A Child of the Night

by terri-lynnashley87

Remus Lupin never had a normal childhood. Up until the age of four, and his untimely encounter with werewolf, Fenrir Greyback, things were perfect. He learned how to deal with it though, with the help of his parents. But what would happen now that he was off to Hogwarts, without the support of his parents, and left to deal with it all on his own?

The pain tore through his body as he felt his flesh stretch and rip. His bones ached as they extended and shaped. The moon up above peeked out from behind a cloud, and a bloodcurdling howl escaped his throat. His fingernails turned into claws and his teeth sharpened.

Fight it, fight it, he willed to himself, but no matter how hard and how many times he tried, he knew there was no stopping this. It happened every month, once a month, for as long as he could remember. This time, however, had to be the worst.

It was September of 1971 and he was all alone. He no longer had the support of his parents to help him through this phase. He'd never been alone before, and it was a whole new experience to him. It was so much worse than he could have imagined, if that were possible.

He had to get away from the castle. He wouldn't dare be seen like this, in his most vulnerable state. His parents had assured him that the only person in the school who knew was Professor Dumbledore, and Remus knew he should keep it that way. Struggling, his feet carried him away from the castle, toward the Whomping Willow, a tree that had been on the land for hundreds of years.

With another surge of pain ripping through his body, Remus' eyes blurred and he fell to his knees at the base of the tree. However, the sensation of falling didn't stop when he had expected it to. He continued to fall for a few more seconds until his shoulder hit the hard, damp ground with a thump, expelling all the air from his lungs. He could no longer sense the moon above him, but that wouldn't stop the transformation. His body knew when the change was coming, even without the moon, and its absence wouldn't halt it.

"Whoa…" Remus heard a voice say, but he couldn't focus his eyes on the person it came from. Writhing in pain, Remus couldn't afford for someone to see him like this. He heard footsteps approaching him, and he wanted to shout, to tell the person to run as far away as they could, but all he could see to form were growls, sound far too guttural to be human.

"C'mon," he heard as a pair of hands lifted him beneath his arms and started to drag him. He heard the strain in the other person's voice as he lifted him up a flight of rickety stairs. Remus had no idea where they were going, but he had to remember to thank whoever this was for their help.

Eventually, Remus felt his back press against a cold, wooden floor. He had no idea where they were, but he could only hope that it was far enough away from the castle that no one else would find them.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Remus heard another voice say, though it was muffled. He could sense another presence in the room, though this one didn't speak – A total of three people. His breathing sharpened, and he could literally feel his pupils dilate from the pressure. With one more gut-wrenching howl, Remus knew his transformation was complete and he knew he would no longer be able to control himself.

He wanted to warn them, tell them it wasn't safe, but he could no longer find his voice to speak… That was the last thing Remus Lupin could remember of his first change at Hogwarts.