slightest bit reassured by that?” Limestone griped in reply. “Seriously, everything is going to be fine and we are going to have a great time this year, just you wait and see. Plus, even the slightest nibble on anyone and our wands will be snapped in two and we’ll be expelled. And neither of us want that,” Susan explained. “I’ll remind you of that when you’re about to rip my head off,” Limestone grumbled. “I doubt that will ever happen and even if we do get out of control, you have your guard dog to protect you,” Leanne commented. “You mean that guard dog?” Limestone said pointing at Teeth laying on his back in a food coma. “Fat lot of good he would be right now.” As if to challenge her point, Teeth proceeded to let out a mighty fart that made Limestone cough. “Oh, Sweet Celestia, just what have you been eating, that’s foul.” Leanne and Susan both snickered in response as the sound of footsteps approached and before Limestone knew what was happening, she was in a headlock and being noogied. “There’s me little sis from another dimension. So happy to see you placed in the best house.” “Hi Kendra,” Limestone sighed forcing herself out of the headlock. “What do you want?” “What do you mean by that?” Kendra replied with a half-hearted attempt at looking aghast at Limestone’s enquiry. “I’ve only known you for several days and yet I already know precisely when you want something, so spill it,” Limestone responded before taking a mouthful of her cheesecake. The girl next to Kendra tittered. Kendra chose to ignore her. “Well, I was just talking to my dormmate Bree here and several other girls from the upper years and they don’t believe me that you caused a full-size cherry tree to grow out of greenhouse three. So, I was wondering…” “No,” Limestone cut in firmly. “Pretty please?” Kendra pleaded. “No. For one I don’t even know how that happened and secondly, I don’t want to get in anymore trouble,” Limestone clarified as the other three first-year girls on her table stared at her in disbelief. “Did you really manage to destroy one of the greenhouses with a cherry tree?” Leanne queried. “Of course she couldn’t,” Susan argued. “Oh, she did but I doubt anyone will believe… hey, what are you doing?” Kendra exclaimed as Limestone stood up and poked the older girl’s nose with a finger. Bree and the three first year girls were all now staring at Kendra’s face in astonishment. “Huh, I am really surprised that worked,” Limestone commented as she sat back down and continued devouring her dessert. “What worked? Why are you all staring at me and why is my vision clouded by green?” Kendra asked nervously. “Erm, well, you know how you wanted her to prove she can magically grow plants, well, she…” Leanne stumbled unsure how to finish her sentence. “Grew a plant out of your nose,” Susan finished bluntly. Kendra’s eyes widened. “She what?” “Yeah, don’t ask me to reverse it because like before I have no idea how,” Limestone mumbled through a mouthful of cheesecake, joining in with her new dormmates terrible table manners. “Go see Madam Pomfrey, I’m sure she probably has something for it.” Kendra stared at the back of Limestone’s head lost for words as she reached up and felt the green stalk that now extended from her nose with her right hand. “Wow, I’ve never seen anyone ever make Kendra speechless before,” Bree commented with a giggle. “Come on, let’s go show everyone the proof, then see if Madam Pomfrey has a cure.” Kendra was in too much of a daze to refuse being pulled away by her friend. “By Kendra. Thanks for stopping by,” Limestone said without any remorse for what she had done as she returned to finishing the remains of her dessert. For a short while after that peace reigned all around the table. It was only as the first years finished their desserts that a nervous voice piped up across the table from the girls. “So, one of you is a mentally and physically traumatised seer who can’t speak, one of you is a pony from another dimension with the power to grow plants at will and has a hellhound for a pet, and the other two are werewolves.” “Lycans,” Leanne corrected him. “Right, Lycans. Anything else we have missed?” the boy asked tentatively. “Well, I also don’t know my father other than he’s a werewolf and a rapist scumbag,” Susan stated casually. “Oh, and that I only have one family member, my aunt Amelia, left alive now after my mother passed away,” The boy was left speechless by this. Limestone wondered if she should tell him about her uber powerful wand, probably best not to she thought. “I’ve eaten human before, only once though. Parents fed it to me accidentally when Voldemort sent some idiot low level wizards to kill me during their massive attack. I was too young to remember what it tasted like though,” Leanne commented nonchalantly. The boy, and the one beside him, both looked like they were about to drop dead with fear. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to eat you, hopefully. Well, I’m ninety nine percent sure I won’t,” Leanne tried poorly to reassure the two boys with a smile that revealed some unnervingly sharp teeth. Thankfully, and to everyone’s relief, the awkward conversation was brought to an abrupt halt by Professor Dumbledore’s booming voice from the front of the hall one final time. “I see we have all had our fill of sweets, so now it is time for us all to retire for a good night’s rest before lessons begin bright and early in the morning. First years, prefects will guide you to houses and your heads of house will meet you in your common rooms to pass you your timetables before bed and answer any lingering questions you may have. Lastly, a further reminder not to prank or provoke other students. We have already had one situation this evening that Madam Pomfrey is currently now having to deal with in the infirmary.” Dumbledore’s eyes, along with the entire contingent of first year Hufflepuffs, fell on Limestone, who just shrugged her shoulders in response. All she had done was do as Kendra had asked and prove she could grow plants with the touch of a hoof or finger. Kendra had not explicitly told her where to grow that plant so her nose was as good a place as any in Limestone’s eyes. “Now, before we all retire for the evening, let us all sing the school song to our own favourite tune. For those new to the school or who may have forgotten the words from last year, you will find the lyrics in front of you. Let us begin,” Dumbledore finished, preparing to start the song. Limestone looked at the lyrics that had magically appeared in front of her, shook her head and sat back in her chair. Yeah, not happening. “A reminder as well that anyone found not singing will be made to sing the whole thing in front of the school afterwards. I’m looking at you Severus,” the headmaster swiftly added to a round of groans and grumbles throughout the hall. “And now, without further ado, let us sing. Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy…” Limestone picked up the sheet of lyrics and reluctantly joined in the dreadful din that reverberated around the hall.