Closed Pack is another word for Family pv Colin

Interacting with: Henry Knight
Clothing style: plain kilt, shirt, no shoes or socks

Colin loved early mornings in the Owlery. Nice and quiet. With the exception of owl noises, of course! He'd gotten used to his life at Hogwarts. He didn't have any close friends, but the housemates his age seemed nice enough. None of them had turned him in to the Ministry yet, anyway. He'd learnt to be more careful. He tried to keep his hunting restricted to early morning or late evening and whenever he just couldn't control himself when others were around, he'd make sure he had a good story to explain why he was stalking a bush or randomly attacking a pile of stones.

Being playful about it had certainly helped! By now he had a reputation as 'that boy who's always fighting monsters or liche armies' or 'the boy who runs around like mad in every wild place he can find'. And, well, if there happened to a nice juicy mouse in those wild places or if the liche king just happened to pitch his tent near a napping hare, well, so much the better!

Today though, Colin had decided to go on a proper hunt. It had been cold and a little snowy at the weekend and Colin had got up long before the Sun that Monday morning --- certainly long before his dorm mates! He put on his old drab green kilt and shirt and tossed his shoes and socks into the tatty bag slung over his shoulder. He slunk out of the dorm and crept silently through the common room. Once out in the corridor he smiled as his bare feet touched the now familiar stonework of Hogwarts.

Once he'd gotten away from the dungeons which were his usual hunting grounds, he began skulking about outside in early morning dusk. He crouched, listening, letting the light breeze bring him the news. Colin thought it was strange. Never in his life before Hogwarts had he even considered stalking hares like this, let alone eating one for breakfast without it being cooked up in a nice warm broth! And then he saw it! A nice grey shape lazily sniffing about not ten yards away --- a big fat juicy looking mountain hare!

And before the hare could begin to nip at the early spring greens, Colin nabbed him and shoved him in the sack! He stood up and took a deep breath. But he wouldn't dare risk a smile until he'd looked in every direction to make sure no one was watching him. It was a terrible thing to have to hide from everyone. He was sure no one in Slytherin house would ever turn to him asking: 'Say, Colin, would you mind nipping out into the dungeons and fetching us a bowl full of mice for snacks, oh and you will be sitting in for a few hands of whist, won't you?'

*sniff* "Like as not, they'd pack me off to the Ministry for being a danger!" he said to himself.

Satisfied no --- werewolf catchers --- were prowling about behind the greenhouses on a cold Monday morning on the Hogwarts grounds, Colin felt he could smile and relax a bit. Still shoeless, he took advantage of the deep gloom to make his way up to the Owlery, and once there, he shared out some of the mice he'd caught that morning with his favourite owls. Then he sat down to write a letter to Ciarán, his little sister.

He told all about how his classwork since leaving home after Christmas and (most of!) the adventures he'd gotten into of late. He told her about his early morning hunting trip and the beasties he'd bagged. Of course, he'd always loved Ciarán and had thrown more than bully onto his arse if he teased her for her odd manner; but Ciarán was also the only person he could ever tell about his --- condition. She understood. She'd put it together even before Colin had reasoned it through. She accepted it even when he still denied it. Colin was a werewolf and Ciarán loved him all the more for it; for hadn't he taken on the curse to save her and Liam?

He decided to write out a rather, mmm, more carefully redacted, version of the letter for Ma and the rest of the family. Colin figured there was no good reason to tell someone who worked tirelessly to eradicate werewolves roaming the Highlands that her own son was a werewolf and roaming about Hogwarts!

That letter would have to wait --- Colin really felt hungry now! So he climbed up into the wee niche above the doorway into the Owlery. He dangled his bare legs and feet over the ledge and nodded along with some inner music. The owls watched him. He squinted back at them, as if to say, I already gave you lot a treat this morning!

Just as he was about to take the first well earned bite, he disjointed one of the legs with a quick snap. He heard a loud crunching noise --- that clearly didn't come from breakfast! He sat up straight to listen for any other noises. He heard a noise!

*shhhhh*

"---!" he didn't say. He watched for a crucial second as his letter to Ciarán slid off the ledge, nudged probably when he shifted his position. A crazy concatenation of conflicting instincts followed in quick succession: the parchment slid --- Colin tried to grab it! In trying to grab the parchment, he let go of the hare's leg! The parchment slipped away, and unfolded, landing on the stone floor below. The slippery hare leg went flying --- Colin tried to capture it! In trying to capture it, he lost his grip on the rest of the hare!

And Colin could only watch as both the leg and the hare splatted onto the floor.

"Drat, and double drat!!" he shouted. One friendly owl hooted in sympathy, but another owl fluttered down and made off with his hard won leg.

"And triple drat!"

With a deep sigh, Colin turned and launched himself off the stone ledge, landing lightly on the stone floor below. He looked over and saw an orange and white tomcat watching him with mild interest. "You take your two eyes away from that hare, Tom !" he cried; but as he stood up, he let out a snarl!

Colin's hands immediately flew to his mouth and he blushed deeply. "Sorry, sir! I didn't mean to snarl at you, sir!" Standing in front of him was an older Slytherin boy. "Um." His attention was stolen away just then as a huge grey owl swooped in through the arched doorway, nicked the rest of his hare and took it high up into the roosts above.

"Aw, drat again! There goes my breakfast." Then he remembered the older Slytherin boy standing in front of him! He'd heard what Colin had just said! And even if he didn't Colin could plainly see the word WEREWOLF in big black letters on the parchment at the boy's feet.

"Oh, crap!" he moaned. "I'm so doomed!"

For once, Colin truly didn't know whether he should try to run for it, maybe make it into the Forbidden Forest or try to fight this boy and force him to keep quiet somehow. Neither option seemed terribly viable. Werewolf hunters could find him in the Forest; and this boy was older and could probably turn him into a newt and squash him if he wanted to.

So, Colin just stood in front of the tall boy, lowered his head, sighed deeply and waited for whatever cruel Fate would do to him.



@Henry Knight

Interacting: @Colin McCoire
Mentioning: N/A

The tall boy gave Colin some chocolate. He looked at it. Why would he do that? What does he mean it'll make him feel better? Colin's lips formed an O of surprise and confusion. He looked up at the tall boy and wondered who he was.

"Umm," he said, not quite sure what to say. "I'll feel better? What do you mean?" He waved the chocolate to emphasise his questions.

My scent? W--- Colin's eyes flew open and his heart sank as the other boy said 'werewolf'! "Oh no. N-n-no! Not me!!" Colin stepped back from the boy, looked around frantically for his escape routes. "I'm NOT a werewolf!! I---!"

Colin was just about to spring away from the older boy when he said something strange. He's a werewolf too!?

That one word, 'relax'. The boy said it in such a way that Colin felt almost compelled to do just that! He narrowed his eyes and his breaths came short and shallow. "Y-you're a werewolf." It wasn't really a question. But Colin did kind of wonder if he'd really heard correctly or not. He wasn't sure whether to believe the boy or not. And now the older boy had closed the gap between them. There was no longer any thought of escape. He knew that if he tried, the boy could reach out and grab him.

"Y-you're going to turn me in, aren't you? To Azkaban?" Colin's understanding of werewolves in wizarding society was composed largely of veiled stories he'd heard about the War, whispered family secrets, snatches of improperly understood conversations he'd heard between his Ma and the Ministry blokes she worked with. He'd managed to convince himself that werewolves were to be hunted down and sent to Azkaban for --- extermination.

In reality, he wasn't entirely wrong. There were lots of folks where he lived that would love to see all werewolves exterminated. He knew his Ma was among that number. And now here was this boy telling him that he should relax because he himself is a werewolf? Telling him that he's not alone.

"There are others? There's a --- a pack!? What does that mean? Like a family for --- for werewolves? Are you --- joking?" Colin wasn't quite sure what to make of any of this.

He whispered to himself: "Wolves United?"

The boy said that he'd never seen one --- another werewolf maybe? --- hunt or eat raw meat before. Colin looked up at the older boy. "What was I supposed to do? I was hungry!" He shrugged. "And, well, I went hunting." He lowered his eyes, looking a little embarrassed. Great. Not only am I abnormal, but I'm abnormal for a freak!

@Henry Knight