The second evening after the Aurors had assumed guardianship of Hogwarts arrived with the crisp bite of approaching winter.
In his office, surrounded by tended magical plants and the soft glow of enchanted lanterns, Adrian completed his final review of the day's lesson plans. Rolls of parchment covered his desk, detailing observations about various creatures' behavioral patterns and dietary requirements.
Adrian closed the journal he'd been writing in and set down his quill with a satisfied sigh. The day had been productive, but his evening responsibilities were just beginning. He rose from his chair, stretching his arms above his head to work out the rust from hours of bent concentration, and moved toward his office door.
"Time again," he murmured to himself.
As soon as the words left his lips, a small, shimmering hedgehog appeared on his shoulder. Adrian smiled as he touched the Patronus gently. Tonight, he was going to check on Bart's condition.
Honestly, Bart was a very interesting tree.
However, the long presence of Dementors around Hogwarts had taken a toll on the tree. Like all living things, Bart had been affected by the soul-draining creatures' oppressive aura, becoming withdrawn and melancholic.
As someone who had taken on a quasi-parental role, Adrian naturally needed to spend more time with it.
The journey from his office to the castle's main entrance took Adrian through familiar corridors and staircases. Portraits dozed in their frames, occasionally murmuring in their sleep, while the occasional ghost drifted past with polite nods of acknowledgment.
As Adrian stepped into the main courtyard, his breath formed small puffs of vapor in the frigid night air. The flagstones beneath his feet were slick with frost. It was here that he encountered an unexpected figure.
"Remus?"
Adrian's voice had a tone of surprise as he recognized the familiar silhouette approaching through the shadows.
He paused in his stride, observing the approaching figure more carefully.
He had actually run into Remus at this time—that was unusual.
But today...
Adrian looked up at the blindingly full moon in the sky, and his brow furrowed with growing concern and suspicion.
"Hello," the figure responded with a polite nod, Remus's familiar voice came echoing from across the courtyard. But instead of stopping for conversation, as he usually would have done with him, he continued moving as though eager to avoid long interaction.
'Something's wrong!'
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
Logically, tonight was the day Remus transformed into a werewolf—he couldn't possibly be walking around so leisurely.
Moreover, he had just recently given Remus the latest version of the purification potion. Remus should be hiding in some place right now.
"Wait!"
Adrian immediately grabbed Remus's arm.
"What is it?" Remus turned with an expression of mild puzzlement. "Is there something you need?"
"Just a small matter," Adrian replied with a smile. "It might take a bit of your time."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Without warning, Devil's Snare vines erupted from Adrian's sleeve like living serpents and climbed up Remus's arm.
Remus's expression changed dramatically. He instinctively tried to break free but found the vines had already wrapped around his neck, making escape impossible.
"Let me go, sir, I surrender!" During his plea, Remus's voice began to change slowly, eventually becoming a female voice.
Adrian looked up to see an unfamiliar young woman with bright pink hair and dark eyes that sparkled in the dim environment.
"Nymphadora Tonks, Ministry of Magic Auror Office," She said, her voice slightly hoarse from the vines' pressure around her throat. "I was sent here to assist in the capture of Sirius Black."
Adrian was silent for a moment, then had the Devil's Snare release Tonks.
Adrian was, of course, familiar with Nymphadora Tonks. A Metamorphmagus—one of the rarest magical abilities in the wizarding world. She had the innate power to alter her physical appearance at will. He also knew she had played some role in the original story.
What he couldn't understand was why an Auror, would choose to impersonate a Hogwarts staff member during what should have been a routine patrol.
"I'm very sorry, Professor," Tonks said, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she continued massaging her neck. "I was conducting a patrol, trying to locate that criminal. I thought it would be more convenient to move around the castle grounds while looking like a staff member..."
She trailed off, seeming to realize how poorly thought-out her strategy had been now that she was forced to explain it aloud.
Adrian raised an eyebrow, his expression mixing amusement with assessment. "You must be a rookie."
"How did you know!" The words burst out of her before she could stop them, her face reddening even further. "I mean... I'm still in training, actually. Not yet a fully qualified Auror."
"You don't need to explain all of this to me," Adrian said with a slight sigh. "But I am curious—did the Ministry really only send trainee Aurors to guard Hogwarts?"
The question seemed to hit a nerve, and Tonks shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "I'm... I'm something of an exception," She admitted reluctantly. "Most of the others are fully qualified."
Adrian extended his hand in a gesture of formal introduction.
"Very well, Tonks. I'm Adrian Westeros, Hogwarts professor. It's a pleasure to meet you, despite the unusual circumstances. However, I would appreciate it if in the future you could appear as yourself, at least while you're on Hogwarts grounds."
She accepted his handshake with a grip that was surprisingly firm and confident despite her obvious embarrassment.
"Fine," She said with a slight pout. "I suppose that makes sense."
She naturally had a certain respect for professors.
But... why had she never seen this professor before?
"Professor Westeros," She said, tilting her head slightly, "what subject do you teach? I don't remember you from when I was at school."
"Care of Magical Creatures," Adrian replied simply.
Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What about Professor Kettleburn? Is he still teaching?"
"He retired three years ago after. By the way, the person you were just impersonating was Professor Remus Lupin, our current Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
After Adrian's explanation, Tonks was somewhat surprised.
"Oh! That explains why I'd never seen you before. I graduated the year before you started teaching here." She paused, then added, "And I met Professor Lupin this morning when the Aurors were being introduced to some of the staff. He seemed like a very gentle, mild-mannered person. That's partly why I chose to take his appearance—I thought it would make me less suspicious."
'If only you knew the irony of that choice,' Adrian thought to himself, remembering that the "gentle, mild-mannered" professor was currently dealing with his monthly lycanthropic transformation.
Adrian checked his pocket watch. The hands showed that time was coming, and Bart would be expecting his visit.
"I'm afraid I have to go," He said, slipping the watch back into his waistcoat pocket. "It was pleasant meeting you, Tonks. I'm sure we'll encounter each other again during your assignment here."
"Where are you going?" Tonks asked with the direct curiosity that seemed to be a part of her personality.
"The Forbidden Forest," Adrian answered casually. This wasn't much of a secret information.
The words seemed to electrify Tonks. Her eyes widened and began to sparkle with excitement, and she immediately quickened her pace to match his pace. "Wait, Professor! I'm coming with you!"
Adrian stopped mid-step and turned to look at her with raised eyebrows. "For what purpose?"
"Sirius Black!" Tonks lowered her voice but couldn't hide her excitement. "I'm going to find that criminal. All the intelligence reports suggest that Black is most likely hiding somewhere in the Forbidden Forest."
Seeing Tonks like this, Adrian shook his head inwardly.
Still a young person, full of enthusiasm for work.
Well, it didn't matter.
"Keep up then," He said with a resigned wave of his hand. "But I should mention that locating one specific person in a forest as vast as the Forbidden Forest is essentially impossible, even with magical assistance."
"That's not for you to worry about, Professor," Tonks replied with a confident smile. "I'm very good at reconnaissance and tracking. It's one of my specializations."
The claim might have been more convincing if she hadn't just been caught impersonating a staff member in what was arguably the most obvious possible way, but Adrian decided not to point this out.
About ten minutes later, Adrian and Tonks were making their way along one of the better-maintained paths that led into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
Honestly, his first impression of Tonks was quite good. Despite her obvious inexperience and the questionable judgment she'd shown earlier, Tonks had an infectious enthusiasm and natural sociability that made her pleasant company.
However, the fact that she was willing to follow an absolute stranger into the Forbidden Forest for a nighttime patrol raised questions about her decision-making processes. Either she had an almost reckless level of trust in people she'd just met, or she had tremendous confidence in her own abilities to handle whatever dangers they might encounter.
Based on their brief interaction and what he'd observed of her personality, Adrian suspected it was probably the former. Especially after she'd learned during their walk that they were both Hufflepuff alumni—a connection that seemed to have cemented her trust in him completely.
"This is the first time I've ever walked openly through the Forbidden Forest," Tonks said, her voice having a tone of wonder as she gazed up at the towering trees around them. "When I was a student here, I wouldn't have dared do something like this. Well, not alone, anyway."
"If you had attempted it as a student, I would have given you a month of detention," Adrian replied straightforwardly, though there was a hint of joking in his tone.
"Oh! But now I'm here on official Ministry business," Tonks raised her eyebrows with obvious pride, puffing out her chest slightly. "That makes it completely different."
"Awoooooo—"
The sound that suddenly echoed through the forest was long, mournful, and unmistakably wild. It seemed to come from deep within the woods, carried on the night wind and amplified by the natural acoustics of the forest canopy.
Tonks froze in place immediately, her entire body tensing. Her hand moved instinctively toward her wand, and her eyes darted through the surrounding shadows as though expecting danger to appear from any direction.
"Relax," Adrian turned to give her a reassuring smile, looking completely calm despite the howling sound. "It's just a wolf. They're quite common throughout the Forbidden Forest. The pack that lives in the northern section has been there for decades."
But the wariness in Tonks's dark eyes didn't diminish at all. If anything, her alertness seemed to sharpen further.
"I need to investigate that," She said with determination. "We can't allow any anomalies to go unchecked."
Seeing her resolve, Adrian nodded with approval. Overly cautious was better than recklessly naive, especially in an environment as potentially dangerous as the Forbidden Forest.
"Very well, since you insist on investigating. However, I need to continue on to visit a friend of mine."
"A friend?" Tonks looked puzzled, glancing around at the dark forest as though trying to imagine what kind of friend someone might have in such a place.
"A little cutie who lives deep in the forest," Adrian explained concisely.
Tonks nodded with understanding. As the Care of Magical Creatures professor, it made sense that Adrian would have relationships with various magical creatures that inhabited the forest. Probably some rare or injured creature that required regular attention.
"Then let's split up for now," She suggested readily. "You can visit your friend, and I'll track down the source of that howling."
Adrian naturally had no objection to this arrangement.
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