It was early the next morning when Remus Lupin appeared in Professor Dumbledore's office well before breakfast was even served.
"Come in, Remus," the old wizard greeted him. "What brings you to see me so early? Did you have some trouble last night?"
"Well, I spotted Sirius briefly if that is what you mean. But first, why didn't you tell me you have a werewolf as a student? Who is it?"
Dumbledore paused from sipping his tea to peer over the cup's rim. "I'm sorry. Did you say we have a student with lycanthropy?"
"I figured you knew," Remus answered. "Somehow he was transformed last night and chasing Sirius. He stopped when he saw me and I could tell he was on wolfsbane. The human mind was in complete control. I reckoned Severus must be making it for him too."
Dumbledore looked concerned. "I did not know anything about this. Are you sure it is a student? The wards wouldn't allow a rabid werewolf through that was not a student, but one on wolfsbane might be able to pass."
Remus made a small shrug. "I am fairly sure the werewolf was only a teenager based on his size and development. I can also tell you the wolf in me knows he is an alpha."
"I will, of course, defer to your expertise," Dumbledore murmured. "I find it highly unlikely that a student could have hidden such a condition from me for long. A First year maybe?"
"Too big," Remus answered. "He was too old. I would say Third through Fifth year would be the most likely.
Dumbledore bowed his head slightly in acceptance. "Once again I will defer to your opinion. Would you be willing to look into this matter for me? With your background it would be easier for you than any of the other current staff."
Remus nodded his acceptance. The student deserved an education but the school staff needed to know about his affliction. While the student seemed to have managed to maintain control this could be a recent affliction. A novice made mistakes. Most attacks were made by novices or the truly evil wolves like Greyback.
"Now, are you sure our friend was male?" Dumbledore asked. Remus resisted the urge to make a snarky comment. How would he have missed that?
"Yes," he answered.
"Excellent. That leaves us with 57 students within the years you indicated. Anything else you noticed about his wolf form that seemed different to you?"
Remus considered for a moment. "Most werewolves are still men that have taken on wolf characteristics. This one looked more like a wolf that had taken human characteristics. The would usually indicate that the wizard as embraced the lycanthropy, much like Greyback. But they are also usually the ones that abhor taking the potion and he was a bit young to have reached that stage too."
Dumbledore nodded. "Interesting. I shall call a meeting with the House Heads for later today. No danger exists during the day so the need is not immediate. Would you be willing to share your memory of the encounter with the rest of the senior staff? Excellent! Now I suggest we make our way down to breakfast."
....
2 January, 1994
Remus was once again on late night patrol. He enjoyed the quiet darkness of the Hogwarts halls. It reminded him so much of his time at Hogwarts with his friends. James was like the cool big brother that would help you through anything. Peter was quiet but always willing to volunteer to help out. The traitor was fun and the social driver of the group.
It had been James that recognized Remus's monthly absences for what they were in their First year. The traitor suggested a way to help Remus and stole a text on becoming an animagus from the Black family library. Peter was able to slip out and (with James's money) gather the ingredients and other materials needed to brew the animagus identification potion and then train themselves to make the transformation.
The Marauders had made a magical pact in Second year never to reveal Remus's condition or the animagus training of the other three to those not already in the know without the individual's permission. The pact should have been broken once the traitor betrayed James and Lily. Remus still couldn't tell anyone about the traitor's animagus form. Something must have been off in the wording of the pact. James had kept it in the Potter family vault so Remus couldn't verify it. When he had shown his memory of the encounter with Padfoot and the werewolf, the dog was replaced with the traitor's human form.
Remus moved on to thoughts of his own encounter with their mystery werewolf from October. The last full moon was six days past and the third full moon that the full Hogwarts staff had fruitlessly searched for any sign of a werewolf on the grounds. Between the dementors, the traitor, and the mystery werewolf, the staff was getting very nervous about their ability to protect their students. Well, except for Albus and Severus. Albus just proclaimed that everything would be taken care of and ask if you want a lemon drop. Severus just didn't seem to care.
To distract himself, Remus cast the spells the Marauders used to move unobserved through the school: a Disillusionment spell to cover the visible, a Silencing charm to cover the auditory, and an Oderless charm to cover his scent. Remus allowed himself to pretend he was 14 again and off on another Marauder prank adventure.
Remus had just entered the Entry Hall and stood at the base of the great stairway when he heard an odd rushing noise. A flash of blackness in the dim light of the hall passed overhead.
It was in complete disbelief that Remus watched the mystery werewolf leaping from landing to landing moving up the stairs to be lost in the gloom at the top of the stairs. To make matters worse, the werewolf had a school bag casually thrown over one shoulder. The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers were in that general direction. Was their mystery student in one of those Houses?
Remus dropped his spells as he quickly made his way to Dumbledore's office. This sighting confirmed the impossible: the student's transformations were not dependent on the full moon and might have been completely voluntary. How many times had the other Marauders used their animagus forms to sneak back to Gryffindor tower after a late night prank or rendezvous? Remus bet the student must have made a run at the Restricted Section. Maybe they could find some evidence of who it was by searching there.
Over the next five months, Remus would have four more sightings of his elusive werewolf. He never came close to capturing the beast and came to the conclusion the infected student was playing with him. No other professors ever so much as spotted the creature. If not for his memories, most of the staff would have suspected the old Marauder of playing a prank on them. Instead it seemed the prank was on him.
One incident in March confirmed the student was a prankster. Remus had been checking a bathroom for out of bounds students. He opened the door to find himself nose to muzzle with the werewolf. The professor let out a scream reminiscent of Gilderoy Lockhart and fell back on his arse. When he looked up again the wolf was gone.
Remus wondered if werewolves could laugh hysterically. He hoped the brat bit his tongue.