Harry stumbled out of the tunnel, following close behind his godfather. Ahead of them were Ron and Professor Lupin leading a restrained Peter Pettigrew, none too gently, ahead of whom Hermione walked, directing a currently unconscious and floating Professor Snape. The odd party made their way silently from under the Whomping Willow and trudged through the damp grass towards the castle. All was silent around them, the crickets and frogs forgetting their tasks of chirping and croaking to watch the strange group parade across the sloping hill to the castle.

Suddenly, the heavy clouds parted and full moonlight shone across the dark Hogwarts grounds, glinting off wet grass and illuminating the subdued Whomping Willow. Struck suddenly by the realization of the full moon, Harry watched in horror as Lupin grew rigid and cried out in pain. His back hunched and the small DADA teacher's frame grew taller and taller into that of a gaunt werewolf. Hermione glanced back at his cry of pain and terror played across her features as she witnessed her professor transform into a monster. Lupin's body stretched and morphed; the man had been quite slender, but the wolf was downright skeletal. It's ribs and hip bones protruded crudely from it's pale grayish skin. Lupin's feet and legs elongated into the back haunches of a large dog and his skull seemed to grow outward until the wolf's long snout became apparent. Lupin's ears reappeared at the top of the wolf's head as tall, perky obtrusions. The wolf moaned in pain and opened it's eyes, now large orbs of erie light in the relative darkness, but they remained the same deep amber that belonged to Remus Lupin.

"Remus, my old friend!" Sirius rushed forward with a crazed plea, "We're here Remus, fight the darkness, this life is where you truly belong!"

The wolf raised it's head slowly, sniffing the air around the haggard convict before him. Sirius stopped short, his wand raised semi-threateningly by his side. The wolf seemed to consider him, it's great gleaming eyes looking straight into Black's. Cautiously it crept forward on all fours, limping slightly, towards Sirius, dragging Pettigrew and Ron with him.

"He's remembered his potion, thank Merlin," breathed Hermione, "It's alright, he's still conscious through the wolf. It's Lupin's mind at work, not the wolf's." She leaned forward and gingerly placed a shaking hand on the beast's snout. It flinched at first, frozen against the girl's soft touch, but then slowly leaned into her hand, closing its eyes as its muscles relaxed.

"Oi! Sca-, er, Pettigrew, he's getting away!" Ron yelled suddenly. Harry jumped and turned to face the portly little man scrambling stupidly up the slope towards the castle.

"Impedimenta!" roared Sirius, brandishing Snape's wand, a fire blazing in his eyes. "You got away once, you bloody bastard, but I'll be damned if I let you escape again!"

Hermione screamed suddenly as the wolf bounded after the now frozen Pettigrew, mouth foaming and Lupin's bright eyes burning with hatred, "No professor! Don't do-" but Hermione was cut off by a volley of spells from Harry and Ron's wands, casting the grounds into a blue/green haze.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Stupifey!"