Just Around the Riverbend

Okay, a little later than I wanted it to be, but that's okay. It's here. I'm puting it up before I go to work, because I like to sleep when I come home. I'm going to acknowledge my reviewers now, and then the story will commence!

Voracious Reader
Anathema
ebonyeyez1
Jessie
HarryGinny4Eva
LaBibliographe
Alina290

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Fenrir paced around the glass ceiling, his clawed hands behind his back. He was waiting. Waiting for the perfect moment.

It was a shame everything had come down to this. Phelan had shown so much promise. Though he hadn’t killed or bitten yet, he had shown the same bloodthirsty passion he himself had shown at a younger age.

Phelan was very mature for his age. He was slow to anger, but when he gave retribution it was swift and not easily forgotten. Fenrir himself had a few scars across his side from the last time he’d encountered his son. He was still curious about the boy. He was curious as to how he’d come across the ability to keep the wolf under the rays of the sun. Was it a gift from Mother Moon? If so, then why? Why had Phelan received such a gift and not himself?

He glanced down to see the Phelan was now dancing with that little human bitch. They moved as one, each graceful step perfectly coordinated. Fenrir snarled low in his throat, and the werewolves that were with him hunched their shoulders in submission. Their Alpha was in a very prickly mood, and the wrong noise could prove to be their downfall – right off the side of the building.

~~

Hermione danced with Lucius, her wings swaying gently as they moved. They were getting quite a few stares from the other party-goers, but Hermione found that it didn’t bother her as much as she’d thought. This gorgeous hunk of man was all hers. She could see the jealous sparks in the eyes of women with blood purer than hers.

At first she 'dthought she might still hold on to the excuse that Lucius was still just her employer. But the closer he held her, the less likely that seemed.

“Hermione.” Lucius spoke her name softly, and she looked up at his face.

“Yes?”

“How does it feel to be the center of attention? How does it feel for everyone to acknowledge your beauty?” he asked her.

“I don’t see them acknowledging mine, but I certainly see more than one set of eyes on your arse.” She replied. He chuckled gently, and Hermione felt like sinking into his chest as it rumbled with the sound.

“You only see the eyes of the females. They see my looks and know my name and their eyes turn to gold. You would sooner gut me like a fish than be pampered like they want. No, kitten…you don’t see the eyes of the men turned on you. You don’t see the way their eyes hunger when they see you. But they cannot have you. You are mine.” He said, and twirled her expertly, her light skirt lifting slightly with the movement. Then he pulled her close to him again, a smug smile firmly in place.

“Showoff.” She muttered, her face flushed with excitement. Lucius thought that was a more beautiful look than any makeup could ever offer.

“What did Daisy say that one time? Ah yes: It’s how I roll.” He said, and Hermione threw back her head and laughed.

~~

Phelan twirled Daisy like a top, her loose purple skirt flaring out as she spun. She laughed when he pulled her close again, her breath coming in excited puffs.

“Oh Phelan. You’re a natural!” she laughed. Phelan grinned, showing off his sharp teeth, and Daisy’s heart melted into goo in her chest. Phelan took a step back, and bumped into another dancer.

“I apologize.” Phelan said, and turned around to come face-to-face with none other than the Minister of Magic himself. Well, it was more like face-to-chest, because Kingsley easily towered over Phelan.

“Quite all right. There are quite a few dancers here tonight.” Kingsley said, smiling. He got a good look at Phelan’s face, and knew without prompting who the young man had to be. His frown showed his recognition, and Daisy immediately stepped up to diffuse.

“You must be the Minister of Magic!” she said, and held out her hand. Kingsley took her small hand in his, his smile returning slightly.

“You are Lucius’ cousin.” He observed. Daisy nodded.

“Yes sir! Daisy Melfy at your service!” she laughed. “This is my friend, Phelan.” She said, wrapping her arms around Phelan’s bicep. Phelan studied the large black wizard, his heart pounding, before he finally took a chance.

The Minister of Magic himself fought shoulder-to-shoulder with a werewolf.

“Phelan Greyback, sir.” He said, and swallowed hard. Kingsley nodded, as if he’d had his suspicions confirmed.

“I thought so. Well, enjoy the dance, Mr. Greyback. Stay out of trouble.” Kingsley said, and took Phelan’s hand. He shook it once, and let go, giving a smirk at the shocked look on Phelan’s face. Kingsley took his date up in his arms again, and danced away awkwardly. Daisy grinned at Phelan.

“See? Not everyone hates you.” She said. Phelan frowned sharply, and pulled his hand back.

“Hmm…that was too easy.” He said softly. Daisy scoffed.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well…I feel as if something terrible is going to happen. That was just too good to be true.” Phelan said, the hair on the back of his neck starting to prickle.

~~

Fenrir’s sharp eyes darted around the room. There! He saw a green-robed Auror move towards the Minister, who was dancing with an unnamed woman near the center of the room. The two spoke with their heads close together, and then the Auror pulled away, heading out of the ballroom. A few other Aurors that were in the room moved at separate times, as to not alert the public to a problem.

So they’d discovered their comrades, then? Very good. Let them leave. He could deal with a few Aurors inside the room. As the last Auror left, Fenrir raised his hand. The werewolves with him crouched into position, ready to go.

“Be careful were you land.” Was their Alpha’s only warning before he leapt at the glass ceiling, breaking it with his bulk.

His group moved behind him, each jumping through the glass ceiling. The last one to jump cast a complicated spell, sealing the gaping ceiling back up so that it could not be accessed by the Aurors before he jumped through his own spell, down into the ballroom below.

The dancers were already in a panic, and they were already trapped. The werewolves had acted quickly, sealing off the entrances and casting Anti-Apparition spells. Fenrir had brought about twenty of his wolves with him, to take care of about a hundred ball-goers. The werewolves were outnumbered, but they were definitely not outclassed. A few of the dancers saw his face, and screamed trying to get away. There was panic everywhere.

~~

Phelan yelped when someone shoved him from behind, and his eyes darted to see who the hell had jumped through the fucking ceiling. His heart dropped to his feet when he saw the great hulking stranger turn around. It was his father.

“Phelan…is that...?” Daisy started.

“Yes.” Phelan said, and then snarled.

“He’s huge.” Daisy said. Suddenly Phelan felt strong hands grasping him, and Daisy screamed beside him. He whirled to see her caught by two of his father’s subordinates, one with his wand trained on her. He felt hot breath on the back of his neck.

“You’d do well to follow meekly. One wrong move and we kill the little human bitch.” Another wolf growled. Phelan allowed himself to be dragged forward.

A great circle was being formed around his father as people tried to shy away from him, most of the dancers now aware that they could not escape. The two teens were dragged close to the Alpha wolf, and from the crowd a stunner went off.

“Daisy!”

Daisy recognized her cousin’s voice, and began to cry in panic. Fenrir snapped his fingers, and a wolf in the crowd shot forward, attempting to intercept Lucius. Fenrir then turned to the werewolf that had sealed off the broken ceiling.

“Activate your bumper!” he snarled. The werewolf nodded, and held up his wand. He then began chanting in latin, a long, complicated spell.

Ian Hackjaw, born one Ian Flemmings, was a Spells Master. He had been through his schooling, gotten his degree, and had a most promising job lined up for him. Then, one fateful full moon, he crossed the path of a werewolf. Not his Alpha, but one of his pack had turned him. Suddenly everything he knew was gone. The job was yanked away from him, the Ministry revoked his Master’s License, and he lost his home and family in one fell swoop.

Broken, destitute, and alone, he sought solace in the one person who would give it: Fenrir Greyback. Despite what people said about Alpha Greyback, the man was positively a life-saver for those wolves with nowhere to go. In return for a few spells ever so often, and his allegiance, Fenrir gave Ian room and board.

A spell broke from the tip of Ian’s wand, and a dome of shimmering silver magic covered the young werewolf. The dome began to spread, and while it covered those with Lycan blood, it buffered the others away gently.

The two werewolves holding Daisy stepped into the dome, and Phelan was shoved roughly behind them. The werewolf that had been distracting Lucius jumped quickly into the silver dome, but when Lucius tried to follow he bounced back as if the thing were made of rubber.

“Greyback you sick son of a bitch! Let her go!” he fumed, slamming his fist against the dome. It rebounded each time he struck. Fenrir turned to where Lucius stood, and grinned, showing his sharp yellow teeth.

“Come now, Lucius. Even you know that I never deny the wolf fresh meat…” he said, and licked his teeth. Lucius fired a spell off at the dome, and had to dive when it rebounded right at him. “Don’t bother, Malfoy! That dome is impenetrable. I thank my Spells Master for that.” Greyback said, and patted the young werewolf on the shoulder. Ian lowered his wand, and the dome held. He grinned, and Greyback ruffled the young man’s hair like a father might do to his son. “Good job, pup.”

“Thank you, Alpha Fenrir.” Ian said.

“Now…to the matter at hand.” Fenrir snarled, and turned to where Phelan stood. He pointed a clawed hand at the boy, his lips pulling back from his teeth. “You! You have betrayed your blood! You have betrayed the Mother Moon, and have been consorting with the very beings that try to bind us! You have even lost your heart to a mere slip of a human girl. A girl who is, incidentally, related to Lucius Malfoy, one of the most bigoted arse-holes in the entire wizarding world!” He snarled, his clawed hand pointing to Daisy momentarily.
Daisy stood between the two unnamed werewolves, shaking slightly. This was bad. This was very bad.

“You come to this ‘ball’ in clothes that make you look like a clown, dancing amongst the humans like you’re one of them.” Fnerir continued. Phelan looked around, and saw the people whispering on the outside of the dome. “What do you have to say in your defense?”

Phelan paused, and then looked up at his father. “I have nothing to say in my defense, father.” He said softly. Fenrir snarled, and advanced on his son. The werewolf behind him stepped away, allowing the Alpha wolf access to his son. Fenrir stopped in front of Phelan, his fingers crooked into claws.

“Good. Because I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.” And with that he delivered a staggering punch to the side of Phelan’s face, sending the young man sprawling.

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Okay, this chapter's title came from AMND as well.

I am that merry wanderer of the night.

Ironically, it was spoken by Puck. Anyway, you've read the chapter, now rate/review/do both. I think I'll have one or two more ball chapters, depending on how much I can stuff into one chapter. There's a major plot point coming up, then a little falling action, and the one more big bang before the story truly starts to wind down, so you guys might get about 45-50 chapters from me on this one. Okay, enjoy!