[Editing] Expecto Patronum: Harry Potter One-shots

2 - The Good Student [ Remus Lupin]

[ Part two of three]

Three weeks later

The nightmares were bad again. They mostly acted up every few days, but for the passing week all (Y/n) could see when she closed her eyes were the hideously crooked fangs of Fenrir Greyback as he snarled, his beastly hackles raised in anticipation of a bite. The reason why she awoke at four o'clock instead of six, deciding that it was stupid to pretend like she would fall back asleep, and ventured out of the castle at five o'clock.

A fine mist had gathered over the grounds when she strolled down the hilly terrain on the way to Hagrid's hut. It was still faintly dark, although the sun was standing on tiptoes on the horizon, but it would take at least another hour for the mist to clear. The air in her lungs was crisp and moist, and she savoured the silkiness of it across her skin - even though she could feel her hair frizzing by the second. It probably wasn't the safest option to saunter through the forest unattended – and she knew that, but she was getting awfully good at ignoring her conscience lately – but if there was anyone awake at this time of the morning, anyone actually worth talking to, it would be Hagrid. The track beneath her feet and slope of the hills was second-nature to follow as she neared the edge of the forest, sparing a quick glance at the thin silhouettes of the trees nestled in the mist like a briary fence. She could almost imagine dark, shadowy figures watching her through the mist – she shook off the feeling. The Dementors weren't allowed this far into the castle grounds, Dumbledore made sure of that.

The mist had thickened into fog around Hagrid's hut so that she could barely make sense of it and had to squint to see the tall, bulky shape of a man whistling as he tended to the pumpkin patch. Her ears could also catch the sound of a dog barking in the distance as her footsteps crunched beneath her, but she was pleased enough to see Hagrid to care whether or not it was a hallucination. Hagrid only seemed to notice her when she got close to the pumpkin patch, putting down his farming tools and standing up, rubbing his hands on his soiled clothes.

Hagrid was grinning, "What are you doing around so early in the mornin'?"

"The early thestral catches the hare, Professor." (Y/n) grinned back.

"Not been sleepin' much, have ye now?" Hagrid said knowingly.

The smile vanished from her lips.

"I still have a day left." She muttered.

Another person she had told about her 'moon curse' was Hagrid. It had been less for comfort and more for information when her friends finally convinced her to tell Hagrid that she was becoming a werewolf. The reason being was because Hagrid knew more about Hogwarts – especially about the surrounding grounds, like the Forbidden Forest itself – than most other wizards and witches did. If there was a place where she could transform– and she needed to find it desperately, since it was only one day's time until full moon – Hagrid would be the one to know. He had been really helpful with suggestions of where to change, he added a few more places each time she visited, and had shown nothing other than kindness, which was so typical of Hagrid when it came to dangerous creatures.

"Where's Fang?" (Y/n) asked.

"Sniffin' somewhere out in the fores'," Hagrid grumbled, "Gone mad, he has. Ever since Sirius Black's been missing from Azkaban, Fang's been howling in the early mornin' and late at night as if he's seen another dog – but what kind of dog would be out in the fores'?"

(Y/n) shrugged. She almost made a passing remark about it almost being full moon, since that was what muggles always said when their dogs went crazy, but she decided against it.

"Feel like a cuppa?" Hagrid offered blissfully, taking a deep lungful of the fresh Irish air, "I made fresh rock candy."

"I think I'll give it a skip today, but thank you, Hagrid." She quickly replied, her smile more panicky than she'd tried to put on, "I think I'm going to scout out those places you told me about. I can't keep avoiding it."