Witcher at Hogwarts

Read up to 25 chapters ahead on Patreon - patreon.com/Dark_sym

-----

Tonks nervously surveyed the village, her instincts screaming that something was amiss. The atmosphere felt heavy, laden with unspoken tension. The way the villagers glanced at her, their eyes filled with suspicion, made her skin crawl.

"Big sister, come with me!" Nina urged, tugging at her hand. The little girl's voice was soft but insistent, pulling Tonks deeper into the unsettling village.

Reluctantly, Tonks followed Nina, her steps uneven as they ventured further into the unknown. As they moved closer to the heart of the village, something clicked in Tonks' mind. She began to notice the oddness of the people here—something that had been quietly gnawing at her subconscious.

The villagers shared an unusual trait: their body hair was unnaturally thick, regardless of whether they were men or women. Their eyes gleamed with a peculiar sheen, and their teeth appeared sharper and more predatory than those of ordinary humans.

Tonks' heart skipped a beat as the realization hit her. This was a werewolf village.

In the magical world, such places were rare but not unheard of. Werewolves who found it difficult to integrate into regular society sometimes banded together, forming hidden communities in remote areas, far from prying eyes. They lived quietly, helping one another survive in the shadows.

It reminded Tonks of old Muggle leprosy villages.

A sudden thought froze her in place. She glanced down at Nina and noticed, for the first time, the fine layer of thick hair covering the young girl's arms—something far from normal for a child her age.

Her mouth went dry.

As a scholar of magical creatures, Tonks knew all too well about werewolves and their traits. Typically, a wizard bitten by a werewolf retained their human form until the full moon. But these villagers were different.

The signs of their lycanthropy were visible even now. That could only mean one thing—these were werewolves from several generations of intermarriage, their bloodlines so intertwined that the traits had become permanent.

This village wasn't just home to werewolves—it was a community of them. And not only that, these werewolves had acquired abilities beyond the ordinary. They could transform outside of the full moon, their magic enhanced by their bloodline. Powerful werewolf wizards could change at will, while others relied on pain or heightened emotions to trigger their transformation.

"Little Nina, who's this?" a gruff voice interrupted Tonks' thoughts. An elderly man with a mass of shaggy hair and piercing lead-grey eyes stepped in front of them. His gaze lingered on Tonks with clear suspicion.

"She's my new friend!" Nina announced brightly, her voice unbothered by the tension.

The older man narrowed his eyes at Tonks, clearly unconvinced.

"A friend, huh?" he muttered, his words carrying a hidden warning.

"Then you'd best be a good friend."

Tonks felt the weight of his words, a subtle threat behind his seemingly harmless comment. As the stares of the other villagers bore down on her, Nina continued pulling her toward the entrance of a dark crypt.

"Dad! Daddy! I'm back!" Nina called into the shadows.

A gruff voice echoed from within.

"Where've you been this time, Nina?"

Moments later, a man emerged from the crypt, his hair just as unruly as the others, his white shirt stained and worn.

At first, his face softened with a smile when he saw Nina, but his expression turned serious when his eyes landed on Tonks.

"Who's this?" he asked, his tone sharp, bordering on hostile.

"She's my friend, Dad! She got lost in the forest," Nina explained hurriedly, clearly sensing the shift in her father's demeanor.

"The forest?" His brows furrowed deeply.

"You wandered out there again? How many times have I told you it's dangerous now!"

His voice rose as he scolded Nina.

Nina, her earlier enthusiasm gone, lowered her head and reluctantly shuffled inside as her father guided her through the crypt door with a firm hand.

He closed the door behind her before turning back to Tonks, his eyes filled with a quiet intensity.

"Then why are you here in our village, Miss Wizard, and why are you approaching my daughter?" The man squinted suspiciously at Tonks.

"I got lost in the woods," Tonks replied hurriedly.

"Your daughter was kind enough to guide me to the village."

The man scrutinized her from head to toe before responding. "That sounds like something Nina would do. But as far as I know, there aren't any tourist attractions nearby, and you don't look like a local. What brings you here?"

"My boyfriend and I came to deal with the monsters terrorizing the mountains," Tonks answered honestly.

"Monsters?" His brow furrowed deeper.

"I suppose the village of Oshdin sent you, then?"

"Yes," Tonks confirmed.

"I know those despicable wizards well. They always hire others to do their dirty work, trying to fulfill their foolish dreams with the lives of others!"

The man's disdain was palpable.

Tonks opened her mouth to inquire about his harsh words, but he cut her off.

"For my daughter's sake, I will escort you out of the village. This place is no place for someone like you."

He paused, then added, "I suggest you forget about fighting those monsters outside. If your boyfriend is still alive, you should convince him to escape while he can."

"Wait!" Tonks called after him, her heart racing.

"Why did you say that? And you're werewolves, aren't you?"

The man froze, letting out a long sigh. "Miss, let's not pretend you're confused," he replied, a hint of weariness in his voice.

"It seems I can't allow you to leave the village," he continued, pulling a worn wand from his belt and pointing it at her.

"I mean you no harm!" Tonks protested, raising her hands defensively.

"I'm an Auror from the British Ministry of Magic. If I die here, someone will come looking for me!"

"Even if you were the British Minister of Magic, it wouldn't matter!" the man retorted through gritted teeth.

"Forget everything."

His intent was clear: he didn't plan to kill her but to cast an oblivion spell, erasing her memories of the village.

"It's not true what the people in Oshdin said, is it?" Tonks blurted out, her mind racing.

"What are you talking about?" The man paused, lowering his wand slightly, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

"When we left Oshdin, the villagers claimed that werewolves had caused riots for no reason, hurting many people. But I felt that couldn't be the whole story," she explained quickly, hoping to reach him.

At her words, the man was momentarily taken aback, then he erupted into laughter, his body shaking.

"It's been ages! Finally, someone is willing to think for themselves instead of falling prey to the lies spun by those hypocrites in the village!" he exclaimed, unable to contain his amusement.