The first thing Remus noticed when he woke was the cold. The frigid wind tearing at his shredded clothes sent shivers raking through his thin frame as he sat up, trying to discern where he was. The last he could remember was walking through the Hogwarts grounds with Madame Pomphrey and...
It all came flooding back. The freezing if the whomping willow, the tunnel, the glimmer of silver creeping through the boarded window of the shack. The breaking of each of his bones, one by one. His skin and muscles stretching, pulling, tearing...
He closed his eyes as a wave of nausea-inducing pain passed through him. He wrapped his arms around himself, waiting for the pain to subside enough for him to move properly. He found it pathetic, honestly, that after five years, he still wasn't used to this.
Granted, this time he seemed to be in less pain than previous months. He would have to ask the matron about that. She had given him something the night before, but said she didn't think it would help. Apparently, though, it had.
Remus pushed himself to his knees, and them froze, hearing a noise from the other side of the shack. No-one was supposed to be anywhere near the place. Dumbledore had said... He cut that thought short. It had been stupid to trust a man he had never met. How stupid? He was sure he'd find out soon.
He force himself to stand, facing his potential attacker with as much dignity as an eleven year old werewolf could muster, forcing the tears to stay away.
Madame Pomphrey came through the door, caring appeared to be a fresh set of clothes and a few potion vials. There was mud on the front of her robes from the tunnel. She saw Remus standing there and froze, surprise showing on her face.
"I didn't think you'd have awakened yet, dear," the woman said softly.
Remus felt the tears prickling at his eyes and looked away from her, feeling foolish for crying over her gentle words.
"Oh, sweetheart, sit down before you pass out." She pulled her wand from her sleeve and flicked it, creating a chair from a large splinter of wood. "Drink this."
She deposited a lime green vial in his hand, and he did as instructed, grimacing at the taste. She placed a small square of chocolate in his hand next, winking at him as if they had shared a secret.
Remus smiled, and for the first time, he knew he was safe.