The next morning, whispers filled the corridors.
By the time breakfast ended, a student hurried up to them.
"Someone from the Werewolf Capture Unit is asking about you," he said.
"He's waiting in the Charms classroom."
Soren nodded calmly.
After gathering Penny, Cassie, and Jacqueline, he led them toward the Charms classroom.
---
Inside the room, standing near Professor Flitwick's desk was a man wearing a deep purple coat and matching cap.
The sleeves of his coat were embroidered with silver wolf claws, and the cap bore the image of a howling wolf.
The man turned as they entered.
"You must be Soren Whitlock," his sharp eyes settling on Soren.
Then his gaze shifted smoothly.
"And you are Cassie… Jacqueline… and Penny."
Cassie tilted her head. "And you are?"
The man gave a short nod.
"Cecil Lee," he said. "I'm here at Headmaster Dumbledore's request, on behalf of the Werewolf Capture Unit."
He straightened his coat.
"We're part of the best division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, charged with—"
"Capturing werewolves, right?" Penny interrupted, studying the wolf insignia.
Cecil nodded once. "Affirmative."
He looked at all four of them carefully.
"I'd like to speak to you about the attack you witnessed in the Training Ground during the Halloween Feast."
Soren and his friends explained everything in detail, how they had gone to the Training Ground, the white-haired girl lying unconscious, the sudden appearance of Fenrir Greyback, the werewolves he commanded, and the fight that followed.
When they finished, Cecil Lee nodded slowly.
"Fenrir Greyback," he said. "I should have known. He's the most savage werewolf there is."
Cassie frowned. "Have you faced him before?"
"Many times," Cecil replied calmly.
Jacqueline crossed her arms. "Then why haven't you captured him?"
Cecil let out a dry breath. "Have you seen how big he is? Those cold eyes. That sinister smirk." He shook his head. "He's far too frightening for most people to face head-on."
Soren looked at him steadily. "So this is going to be the same as before? You won't do anything?"
"No," Cecil said firmly. "This time, I will capture him."
"How?" Soren asked.
Cecil's gaze sharpened. "Because this time, you're involved. Especially you, Soren."
Soren raised an eyebrow.
"I've heard about you," Cecil continued. "Brave. Reckless. Capable." A faint smile appeared. "Even better than my niece, Bryony Lee. She's the best in our family."
Cassie glanced at Soren. "That's saying something."
Cecil nodded. "Help me capture Fenrir Greyback, and I can promise you a place in the Werewolf Capture Unit."
Soren didn't hesitate. "I'll help you. But I won't join the Werewolf Capture Unit."
Cecil blinked, then laughed quietly. "Fair enough."
His expression turned grim. "I won't lie to you. This is a bad job," he said. "Most of us get bitten. Some get eaten. Others get lost in forests or towns with winding streets."
The girls exchanged uneasy looks.
"But I wouldn't choose any other work," Cecil went on. "Werewolves are a scourge on wizardkind."
"We need to eliminate every last one of them before they do the same to us."
Soren's eyes hardened. "How do you know they're all bad?" he asked quietly.
Cecil tilted his head slightly.
"How do you know the sky is blue?" he asked.
Soren frowned. "Because I look at it?"
"Exactly," Cecil said.
Soren shook his head. "I'm not sure I understand."
"Worry not, Mr. Whitlock," Cecil replied evenly. "I'm an expert at the Ministry, and I hardly understand anything myself."
Cecil straightened his coat.
"Learn everything you can about werewolves," he said. "Then join me for the investigation."
His voice hardened.
"If we don't stop these werewolves, they'll infect everyone at Hogwarts."
Soren looked at Penny, Cassie, and Jacqueline.
They all nodded.
Without another word, they turned and headed toward the library, to learn everything they could about werewolves.
In the library, the four of them buried themselves in books until the outside world seemed to fade away.
Penny moved quickly between shelves, pulling down thick volumes with titles like Dark Creatures of the Northern Isles, Lycanthropy: Myths and Reality, and A Compendium of Cursed Transformations. She stacked them neatly on the table, already skimming pages.
Cassie focused on older, dustier books, the kind that hadn't been touched in years.
"These ones talk about historical werewolf attacks," she said. "Patterns. Locations. Greyback's name keeps coming up."
Jacqueline leaned over one of Penny's books.
"Werewolves transform during the full moon," she read aloud, "but Fenrir Greyback is different. He attacks even in human form."
Soren listened carefully as he read from another book. "Here," he said. "It says Greyback targets children. Especially magical children. He wants them afraid… or turned."
Penny nodded grimly. "And infection spreads through bites. Even a small wound can pass the curse."
Cassie looked up. "There are calming draughts, silver-based restraints, and specific spells that can slow them down, but nothing that truly cures lycanthropy."
They spent hours reading about Wolfsbane Potion, about werewolf packs, about how Greyback recruited others through fear and violence.
When they finally stopped, Soren closed the book in front of him.
"We need to find Cecil," he said firmly. "We have to stop Greyback and his werewolves before all of Hogwarts is infected."
His friends nodded without hesitation.
---
At the Training Ground, the atmosphere was tense.
Merula stood nearby with a sharp-faced girl Soren recognized as Ismelda. A few other students lingered at a distance, whispering.
"That's the girl who was attacked by werewolves?" Merula said coldly. "I suppose I should feel sorry for her. But that's just not something I do."
Ismelda smirked in agreement.
Near the fountain, Hagrid stood with Fang at his side. His brow was creased with worry.
"Did Dumbledore tell yeh?" Hagrid said quietly to Soren. "Me hut was almost overrun by werewolves last night…"
Soren nodded. "I heard."
Then he noticed someone standing calmly near the center of the ground. The white-haired girl.
She looked steady now, no sign of injury, her posture composed. Cecil Lee stood beside her, speaking in a low voice.
Soren and the others walked over.
Penny spoke first. "I learned everything I could about werewolves and Fenrir Greyback, Mr. Lee."
"Well done," Cecil said, approvingly.
Then he turned slightly toward the girl.
"I trust you remember Miss Lobosca," he said.
"Yes, of course," Soren replied.
He looked at the white-haired girl and offered a small, polite smile.
"Hi."
"Thank you so much for saving me," the white-haired girl said softly. "I'm Chiara."
"I'm Soren," he replied. "Nice to meet you. Again."
"Enough of pleasantries," Cecil Lee cut in. "We have werewolves to capture."
He turned to Chiara. "I've asked Miss Lobosca to tell us everything she remembers."
Then he faced the rest of them.
"We should also search the area for clues to Greyback's whereabouts. Fur. Fangs. Any werewolf bits and bobs."
"Okay," Soren nodded.
They split up across the Training Ground and nearby paths, checking the ground, the grass, the stones. They questioned a few lingering students, but no one had seen anything useful. No tracks. No fur. Nothing that pointed to where Greyback had gone.
After a while, Chiara spoke quietly to Cecil.
"What do you do with the werewolves after you capture them?"
Cecil didn't hesitate. "It depends on the werewolf. Some can be released back into society, stunned, monitored, controlled."
He paused. "Others are too far gone."
His voice hardened. "If it were up to me, I'd eradicate all of them. There's nothing left of a person once they're bitten. Nothing good, anyway."
Chiara turned to Soren.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Soren met her eyes calmly. "I think they're victims too."
Penny nodded immediately. "So do I."
Jacqueline and Cassie agreed without hesitation.
Cecil looked at Soren sharply. "And why do you think that?"
Soren answered without raising his voice. "Would you think all wizards were bad if the only one you'd ever met was He Who Must Not Be Named?"
The words landed hard.
Cecil froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, unable to find an answer.
Chiara looked at Soren with new respect, clearly impressed.
Cecil cleared his throat and looked away.
"We need to keep asking around," he said, changing the subject. "See if anyone else has had contact with these werewolves."
He scanned the darkening grounds.
"It's only a matter of time before Greyback comes back for our throats."
After some discussion, they decided to visit Hagrid, since his hut had been attacked.
They found him in the courtyard with Chiara, Cecil, and a small puppy-like creature that looked very much like a wolf cub.
When Soren and his friends arrived, Cecil's eyes immediately narrowed.
"What is the meaning of this?" Cecil asked sharply, looking from Hagrid to the cub.
Hagrid crossed his arms. "Professor Flitwick says yeh think all werewolves are bad, so we thought we'd show yeh that ain't always true."
Cassie crouched slightly, staring at the cub. "Where did you get a wolf cub?"
Chiara smiled softly. "He followed me out of the Forbidden Forest one day. He still lives there, but he comes to visit every once in a while."
Hagrid chuckled. "Anytime he catches sight o' Chiara, he comes runnin'. She's got a way with animals."
Penny tilted her head. "What's his name?"
"Borf," Chiara said.
"Why Borf?" Cecil asked skeptically.
"Borf," the cub replied, wagging his tail.
"That answers that," Soren said simply.
Cecil frowned. "It's a cute pup. But what does this have to do with werewolves?"
Chiara took a breath. "He is a werewolf."
Cecil stiffened.
Hagrid raised a finger. "In a manner o' speakin'. When werewolves mate during the full moon, they can have wolf cubs like Borf."
Chiara nodded. "Borf isn't the only one like this living in the Forbidden Forest."
"They're not aggressive," Hagrid added.
"They don't attack humans."
"They're like regular wolves," Chiara said, "just smarter."
Cecil shook his head. "I've seen werewolves. And this, sir, is no werewolf."
Hagrid leaned closer. "Because rumor has it Professor Dumbledore himself set the pups loose in the forest!"
Cecil scoffed. "I still don't believe it. If this pup had werewolf blood, it would be clawing for our throats."
Borf looked up at him. "Borf."
Cassie crossed her arms, clearly annoyed. "Have you considered that not everything with werewolf blood is as terrible as Fenrir Greyback?"
Cecil looked at her coolly. "Why would I consider an idea that's the opposite of what I've already decided?"
Soren met his gaze, calm but firm. "Because you might be wrong."
Cecil looked at her coolly. "Why would I consider an idea that's the opposite of what I've already decided?"
Soren met his gaze, calm but firm. "Because you might be wrong."
"I don't have time to be wrong," Cecil said flatly.
Soren exhaled once. "Alright. Then let's end this."
Chiara spoke up quietly. "I saw two werewolves earlier. Not a cub like this, but the ones you're looking for."
Cecil's attention snapped to her. "Where?"
"One near the Black Lake," Chiara replied. "The other in the corridor leading to my common room."
She hesitated. "The one by the lake looked more dangerous."
Cecil nodded immediately. "Then I'll deal with that one."
He looked at Soren. "You escort Miss Lobosca to her common room."
Soren nodded and turned to his friends. "Penny. Cassie. Jacqueline. Go back to the dormitory."
They hesitated, but obeyed.
Cecil left toward the Black Lake without another word.
As they walked away, Chiara slowed slightly and lowered her voice.
"Soren… meet me in the corridor later. There's something I need to tell you."
Hagrid leaned in at once. "Oi, what's this then?"
Chiara shook her head. "Sorry, Hagrid. You're terrible at keeping secrets."
Hagrid sighed. "Fair enough."