THE TRUTH UNTOLD | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

𝘅𝘃 | 𝘀𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴

The day before the match, the winds reached howling point and the rain came down in thundering sheets. It was so dark inside the classrooms and corridors that extra torches and lanterns were lit. The Slytherin team were looking very smug, and none more so than Malfoy.

  'Ah, if only my arm were feeling a bit better,' he sighed, as the gale outside pounded the windows.

  Gwen had no room in her head to worry about anything other than the match. She and Harry spent most of their time discussing it, with input from Ron and Hermione, and between classes, they were being stopped by Oliver Wood giving them tips. The third time this happened, Wood talked for so long, that Gwen suddenly realised they were ten minutes late for Defence Against the Dark Arts, and she and Harry set off at a run with Wood shouting after them, 'Try looping him, Harry!'

  They skidded to a halt outside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, pulled the door open and dashed inside.

  'Sorry, we're late, Professor, we--'

  But it wasn't Professor Lupin who looked up from the teacher's desk. It was Snape.

  'Everill, Potter. So kind of you to grace us with your presence. The lesson began ten minutes ago, so I think I'll take ten points from Gryffindor, each. Sit down.'

  But neither Gwen nor Harry moved.

  'Where's Professor Lupin?' Harry said.

  'He says he's feeling too ill to teach today,' said Snape with a twisted smile. 'I believe I told you both to sit down?'

  Gwen and Harry stayed where they were.

  'What's wrong with him?' Gwen said.
  Snape's black eyes glittered. 'Nothing life threatening,' he said, in a tone that said he wished it was. 'Ten more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty each.'

  Gwen and Harry walked slowly to their joint desk and sat down. Snape looked around at teh class.

  'As I was saying before Potter and Everill interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far--'

  'Please, sir, we've done Boggarts, Red Caps, Kappas and Grindylows,' said Hermione quickly, 'and we're just about to start--'

  'Be quiet,' said Snape coldly. 'I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organisation.'

  'He's the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had,' said Dean Thomas boldly, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape peered at them menacingly.

  'You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly over taxing you, I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and Grindylows. Today we shall be discussing...' he flicked through the textbook to the very last chapter, which he must have known they hadn't covered. '... werewolves,' said Snape.

  'But, sir,' said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself, 'we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkypunks--'

  'Miss Granger,' said Snape, in a voice of deadly calm, 'I was under the impression that I was teaching this lesson, not you, and I am telling you all to turn to page three hundred and ninety four.' He glanced around again. 'All of you. Now!'

  With many bitter looks and some sullen muttering, the class opened their books.

  'Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?' said Snape. Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air.

  Gwen actually did know this. She knew werewolves were fairly bigger than the true wolf, their snouts were longer and their eyes were usually a deep red or hawk yellow. If it had been Professor Lupin asking the question, she would have answered. She did not, however, want to speak to Snape, nor give him an excuse to take more points. Above all, she couldn't shake the thought that perhaps Snape had been poisoning Lupin.

  'Anyone?' said Snape, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. 'Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between--'

  'We told you,' said Parvati suddenly, 'we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on--'

  'Silence!' snarled Snape. 'Well, I never thought I'd meet a third year class who wouldn;y even recognise a werewolf when the saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are--'

  'Please, sir,' Hermione said, hand still in the air, 'the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf--'

  'That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger,' said Snape coolly. 'Is it that you simply cannot control yourself or do you take pride in being an insufferable know it all?'

  Hermione went very red, put her hand down and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears. Gwen's hair turned scarlet, rage fuelled at Snape, and it was clear how much the class despised him as they were all glaring at him. Everyone in that room had called Hermione a know it all at least once before, and Ron, who called Hermione a know it all at least twice a week, said loudly, 'You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?'

  He had gone too far. Snape advanced on Ron and the room held its breath.

  'Detention, Weasley,' Snape said smoothly, his face very close to Ron's. 'And if I ever hear you criticise the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed.'

  No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin.

  'Very poorly explained... that is incorrect, the Kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia... Professor Lupin gave this an eight out of ten? I wouldn't have given it three...'

  When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back.

  'You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognise and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention.'

  Gwen, Harry and Hermione left the room with the rest of the class, who waited until they were well out of earshot, then burst into a furious tirade about Snape.

  'Snape's never been like this with any of our other Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers, even if he did want the job,' said Harry. 'D'you think this is all because of the Boggart?'

  'I don't know,' said Hermione.

  'I think it's something more,' Gwen said. 'The Boggart happened after Lupin was appointed, Snape said he had a conversation with Dumbeldore before that.'

  'We don't know for sure that that was what he was talking about though,' said Hermione pensively.

  'No,' said Gwen, 'But it would make sense.'
  Hermione sighed. 'I really hope Professor Lupin gets better soon...'

  Ron caught up with them then in a simmering rage.

  'D'you know what that--' he called Snape something that made Hermione say, 'Ron!', '-- is making me do? I've got to scrub out the bedpans in the hospital wing. Without magic!' He was breathing deeply, his fists clenching. 'Why couldn't Black have hidden in Snape's office? He could have finished him off for us!'