Title: The Morning After
Rating: T
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Benjy Fenwick
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 626
Summary: The morning after it happens to Benjy.
Notes:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Defense Against The Dark Arts Class – Write about a character who has been contaminated with either Lycanthropy or Vampirism. The Catch? The character you use must not be a werewolf of vampire in canon

Minor Character Bingo Card Challenge: Character Used – Benjy Fenwick

All About You Challenge: Prompt Used – Write a fic set in the Forbidden Forest

Hogwarts Writing Club Competition: Prompt Used – Tragedy

356 Days of Drabbles Challenge: Prompt Used – Picturesque

There was nothing picturesque at all about the Forbidden Forest. It definitely didn't resemble the forests always seen in fairy tales.

As Benjy woke up, that thought was driven even more into his head. The trees didn't look magical and enchanting, as if they would break out in song any minute. They looked threatening and horrific, like they were reaching towards him and they'd never let him go if they caught him.

He closed his eyes and did his best to put the terrifying trees out of his mind. As he wiggled his fingers and shook his feet, a startling realization was driven home. Every bone in his body ached, even the ones in his feet.

Tears threatened to fall as he recalled the previous night. It was jumbled in his head, but he remembered teeth, claws, fur, and excruciating pain.

Pain spasmed throughout his body, and Benjy did his best to withstand it. He turned his head, wincing as his head protested the movement, and saw the dried blood all over his left arm. He slowly moved his arms and lifted up his shirt. He raised his head a bit off of the ground so he could take in the damage to his torso and all of the marks on it were hideous, making him wish he never looked. It was a tragedy that his once flawless skin was forever marred by these ugly blemishes.

Benjy knew he needed to get help but from who? He could go to Dumbledore, but who knew what the aged wizard might do to him.

Although his thoughts weren't in any real order, Benjy knew enough to realize that he was bitten by a werewolf. That meant he would turn into a werewolf. He didn't know why his life was spared, but right now, he wished the werewolf had killed him. It might have been more merciful.

He looked around the forest and prayed that the werewolf had stayed away from Hogwarts. He slowly sat up, cringing when every movement jarred his muscles, and then attempted to stand up on shaking legs, but his limbs gave out, unable to support his weight right then.

Maybe someone would come looking for him? But then, what would happen? Obviously, he had to tell the truth. If he was a werewolf, he was a danger to everyone around him. What was a werewolf doing so close to the school grounds anyways? Benjy knew there were many dangerous creatures in the Forbidden Forest, but he never even considered the idea that one of those creatures might be werewolves because they were humans most of the time. Unless...

Unless the werewolf went to Hogwarts.

Benjy swallowed. Was that it? Did a werewolf secretly go to Hogwarts?

He laid back down, deciding right then that he wasn't ready to move, wasn't ready to face whatever would be waiting for him at Hogwarts. He wanted to live in denial just a little bit longer.

Unfortunately, that denial wasn't meant to be. A crunch of leaves sounded to the left of him, and Benjy warily turned his head to face the sound.

Dumbledore broke through the trees. "Oh, my dear boy. What were you doing near the Forbidden Forest last night?"

"Visiting my secret Slytherin girlfriend."

"I'm so, so sorry." He knelt down and took Benjy's hand.

"Will I be okay?"

"Of course, my boy. I'll make sure of it."

"The one who did this to me. Does he go to Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore nodded. "He's usually locked up. I wonder what went wrong. Come on, we need to get you back to the castle." He stood up and levitated Benjy, understanding without asking that it hurt to move.

Benjy closed his eyes, wishing last night never happened.