Knox concurred with Greer (although he didn't understand she was making some kind of reference). "Yes, and it's most dangerous when we're transformed. Burns the skin. Scars it. It's used as a weapon by werewolf hunters."

He couldn't help but think of Kurby Bagnold's and the other members of the WCU's conspicuous array of silver jewelry and other accouterments. Knox found it offensive if only because Bagnold was so bold about wearing it even when the moon was a sliver. He kept the thought to himself. In this, Bagnold was their ally, if he wasn't - sort of - most of the time.  What had he said in today's letter? He'd called the girls his 'damned pack'. 

He stirred his tea, then looked up when Greer spoke of the devil.

"...no!" Knox furrowed his brows and shook his head. "No, dear, no. Kurby Bagnold is safe. He was the one who owled to warn us. No, the man who was killed was Alec Carter. He's the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. That's who oversees the Werewolf Wing and the safehouses. I don't know how it happened but I get the feeling the Ministry suspects it wasn't an accident."

Knox held out his hand to Lucinda who was nibbling on the raw ginger. "No, Miss Temple, put it in the tea."

Kurby? It sounded like a name she should know, but she didn't. Wasn't it a character in a muggle game? Small pink marshmallow thing? She remembered a kid showing her a screen of something like that before. But otherwise the name didn't ring a bell.

"Who is Kurby Bagnold?" She asked, stopping her nibbling on the ginger and putting it into her tea, before sipping that. She didn't know she was meant to drink it and not eat it! The only herbs she learned how to use was in potions. Maybe Herbology but she didn't remember much from those lessons, she didn't like gardening, too messy for her liking. Plus Mandrakes put her off completely, they were extremely ugly.

And so silver did harm them to an extent, she doesn't remember ever touching silver since turning actually. She supposed it was a good thing if they could suffer reactions to it. She did want to see what her reaction would be though.

Her eyes started to glance around the room for anything that was made of silver, although she wasn't too good at telling silver and normal metal apart. They all have the same metal look to them!

Greer had no idea who Alec Carter was, and felt both relieved and sorry that she didn't know. She put a hand to her mouth and nibbled on her thumbnail, unhappily worrying at the number of not-accidents that had happened last night. What was wrong with people? First someone stole werewolves from a supposed safe house, and then someone killed the guy who was in charge of the safe houses.

At least Bugnold was alive and had warned them. She perked up in her seat. Maybe she'd write to him, too. Thanks, Mr. Bugface, for the new nightmares! Glad you're not eaten!

Greer gave Lucinda a sidelong glance.

"Bagnold is the one you skipped up to last night in the waiting area," she informed her impishly before 'oh dear' Greyfriar could get the chance. He could explain the boring stuff like Bagnold's actual job.

"Remember? He sparkles like a silver Christmas ornament year 'round. I was talking to Harper. She outshines Bagnold. Harper came to see me," she added, as if they didn't already know.

Greer slumped in her seat again, cradling her tea to her, fighting back the sense of worry and uncertainty but unsure what to ask the Headmaster next.

The girls each had their own way of processing the confusion and calamity. They'd the three of them had no kind of camaraderie yesterday and nothing had magically changed overnight. Greer snipped at Lucinda, both of them still seemed wary of him, but here they three were stuck together. Knox took some of the tea and waited a moment. The worst of it was out. Greer had said about as much about Kurby Bagnold as was needed - that he sparkled less than the lawyer Harper Graves. But the terrible news was only the first part. He didn't expect the second part would land any better, and it probably didn't deserve to.

"You'll forgive an old man like me the inconsistency, but I must now ask you both a favor neither of you should be obliged to and take some additional precautions. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I whole-heartedly believe Hogwarts is the safest place for all of us, but the stars and fate and all that can only do so much. We three, we'll be extra watchful."

He set his cup down again and clasped his hands. "I'll ask only that you keep near to the castle until whoever has done these terrible things is caught. That and tell me if you see or hear anything out of the ordinary, or if you get any strange owl post."

When he said it out loud, it seemed utterly feeble.

He sparkled. But Harper sparkled more. That narrowed it down. What a great assessment from Greer. As much as she liked to say she forgot the events of the full moon, it was hard not to. Sure some things she did forget, usually leading up to leaving for the Ministry as she's just too worn out. But yes, she did remember skipping up to someone. Why did she skip. She can't remember his features well but yes he did sparkle, he didn't shake her hand though, was he wearing silver?

Didn't Knox hate him? That was the only reason she went to him! Why is someone who Knox dislikes sending him letters! Did he dislike Kurby for sending too many letters? If he already hated him, wouldn't any letter be too many letters? She started to conclude that Adults are people too, even Professors. And they were confusing. Good to know that life only got more confusing and irritating after leaving school, gives her something positive to look forwards to.

Not to leave the castle. Was not something she wanted to hear, he didn't exactly say that but, that was essentially what it was. So first she's stuck in the castle over Christmas, now she isn't allowed to leave until the killer is found. And when will that happen exactly? If someone manages to kill two werewolves and a department head. They had something planned and they weren't just an average back alley wand wiggler killer. Who knows if they would ever get caught? And she's not to leave the castle until then?

So everyone else can go to Hogsmeade but not us. Who doesn't love further alienation from your classmates?

"Oh sure, what else do you want. Want me to have my stuff moved here? Stay the summer? Its not as if murders can go unsolved. Its only three more years just sitting on my ass here." She snarled, although it didn't come out strong, lacking any real conviction in her tone. "What next, want me to live in the same dorm as this pup?" She half gestured towards Greer. She didn't want to be mean to her, but her childish attitude wasn't what she was expecting when she said she would announce herself as a werewolf to draw eyes away from her.

She started to sip at her hot chocolate, not liking the tea mixed with ginger as much as the almost ambrosia that she now had, all it needed was some marshmallows, maybe whipped cream, then more marshmallows.

She nodded as Greyfriar talked.

Stay near the castle and they'd be safe. That didn't sound so bad. The Valentine's Day kidnapping last year had happened a whole year ago and the guy had been caught anyway. Her parents had tutted over it quite a bit, but they worried about everything. She and Lucinda weren't getting expelled, they got to stay! Was she missing something?

Lucinda! Greer gave her a look. They were lions first, pups second.

"I'll stay the summer if my brother can stay too," Greer told the Headmaster quickly. Say it fast enough, sandwich it after Lucinda's snarling, and maybe he'd agree.

Knox furrowed his brows. "What? No. That's not what I mean."

The leaps of logic as curious, agile brains sometimes caught the wise Headmaster off-guard. He couldn't help be aware that it was still only January and how many full moons there'd be until they'd have to sort out the summer.

"We'll deal with each day as it comes," he said. "Week by week. The tide of the world turns to justice as long as there are those of us to fight for it. Which leads me to my second request."

He gave them each a look in the eye. "In times like this, it will be friendship that makes the difference. I won't be arrogant enough to assume you've ever paid much stock in History of Magic, but through any adversity there have always been regular people looking out for each other. We can hold fast to each other to spite the night. You are Gryffindors, Miss Temple, Mss Grant."

Knox tried to smile. They asked too much of children, this world.

"Look past yourselves and see in each other an ally, a partner. I will always be here for you, but there is strength you can draw from each other that I can't give. Can you do this?"

And now she is a baby sitter. This was great.

Two people are likely dead, an important ministry person is dead. She was stuck here. And she had to get along with someone who didn't understand what murder was. What a great day, maybe tomorrow someone will come in saying no more werewolves at school and instead she was to be collared to a wall and laughed at. You know, something happy for a change, makes a good holiday.

She did understand, to an extent. Having allies was good, there was basis for it in history. Perhaps most famously recently, to her knowledge was during the second wizarding war. If those three didn't stay together, she likely would be in Greybacks werewolf army, if she was still alive. Atleast someone would appreciate having a were- Not a place I want to go right now.

But on the other hand, she barely knew Greer, she'd only really met her yesterday! And full moons aren't a good time for introducing to other people, for a start no one wanted to be with anyone else.
When she's rested maybe, she'd try talking to her.

"Fine." She sighed before looking into the fire. "I'll do my best to look out for you." She said in a slightly sullen tone, with hints of her looking forwards to hexing someone sweetening it.

How would she try to work with Greer? She was in another year, only times they can really meet is during meals, breaks and in the common room. Sure weekends but the amount of work she still needed to catchup with wasn't helpful. Not to mention both should be making friends in their own years. Lucinda's...friends? From previous years were mostly giving her odd looks and always seemed stiff with her.

Greer could be a friend, we both share something in common.

Both had brown hair.

Greer met the Headmaster's tired eyes, but drew back in her seat. Be friends? He wasn't listening. She wanted her family. She wanted to know the future. She wanted to know where they would go during next month's full moon, and whether the bad guy would get caught, and whether her grandparents were going to adopt her. It was all she could think about, what the next day would hold, and she didn't have room in her head to make friends.

Her family had always helped her handle every tragedy. They'd fussed over her, looked out for her.

She was used to being the only werewolf. Lucinda was just agreeing to make Greyfriar look less gray.

"I can look after myself," Greer retorted hotly, shrugging her curls over her shoulder. She avoided looking at Lucinda, unhappy Lucinda, who was the future she didn't want to become.

"I'll stick around the castle, professor," she gave him the briefest of glances. "I won't be a bother."

She set her teacup on the table and pushed it away from her, much like she had with her wand last night. Done.

Lucinda agreed without argument which, at least with Knox, was a notable phenomenon. For Lucinda, Knox had been the latest in a long line of people telling her what to do and where she could go. They'd made a step or two forward, but Greer barely knew him. Knox had to guess he was just the next adult she'd been passed off to. Just another completely inadequate substitute for her parents.

"I can take care of myself," Greer said.

"I know you can," he said emphatically, honestly.  "I know you can. I'm asking you to take care of Miss Temple, take care of each other. You two, you're each the only other person in this castle who has even a glimmer of what all of this could possibly feel like. I'm not even asking you to be friends. I'm asking you to be brave; brave enough to give and accept help.  Not even help. Just ... acknowledgement. Try."

Knox dreaded sending them back to their dormitory just as isolated as he'd found them. He lifted his eyebrows. He couldn't order them see each other as comrades instead of cellmates. He could only ask.

She was brave. She'd transformed in a Ministry cell, she was here at Hogwarts, she was brave every day.

The Headmaster wanted more from her, to help but not help, to try and take care of each other. She'd already told him that she could take care of herself. She tried to. She tried to trust herself. Everyone else should trust themselves too.

Crossing her arms, Greer looked at the teacup on the table. She'd asked for tea, and he'd acknowledged that and given it to her. That wasn't enough?

She chanced a glance at Lucinda, who was holding her cup of cocoa and gazing into the fire.[1] It was difficult to look at another girl's face and know that she was feeling the same pain.

"Lucinda needs another hug," her voice sounded in a frustrated grumble as she scooted to perch on the edge of the chair. "I'd like to go back to bed. Can I?"

1.	approved by Gris!

There wasn't much flicker of acceptance in either of the girls and Knox felt his earnestness struggling for warmth. He wished for their confidence in him, for a spark of defiance against the darkness. It was a shame that the three of them sat here together miles apart, and here he was struggling with tethers too short. Maybe things would look better in the morning.

Greer was impatient with him. Lucinda was looking for something. A hug, Greer suggested on her behalf. He straightened in his seat, mirroring Greer's posture.

"Yes, of course. That's fine."

He placed his hands on his knees, but didn't move to get up.

"Go together."

"I don't need a hug." Lucinda snarled quietly from her special interest in the fire, she wasn't sure why she was, she was thinking something but its gone now. Greer interrupted that thought, with a small slurp her hot chocolate was finished and it was placed down onto the nearest flat surface.

"I'll make sure Peeves doesn't get her on the way back." She said in a sigh, looking over at Greer. Trying to act like she's going with her on her own choice, not that she just got told to while she moved to the third years side.

She could do with going back to bed, but now she wasn't sure she could sleep, if someone manages to get onto the grounds, how hard would it be to enter the castle, or simply wait until they had Herbology or something? Or go to the lake, easy ambush location. What are the chances they attended Hogwarts? They would know passages also, really how hard would it be to break into the common room?

Yeah she isn't getting sleep tonight. But she atleast wants to return to her bed, it felt safer then standing in a room in her sleep wear. Who knows, maybe they get into the common room and kidnap the wrong girl.

It still wasn't that nice a thought. She regretted it almost immediately, but she's already far enough behind on work without kidnappings to push her further back.