The Beginnings of a Young Werewolf

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As it was nearing the end of winter, and spring was beginning, Gail had decided to begin somewhere new again. She'd traveled far over the passed five years, and the last had been spent in London with her mother. London, however, was no place Gail could call home. It was not where someone like her belonged. Here, though, trees sprouted not too far from the village, and she was already acquainted with the small town of Hogsmeade. It brought back many memories of her days at a student at Hogwarts, of good, and happy times.

But the scenery, and nostalgia were not the only reasons Gail had decided to make this place her new home. In the Daily Prophet, there were many stories, some true, some suspicious to her, but of all places the paper talked about, it was Hogsmeade that was the most frequent. Ex-Ministry members going missing, Dementors terrorizing the citizens, and most notable of all, Death Eater's taking visits. Gail wasn't an auror, or an expert, but she was good with a wand. And what she wanted most, was to make a difference; to make things better. So for once, Gail was going to settle down, here, in Hogsmeade. She wasn't quite sure where to go from there, but she knew that if she took the first step, the rest would follow.

She stepped off the train carrying a blue duffel bag over her shoulder, and rolling a luggage chest behind her. Once out in the open air, the wind teased at her brown curly mess of hair, and the brisk air tore at her long grey scarf. It was brilliant weather for a stroll, if she could just do away with her things for a short while. So she started walking, as the train departed from the station, leaving thick clouds of smoke trailing in its path. On the streets, Hogsmeade could be seen for what it was; a lively, bustling village with all sorts of shops and people to entertain one's time. Every shop was brilliantly colored in its own unique way, so that each building stood apart. It was only the homes of the citizens that typically maintained the same style. She'd never thought of it before, but Hogsmeade would be a wonderful place to live. A place to call home.

She passed by the Three Broomsticks, and gave a short glance through the darkened windows. It appeared no one had yet opened it, but Gail was certain the Ministry would be pulling it back out of the grave sooner or later. For now though, it meant she would have to stay at the Hog's Head. The dark, cryptic structure loomed over her as she neared it at the end of the street, and when she neared the door, she looked over her shoulder, and then stepped inside.

The door creaked loudly upon her entrance, and the few heads residing in the pub turned to see who had entered. Most wore hoods to hide their faces. Gail, however, had nothing to hide. She approached the bar and fished out a bag of coins from her coat pocket and set it on the counter, "I'd like a room, please," she said to the bartender.

"For how long?" He replied with a suspicious look on his face as he came 'round and emptied the bag to count the money.

"A few weeks. Will that do?" She said, giving a nod towards the pile of Sickles he held in his hand. When the man nodded, he led the way up the stairs and to her room.

The room wasn't much, and her door screeched even louder than the one downstairs. She hadn't expected much, although, it was the Hog's Head, after all. There was a bed, with blankets slopped onto the mattress, there was a closet that would need inspecting before use, and then there was a dresser, and a window. Essentially, the room provided everything she needed. The bathroom, however, Gail wasn't sure if she even wanted to look.

The bartender wasted no time in showing her around the room. As soon as he let her in, he left her with the key and headed back downstairs. Pity the man couldn't even try and be friendly. Course she reasoned with herself, most of the customers he had couldn't exactly be saints.

Gail threw her duffel bag onto the bed, and leaned her luggage box against the wall beside the dresser. With a little use of her wand, the box unlocked itself, and opened, revealing 3 shelves on either side. On two shelves there rested a collection of CD's bundled up in some rubber bands. On the next set of shelves were simple trinkets; a snow globe from Switzerland, a wolf figurine ruggedly cut from obsidian and a key that shared the same chain, and a tiny bottle of pine fragrance. The last shelves were just bathroom necessities; toothbrush, toothpaste, hair spray, etc. etc.

She immediately withdrew the pine scent, and sprayed it all around the room to mask the smell of decay the Hog's Head always had to offer. She also used her wand, as she did this, to send her clothes flying out of her duffel bag and neatly into her dresser. She didn't mind unpacking simply because nothing she left here would be of any value, should the employee's of the place happen to be thieves.

She did, however take her key chain out of the box and drop it into her coat pocket for the sake of having peace in mind. Now finished with the box, she shut it, and it locked on its own. With her things in order, she now had time to wander a bit, so she stepped out of the room, locked it, and headed outside.

She followed the man into the back room, where dusty shelves contained boxes upon boxes. A single uncovered light bulb hung from the ceiling. The empty boxes he had been collecting sat in the corner on the bare cement floor. He tossed the box onto the growing collection, and turned to Gail as she did the same.

"So what can I do for you, miss?"

She turned to him, pressing her lips together in thought for a small moment. Then, she gave a curt nod and decided to get down to the point, "I was wondering if this shop could use another employee."

Like before, he watched her with that pessimistic look on his face. If he had any positive first impressions from her, he wasn't about to show it.