Baldur trotted briskly and alertly by Sasha's side as they passed through the opening in the brick wall between Knockturn Alley and the Leaky Cauldron.  Only a few heads turned to watch the boy and his dog pass through the pub.  Though dogs were nowhere near as prevalent in the wizarding world as they were in the muggle world, Baldur had become a rather common sight in Diagon Alley.  Initially, he'd been Jacoba's regular escort.  Now, he stayed close to Sasha, though that did leave Jacoba flying solo most of the time. 

At least, that was the case when they weren't both at Reducto.  With Tilly Quinn out taking care of herself and the baby, much of Sasha's free afternoons were spent pitching in at the shop - often while he caught up on studying and homework. As he had been this afternoon. 

Jacoba was still at the shop, finishing up the shift and closing up.  Adon would be by in a couple hours to walk her home.  Sasha had slipped out early to head over to the stables for evening lessons, cleaning and feeding.  Since his return to London, the stables had offered to exchange labor for livery fees to help offset the cost of boarding his horses.  But, teaching riding lessons was turning out to be quite fun - he actually enjoyed teaching the younger kids.  And, he didn't mind the barn chores - he'd move into the stables if it were an option. 

The last of the evening sun was just slipping behind the buildings as he stepped out into charing cross road.  He felt slight tension on the leash as the shepherd stopped and gave a good shake before catching up to Sasha's side.  He was several blocks away from the underground station when he spotted her.  Olivia Foley.  The werewolf.  Fauna's former girlfriend.  He froze and watched her, blinking.  Quickly, before she saw him, he ducked his head and turned to cross he street, hoping she hadn't seen him.  But, then he hesitated again.  Did she know?  Did she know about Fauna?  She must! 

"Fauna!"  It wasn't the most intelligible start to the conversation but it was certainly direct.    "You dated her.  She's like you, isn't she?" 

It couldn’t be helped, the very sound of the name Fauna made Olivia look up hoping to see her friend. How could she be so silly? Fauna was back at school not out here in muggle London. Heck, Ollie shouldn’t even be here but she was running late. When you couldn’t use your wand and you couldn’t apparate because you weren’t old enough making it home on time did have some troubles. Ollie was currently experiencing one of those moments as she was running to get to the nearest Floo Network, she had to get home as soon as possible. Yet the sound of the name Fauna had distracted her mid stride.

She turned to look at the one who voiced the name. She saw an old schoolmate; well she wouldn’t exactly call him a mate. “Excuse me?” She looked at him with a sense of confusion. “Like me?” Olivia brushed her hair from her face. She felt so sickly looking and sore. This was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now. “A lesbian?” Olivia asked curiously not even thinking about the werewolf thing, because asking if Fauna was a werewolf was such a silly question.  “No, I don’t think she is cause we didn’t really date and she was dating Devlin as I am sure you know.” Olivia was not in the mood to deal with stupid questions.

She glanced up to the sky. She really needed to go as she walked towards Sasha. She was headed in the direction it seemed he was coming from. Olivia felt herself shaking. This didn’t feel right, this wasn’t a normal feeling before a full moon. Why had she let the time slip by? She was supposed to be at home by now, locked in her special room. Ollie already felt like she was loosing herself.

Sasha pulled up short as Olivia turned towards him and he took a measured step away from her.  Had he been pureblood, he might have been in the habit of checking the day's moon phase along with the weather in the morning.  But, he'd never developed that habit and, therefore, was currently entirely oblivious to the full moon.  That step back was one he would have taken regardless of the girl's high likelihood of bursting forth into a snarling, growling, wreck-havocing beast at any moment. 

He wasn't sure how his question could have been so confusing.  The words had been clear.  A little vague, granted, but was it that hard to fill in the blanks?  Wasn't her status as a werewolf the big, un-ignorable elephant in the room? 

He opened his mouth, intending to repeat he question when she offered an entirely unexpected answer.  She thought he thought Fauna was ... Sasha stared at Olivia and blinked several times, trying hard to forget the question, answer and all the unintentional imagery that came with it.  "I ... what?  No!"  That was not something he wanted to think about in general - thinking about in connection with Fauna just made it that much worse.  He cringed and shook his head, again. 

"No.  That wasn't what I meant.  I was - she ... she's a ... had she been a werewolf when you dated?  Or, did she become one after?"  And, had it been intentional?

Olivia was confused as he started to say no. So it wasn’t anything to do with the fact she was a lesbian, so Olivia was kind of stumped as to what he was questioning. Fauna was apparently now something that she wasn’t when they were together, and apparently she was like her. Olivia all of a sudden clued into what Sasha was talking about. Olivia lived with being a werewolf for so long it wasn’t something she acknowledged as a label as it was just part of her.

"No.  That wasn't what I meant.  I was - she ... she's a ... had she been a werewolf when you dated?  Or, did she become one after?"

Ollie began to laugh as she heard the words coming out of Sasha’s mouth. Was that the rumour going about Hogwarts these days? “That is hysterical,” she continued to laugh. It was nice to laugh, especially on the verge of the full moon. “No she was not a werewolf when I was at school and too my knowledge isn’t n…” Ollie didn’t get the chance to finish the words when she felt the first start of the change.

Ollie started to back up want to run away from Sasha has quickly as she could. How had she been so careless? This was different though, this didn’t feel right because she felt like she was losing herself. Ollie had only felt this once or twice when she was young and puked up the potion. The feeling was not one you forget. Ollie was losing herself to the animal, but she didn’t understand why she had taken the potion. Ollie started to cry as she started to transform.

Ollie’s bones began to shape and change and she lost herself completely to the wild animal she always attempted to avoid. Unlike normal she growled and went into a defensive attack pose and her target was who was closest.

Sasha flushed when Olivia began to laugh and glanced around awkwardly.  Okay.  So, maybe Fauna hadn't been a werewolf when the met.  It seemed like the type of thing another werewolf would know.  (Maybe they recognized each other's scent or ... )

Sasha shook his head, stopping that train of thought in its tracks. 

That didn't rule out Fauna becoming one during that time, though.  Or since then.  Or, that Olivia was helping her cover it up.  Who knew better than she the consequence of Snark finding out?  "Well,-" he answered, having no idea what he was going to say after that but feeling a need to fill the stark silence after the laughter.

But, Olivia seemed to be backing away from the conversation.  Quickly.  Sasha was, likewise, more than willing to end the awkward conversation and continue on his way.  He turned in the direction of the nearest underground station. 

Sasha felt the vibration of the dog's growl through the leash moments before he heard the louder and eerily familiar growl from behind him.  He froze in his tracks then turned, slowly, to face the beast standing just over an arm's length behind him.  "Oh, God," he breathed, staring up at the snarling mass of fur and (quite visibly in the bright full moonlight) teeth.   

Fear filled every inch of his being.  He wanted nothing more than to turn and run but, somewhere in the back of his mind, a small voice reminded him that doing so would like encourage the creature to take chase.  And, werewolves were faster than normal humans - he remembered that from class.  With shaking hands, he fumbled for his wand in the inside pocket of his jacket.  What he was going to do with it when he found it, he didn't have the slightest idea.  He, after all, was underaged and he didn't have the best track record with the Ministry when it came to defending himself. 

But, maybe, if Olivia had taken her potion, the sight of the wand would make her back off.  That was the hope, anyway.  Or, as a last resort, if he used purely defensive spells, (only those he'd learned in class) the Ministry was bound to recognize the extenuating circumstances.   

His fingers closed around the smooth wood of the wand but, just as they did, Sasha's heel caught on the dog's paw, who had crept progressively closer to Sasha's side during the retreat.  The dog yelped and Sasha stumbled and fell backwards on the textured sidewalk. 

Ollie the girl was lost and there was only the beast left. This was something that Ollie always avoided and when she would come back to the normal teenage girl she was, she would question why this even happened. She would be disappointed in herself, not only because she lost track of time, but also because she lost herself.

Her werewolf self growled focused mainly on the dog and not Sasha, well for the time being at least. She didn’t like the smell of the dog, she was ready to get rid of it. As she stepped forward she sniffed becoming more disgusted by the smell of that dog. She was ready to pounce the dog and dispose of him first. Maybe, had that happened Sasha might have had the chance to run. Unfortunately Sasha would take a tumble backwards grabbing her attention.

Her nose turned to him and focused. With a pause she howled and then made a leap towards Sasha. She had her claws out ready to claw.

Somewhere off to Sasha's side, there was a scream.  Another scream followed close on the heels.  The screams and the reactions to the beast were spreading quickly up the street but most of them went almost completely unnoticed by the young man. 

He was falling.  All he could see was the creature.  He hit the cold, hard sidewalk and let out his own terrified, startled cry as his hands grappled underneath him in an attempt to push himself upright.  But, the wolf's focus didn't waver.  Like a cat hunting down its prey - him - Sasha felt its attention become fixated.  As it seemed to freeze.  In that moment, Sasha froze as well, some vain voice of hope wondering if he didn't move than, maybe, the wolf wouldn't move either. 

Then, it howled.  Defensively, Sasha threw his arms up over his head as the werewolf leaped at him and braced himself for the impact.  He felt the weight hit him in the abdomen, forcing his breath from his lungs.  He could feel and smell the beast's breath and held his breath but the werewolf's teeth never found their mark.  Sasha heard the thud just above him as the dog threw itself against the werewolf. 

(godmodding approved by Dana)

If a werewolf could be happy for a moment then she would be, she would be satisfied with the fact she had made contact with the prey. Unfortunately that was not a process for the werewolf, she was in it for the feast and the smell of blood flesh ripped. Her claws dragged against the skin and through the cloth ripping the fabric as the weight of the dog caught the wolf frame off guard. The balance was off as she had just landed on an uneven surface and she rolled off dragging her claws along her prey in the process.

The battle was on between dog and beast. Clawing at the dog trying to get rid of it as the dog’s teeth sunk into her hairy flesh. Howling in pain she couldn’t ignore, but it only made her angrier. She threw the dog to the side, but she wasn’t done with her yet. She sneered loudly ready to attack the dog again to get rid of it.

Adrenaline tempered the initial sting of claws piercing skin but it would have taken more than a few hormones to overpower the pain as they tore across his abdomen.  Sasha gasped in pain, his arms dropping to his belly to cover the gashes.  He breathed deeply, fighting back tears and struggling to keep his mind from swirling into panic. 

Sasha heard a pained yowl and tried to push himself upright.  The howl had come from the werewolf, though.  The shepherd's teeth had taken a firm hold of the werewolf's upper arm and was hanging from it, lurching his weight to the side and trying to yank the werewolf off balance and to the ground.  The dog was no match for the wolf's strength.  Baldur yelped as he was tossed to the side but was on his feet a moment later, ready to charge the werewolf again.  The wolf's attention was now fully locked on the dog.  If the werewolf attacked the dog outright, Baldur wouldn't stand a chance.

Sasha quickly fumbled in his coat for his wand, this time managing to tug it free.  "Stupefy!" he called, pointing the wand at the werewolf as he did so.  What he was going to do once the werewolf was distracted, he didn't have the slightest idea.

Hildegarde had endured a terrible evening. The minute but menacing witch had stormed down Diagon Alley, her ankle-length cloak brushing back in the wind, appearing to float rather than walk. She'd just had an argument with her publisher - they wanted to extend her contract to seven books a year from four, and, fitting to character, Austerlitz had gone insane. The result was terrifying. A rather nervous middle-aged man was left quaking in his boots behind a desk, as Hildegarde had thrown a three-thousand page manuscript across the room silently. It wasn't a bellowing voice what made the woman an absolute tyrant, it was that steely glare, her mere presence.

Two familiar faced witches gave Hildegarde a smile and a 'good evening', but were brutally rebuffed. She simply ignored them, walking past as if they didn't exist. Professor Austerlitz wasn't a woman of pleasantries, especially when angry - she hated coming out of Hogwarts and into real wizarding society. Too many people she didn't care for, chit-chat and waves. Bring an isolated living room with a good novel any day over all those social graces.

Hildegarde stepped out onto Charing Cross road, the usual Muggle crowd become thicker. If only she could just apparate back to Hogwarts, then life would be so much easier. Instead, she was having to go down the main road and weave into the backstreets, find a suitable place to disappear. Such an inconvenience. The hustle and bustle of central London made Hildegarde clench her tiny hands into a steel-like fist, hidden away underneath her cloak. Taking another turn, Austerlitz rolled her eyes. Another individual.

But her irritability soon vanished. She stopped in her tracks.

It was Schlagenweit, wand out. Aimed at a creature so dangerous, so hideous, so incredibly brutal that Hildegarde couldn't believe that the young Ravenclaw was even daring to tackle it head on.

As if from nowhere, Hildegarde strode over, wand outstretched, her eyes narrowed. She neared the scene calmly, taking a deep breath before her voice rung out like a chime in a silent room.
"Locomotor Mortis!"

As Sasha, the prey he was now, started fumbling and moving her attention was focused on him. The dog was batted off to the side with a whimpering sound barely heard about the guttural growl that was now coming from Ollie. She felt herself drooling at the very idea of devouring the prey. She moved into a stance ready to pounce once more. It was time to act quickly on the part of her prey, but she wasn’t thinking like that like she normally would have as a witch. She was a beast and she just wanted to pounce. It was all taken away from her in a flash. She was hit with two spells at once and the beast fell to the ground.

Now the questioned remained how long it would be till she could move again. She howled annoyed she could not move or attack. She wasn’t thinking like Ollie she was thinking like an animal who was denied a meal. Howling out, almost like a wounded or disappointed dog. She was down unable to move.


(Hope this works for you guys)

The dog was cast aside with a yelp and the creature's attention turned back to Sasha.  He managed to keep his wand held aloft but his arm shook from a combination of shock, pain and fear.  After all, bloody hell - what chance did he - Sasha - stand against a rampaging werewolf?  Statistically, how many times could anyone face a werewolf and get away intact?  Baldur lay motionless a short distance away; knocked unconscious from being tossed off the werewolf the second time. 

He forced himself to swallow against the rising panic - if he lost his head, it was over.  He would be done.  Or worse. Bitten. 

But, his was not the only spell that hit the werewolf.  Just as his own stupefy hit the beast, another blast of light immobilized it.  The beast lay rigid on the ground but Sasha didn't dare tear his eyes away from it.  The moment he turned his back, he was sure it'd be back up on its feet.  He started to slowly back up; there was still enough adrenaline in his system to take the edge off the pain. 

His eyes remained glued on the creature.  Slowly, he edged backwards and around in the hopes of reaching the dog. After two steps, he was able to recognize Professor Austerlitz.  "I ... what do I - we do?"  Surprisingly, his voice worked.  But, he was more than happy to let the adult take the lead.  He was in well over his head.

Hildegarde took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself as she briskly trotted over to the scene. It had been some years since she'd raised her wand in aggression, and despite being the Iron Lady of Hogwarts, even she was taken aback somewhat. The minute witch placed a hand on Sasha's shoulder, gazing down at the howling werewolf. She shuddered. These attacks were become more and more often, and it unsettled Hildegarde more than most. Wherever Schlagenweit went, trouble seemed to follow, yet the History of Magic professor always held the fellow German in high regard. He was one of the unfortunates in life.

"Petrificus Totalus," she murmured, pointing her wand down at the flailing creature in order to eliminate the potential of it lashing out in anger. A flash emitted from her wand, and Hildegarde turned to Sasha, placing both hands firmly on his elbows. "Who is this? And did it bite or scratch you? I need you to be honest now, Schlagenweit." Her voice was spine-chillingly firm, and she met his gaze with narrowed eyes of concern. She hoped to Merlin that he didn't receive any contact from the beast, for his sake. Hildegarde had seen many werewolves disappear into the woodwork, too scared of a Ministry that hated them. She glanced down at the body-bound beast, shaking her head slowly. This was a person. An individual - consumed by something far more primal and destructive than most witches and wizards could comprehend. Being in a position of repute and authority, Hildegarde had no option but to report this to her former colleagues in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Even though it pained her dearly to turn in this exile, she had to set an example for not only Schlagenweit, but for every pupil entrusted to her care.

She pointed her wand to her lips, closing her eyes momentarily. Ever since she'd been in the Ministry, she'd been allowed a direct link to the communications system of the Aurors; she had been an invaluable asset during her days there, and Bernard's own expertise and dedication to the job put the Austerlitz couple in good stead.
"This is Hildegarde Austerlitz," she spoke clearly, taking a few steps away from the scene. "I'm on Sainsbury Street, off Charing Cross Road. I need immediate assistance in detaining a werewolf, immediate assistance. We could have had a bloodbath on our hands if I hadn't been here."

Hildegarde pocketed her wand back in cloak, and looked at the werewolf once again, her thoughts verbalising. "What an awful business," she murmured, and for a second, her voice was less harsh, more thoughtful. It seemed that even she was human, after all.

The werewolf still lay motionless on the ground. Though, for the time being, it didn't look like it was about to move, Sasha knew better than to trust too much on that fact.  He was sure, once it managed to break free of its hexes, it'd wake with a nasty temper.  As he edged up to the dog, he shifted his weight to one foot and rested his other foot on the dogs chest, feeling for the gentle rise and fall of each breath without taking his eyes off the werewolf.  He paid Professor Austerlitz little mind until her hand settled on his shoulder.  He jumped, slightly, glanced over his shoulder at the woman before turning back to the werewolf. 

"It's ... um ..."  Sasha swallowed.  Pain and panic were, again, threatening to take over but he willed himself to focus.  "Ollie- Olivia Foley," he answered, nudging the dog with his foot.  There was no way he'd be able to carry the dog; not with the gashes in his abdomen.  "She is...was a student.  Snark expelled her."  With apparent good reason.  No one could convince Sasha werewolves weren't dangerous.

He hesitated on the second question.  So, Professor Austerlitz hadn't noticed the injuries.  It wasn't a surprise; his back had, thus far, remained turned towards her and it was dark.  She didn't know and now was the time of decision.  Did he admit?  Could he get away without her finding out?  She seemed earnestly concerned when he looked back in her direction.  But, if she knew he was injured, she was probably obligated to notify his guardian.  Which would just make Dreogan more worried and cautious than he already was.  And, how many times could Sasha find himself in this or similar situations before Dreogan and Akiva realized he was more trouble than he was worth?  And, to risk all of that over a few simple scratches?  Granted, they were deep, painful and not insignificant but they were still just scratches.  He could handle the pain and he knew how to deal with superficial.  There were supplies back at the stables: liniment, antibiotics, irrigation supplies. 

"No," he lied, shaking his head as he looked down at the werewolf.  The dog finally lifted his head up and pushed himself to his feet with a big shake.  Sasha reached down and took the leash between his fingers.  "I'm ... I'm fine.  He jumped her before she could get me," he offered.  It was close enough to the truth.  He hunched his shoulders forward, letting the folds of his jacket and shirt make the tears in his clothes less prominent.  Luckily, the dark colors hid the blood well. 

"I ... I need to get him to a vet," he offered, glancing over his shoulder once more after Austerlitz called for reinforcements.  It would be only moments before the place was teeming with law enforcements and obliviators.  If he was going to get out unnoticed, he needed to, now.  "Please.  They won't be happy to see me, again.  Not after everything else." 

"I know the name," Hildegarde quickly replied, and shook her head. It was spreading, this virus, and it consumed even the most innocent of people. Olivia Foley was a child, forever burdened with a curse that Hildegarde would not even wish upon her worst enemy. Werewolves were misunderstood, and more importantly, hated; the scourge of the wizarding world were walking parasites, ready to infect anybody that they may encounter. Instead of rehabilitation, and protection for everyone's sake, they were on the verge of exposure and punishment. It was a subject that troubled the History of Magic professor deeply.

She gave him a nod as he lied, uncharacteristically believing the Ravenclaw. Hildegarde was astute at identifying the tale-tellers of Hogwarts in both the faculty and the student population, but in this hour of emergency, her abilities were tainted. Even if he was telling the truth, Hildegarde knew deep down that he was probably better off quiet. Better that than face the Ministry.

And then her attention turned to Sasha himself, the very person. He'd seen so much, so young; it was as if carnage seemed to followed him. What had the Ravenclaw done to deserve such a hand in life? First the murders, then the implications of Ava Grosvenor, the grilling by the Aurors, the exclusion from Hogwarts social life, and now this.
"Go." She simply said, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "As far as we're both concerned, you were never present, do you understand me?"

It was a direct challenge to the law, but even Hildegarde felt the need to protect at times. After all, he was one of her students, and underneath the iciness, the discipline and the cold shoulders, it meant a lot.