The room was dark. The kind of dark that makes a boy's imagination run wild. All the shadows seemed to move around the room, staring at the young boy in his bed, and every creek was an unknown beast crawling around. The only thing keeping the young boy calm was the sound of his own gentle breathing, and the soft chatter of his parents coming from somewhere else in the cottage.

Crash! The boy jumped. The window had been shattered into thousands and thousands of tiny shards of glass, and there, framed by the moon, stood a monstrous figure. The boy just stared, not making a sound.

Running towards the child, the creature bounded onto the child's bed and stood above him menacingly. Its body was covered in matted hair, its mouth filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth, and its eyes an angry yellow. On the verge of tears, the boy swayed gently in his bed, trying not to attract the attention of the wolf but in an enormous effort to calm his throbbing heart down. It was like he was trapped in a bubble; he couldn't hear anything except the noise of his heart bouncing around his chest, and the feeling of it in his throat. It was then that he couldn't hold it in any longer and he started to cry, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks.

The wolf-creature moved back from his face and ripped away the duvet, leaving it tattered on the floor. It opened its jaws wide and sunk its jagged fangs into the child's leg. Searing, white-hot pain shot through his leg. His back arched off the bed and he gasped for breath. Along with the pain came blood. It was pouring blood poured from his wounds, staining the pale blue covers beneath him. The huge creature began ripping through the thin pyjamas the boy was wearing and tearing through the flesh like paper, taking chunks out of his body.

The young child's eyes widened and he began to scream at the top of his voice. Instead of deterring the beast, it almost seemed to encourage it in its actions and it continued to rip through his flesh.

Barely seconds later, his screams died as he began to slip out of consciousness, the room slowly fading into black.

Remus Lupin sat bolt upright, and wiped his forehead. Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks and his breathing was heavy. Quietly he pulled the covers back, clambered out of his bed and walked to the bathroom where, after casting a quick lumos, he looked in the mirror. Staring back at him was a ghost; skin pale, scars as white as snow, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, and a haunted expression. He knew that he couldn't let his friends see him like this. They'd only worry.

He turned and closed the door softly, then made his way to the shower and turned on the tap. As the water began to heat up, he stripped off his sweat-soaked pajamas and shoved them in the laundry basket. By that time, the water was at the perfect temperature and a familiar smile began to tug on his face as he admired the beauty of the magic that had been woven into the building itself, thousands of years ago.

When he stepped into the shower, the feeling of warm water was refreshing, to say the least. It was as though the nightmare was disappearing with it, down the drain and through the catacombs of pipes that ran through the walls of the castle. Normally, it didn't take Remus long to shower but today, with the stress of what had been an awful nightmare, he decided to let himself relax. He let the droplets of water drip onto his face and down his back, relishing in the tranquil peace of the morning. After his period of ease, Remus lathered his hair and body in soap, washing the final effects of the terror he had endured during the night from him.

After he had changed into some casual clothes (it was Saturday and there was no need for his school uniform), the boy found himself wandering back over to the now steamed mirror, and wiping it clean with the end of his sleeve. The reflection that looked back now was more human, the skin still pale but with a tint of rose within the cheeks and he scars not as prominent as before. But still…noticeable.

He crept back into the dormitory, past the four other sleeping boys and towards his own bed. He took his watch and a book from his bedside table, then reached underneath the bed to grab his school bag. Then he made his way down the stairs and collapsed into one of the huge, red armchairs that were placed in front of the fire, which had the beginning of what would be a roaring inferno later on.

Giving his battered watch a glance, he noticed the time read 6, before attaching it around his thin, almost delicate, wrist.

Then he reached for his school bag, pulling out a red notebook. On the cover, in gold writing, it said 'planner', indicating to what it was used for and the reason Remus needed it. Opening it to the correct page, he studied it, trying to find what work needed to be done. There wasn't much. Only a foot essay on the properties of everlasting elixirs, a catch up from the school year prior that it seemed no one could remember. Pulling out some parchment, a quill and some ink, he set to work, aiming to finish the essay before the rest of Gryffindor crowded the common room, awaiting breakfast.

The peace lasted for a blissful hour and a half before people began leaking through the Common Room, their aim set on getting breakfast before the rowdier Gryffindors woke. He listened to people ambling by his chair, yawning as they went, and the quiet chatter between the few who were up so early on a Saturday. At eight, Remus decided to go and get some breakfast for himself. Having been awake for two hours already, he was starving. Not wanting to lose all the work that he had done, he snuck back up the stairs to the dormitory where the rest of the boys were still fast asleep, threw the parchment onto his bed and tip-toed back out of the room before going to the Great Hall where breakfast was being served.

The four house tables were mostly empty, the Gryffindor table especially so. Going towards the end of the table, where there was plenty enough space for the four of us to sit, Remus surveyed the expanse of food to see what the house elves had prepared today. There were several varieties of eggs, beans, bacon and sausages, as well as pastries by the dozen. The sight of this, however, made him feel sick more than anything else, which confused him. Despite this, Remus grabbed his plate and started piling food onto it.

He ate in silence, watching the steady line of students stream into the hall. By the time his friends arrived, he had been through a full plate of food as well as two mugs of coffee.

"We thought you'd be down here." James yawned, "Why do you get up so early?"

"Because, unlike, you, I seemingly value my education." Remus answered, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"But it's a Saturday!"

"And?"

"Saturday. Saturday. Before 9am on a sa-tur-day." He murmured to himself, sleepily but in obvious confusion.

The boys helped themselves to some breakfast and began to discuss their next prank. Remus, began to drink his third cup of coffee whilst vaguely listening to the conversation that James, Sirius and Peter were having next to him. His mind was far from the words that were floating around his head.

The dream that had happened was a recurring one, but he couldn't shake the sense of foreboding that was looming around him. Something was different, he knew it, but he couldn't put his finger on what and that, to say the least, frustrated him.

Remus concentrated on his coffee, trying to take his mind off of the black cloud of thoughts enshrouding him, but the black swirls only seemed to make his mind feel even worse. A second wave of sickness overcame him, and the room began to spin, becoming more blurry by the second. Then, as if his body was giving one final push, he collapsed, the last thing he heard being the cries of shock from his classmates around him.

a/n. Hello! So here is the first proper chapter of this novel. I'm finally starting it! I've found an amazing editor, SilenceintheGraveyard who has helped me so much. I hope you enjoyed and please feel free to leave a review on what you like and don't like! Thanks to everyone reading! :)