It's approaching midnight and you stand in the deserted common room, having just snuck past your sleeping friends in the dormitory. You have plans for the evening, but you didn't feel comfortable sharing them with them because you're not sure how things will end. With one last look around, you raise your wand above your head, twirling it slowly while muttering incantations. Golden threads of light trickle from the tip of your wand and wrap themselves around your body. An iridescent glow signifies that the spell has worked. You look down at your hands, but are unable to see them because they blend in perfectly with the background.
Quietly, you creep to the entrance of the common room, careful not to make too much noise. Gently, you push the door open just far enough to slip through it. The portraits surrounding the entrance mutter about what caused the door to swing open on its own, but you ignore them. Avoiding making any noise that might alert them to your presence, you walk on tiptoe down the hall. At the end of the corridor, you find a flight of stairs and begin your descent through the levels of the school.
As you come around a corner at the bottom of the stairs, you almost run smack dab into Mrs. Norris. Your heart is pounding at the thought of being caught. How can you possibly explain what you are doing out of bed at this hour, you think to yourself. You hold your breath, hoping that she can't smell you or feel your presence. She stands there staring at the space you occupy for several tense moments, but eventually decides that nothing is amiss and continues on. You don't allow yourself to breath until she is well out of sight, finally exhaling in relief.
Corridor after corridor passes until eventually you come to the Great Hall. You look up at its vaulted ceilings, realizing for the first time how eerie it is at night. The carvings in the arches look somewhat sinister with the shadows distorting them. In the distance, you can hear Peeves causing havoc, but it's too far away to be concerning. You set your hands on the large baroque doors and push with all of your might. You freeze as they groan loudly in protest of the pressure. You listen for footsteps of a professor coming to investigate the noise, but all you hear is Peeves' cackling. With one last shove, you get the door open.
The night is pitch black and icy cold. Only a few lonely stars illuminate the path before you as the moon has yet to rise. You think longingly of the warm common room that you have just left, but you remind yourself that you've got something you have to do. You pull your long black cloak tightly around your body to shield from the cold and continue on. The brisk pace that you walk at causes you to warm up and soon you are filled with a sense of exhilaration at having successfully snuck out of the school. You are happy because thus far everything is going as planned.
The lake lies to your right, the water smooth as glass. You think that far off you might have seen a tentacle or two cut through the water. Off in the distance you hear a wolf howl and it snaps you back to what you came to do. The path you stand on leads around the edge of the lake and to a large tree. That tree is your destination. Knowing that you don't have far to go, you quicken your pace.
While approaching the tree, you are suddenly filled with a mix of adrenaline and nerves. You know that this tree will attempt to pummel you as soon as you get into close proximity. Your eyes scan the ground around you for a long stick. You find one that will suit your purpose and before your better judgment has time to stop you, you charge forward at the tree. Falling onto your belly, you slide towards its trunk with the stick held out in front of you. You scrabble at the hole in the base of the tree, poking the stick to and fro. As a large branch comes swinging towards you with the force of a charging rhinocerous, you hit your mark. The branch stops inches from your exposed rib cage. A sigh of relief escapes your lips.
You examine the hole in the base of the tree, noticing that there is no light inside. Feet first, you slip inside of it. You land with a thud and barely avoid crashing into the wall of what appears to be a tunnel. Holding up your wand you whisper "Lumos." and the tunnel is filled with light. For the first time in the evening, you are filled with apprehension. You begin to question what you are about to do and why you're about to do it. After a short pep talk with yourself, you begin the foreboding journey through the tunnel.
Every time you inhale, you smell a damp mustiness that suggests that you are deep underground. You run your left hand over the tunnel wall, feeling rough stones, dirt, and roots in it. Ahead of you, you can barely make out the outline of a door. Nerves course through your body, making your feet feel as if they are made of lead. You have to coax yourself forward. One step. Now another.
After what seems like no time, you are standing at the door. It's your last chance to turn around and pretend that this entire idea never happened, but your resolve keeps you from doing so. You lift your wand and tap your head. The golden threads that enveloped you earlier drift back into your wand tip, leaving you visible. You place your hand on the door and with a deep breath push it open.
Once inside of the room, you look around. It appears you are in a dilapidated building, run down from years of abandonment. In front of you is one large window, but you can't see anything out of it in the lightless night. Deep claw marks ominously cover the walls and the curtains have been torn to shreds. You can hear the floor boards creak beneath your feet as you move slightly. You are just taking it all in when you hear a noise to your right.
In the corner, there is a small, ragged looking bed and Remus lays in it groaning. You are relieved to see that he is in his human form. With one last look around the room, you head towards him, but it isn't until you are standing right in front of him that he notices your presence. A look of shock crosses his face.
"What are you doing here, you fool?" he spits at you, vitriol dripping from his words.
You shift your weight from one foot to another, the words you had planned to say completely lost. "I-I-I" you stutter. It's as if you are under a babbling spell, unable to form coherent words.
"You need to leave now!" he commands, but you don't move. "Seriously, I don't want to hurt you! You have to go! There isn't much time left!"
A mischivieous smile crosses your face. "I can't leave."
Remus is clearly puzzled by your answer. "Why not?" he gasps as an intense spasm wracks his body.
"Because I came to show you something." The confusion in his face amuses you.
"It couldn't wait a few days?" he asks you tentatively. "Now really isn't the best time."
"I think now is the perfect time." You say without explanation. You turn your focus inward pulling at something deep inside of yourself. It takes a few seconds before any change is visibly apparent, but you can feel it almost immediately. First, your spine begins to curve forward and your hips shift so that you are bent at ninety degree angle. Your shoulders rotate downward causing your body to be supported by all four limbs. Webbing appears between your fingers and toes as they shorten into paws. Your nails condense into claws and you can feel your spine elongating to form a tail. Long, shaggy black hair sprouts from every inch of your body and your incisors lengthen into fangs. Your ears shift from the side of your head to the top of it and flop over on themselves. When the transformation is complete, you are a large, black dog.
Remus is staring at you, clearly unsure of what to say. He tries to speak several times, but the words won't seem to come. You shift back to your human shape, smiling at his surprise. You run fingers through your hair, brushing it casually back into place.
"How did you do that?" he blurts out at last.
"Well it wasn't easy. That's for sure. I've been working on it for quite awhile. Years, really. You see it's not easy becoming an Animagus." You pause to let the words sink in.
"But why did you do this?" he asks.
Your heart is banging against your chest. You know you can't avoid the subject any longer, so you blurt out "I did it for you." Nervously, you watch for Remus' reaction, but his face is unreadable. Silence hangs heavy between the two of you, drowning you in its tenseness. Disappointment is just welling up inside of you, when he finally speaks.
"You did this for me?" Remus says, milling the words in his mouth. "But why would you risk something so dangerous and put forth so much effort for me?"
Sweat is beading on the palms of your hands and the once freezing room now feels as if it's burning hot. You fidget with your robes, staring at the floor, unsure exactly of how to proceed. You fear that if you tell him how you feel, he will reject you and ruin the beautiful friendship you have built over the years.
A hand slides under your chin, lifting your head up gently. Looking up, you see Remus gazing at you intently. "Tell me. Tell me why you did this." He firmly demands.
"Because I love you." You say as quickly as you can. You scrunch your eyes shut, hoping against hope that he will understand. Abruptly, you feel something crash into your mouth. Did he just hit me? You wonder, but then you feel his arms wrapping around you and a soft pressure of smooth skin against your lips. You realize he is kissing you and you match his force. You lose yourself in his embrace, mesmerized by the idea that he might feel as strongly as you do.
After what could've been years and seconds all at once, the kiss ends. You pull back slightly and look into Remus' thoughtful gray eyes. Instead of the icy cold that you expected, you find warmth. You allow yourself to be pulled back into his arms, resting your head on his shoulder lightly.
"Sirius, I can't tell you what this means to me." You hear him whisper in your ear. A genuine smile spreads across your face knowing that he is happy and for the moment all is right in your world.
Hi there,
This story was originally posted on HPFF for Wolfgirl's Break The Mold Challenge in which I placed 1st! In it I did several things that I'd never attempted before (at the time). The most obvious thing was my attempt to write in second person. Additionally, I had never written Sirius or Lupin. This was also my first attempt at writing a gay pairing. Finally, I do not usually write fluffy stories with happily ever after endings, so that was a bit of a challenge for me as well.
I would love to hear your opinion on it, good or bad, because this is definitely a learning experience for me!
Thank you for reading!
~Kaitlin/TreacleTart