Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, places, etc.
A/N: Well, this is going to be a different kind of story for me. Each chapter is going to a separate occasion in which a simple howl affected Remus and Sirius (this is NOT slash though). However, that isn't to say that each chapter can be read as separate stories, because they are all connected, which will become more obvious in later chapters.
Remus sat in the Shrieking Shack, waiting for the moon to rise. He could feel the wolf inside him, patiently waiting to come out. He started to shake slightly and knew that within a few minutes the transformation would start and the wolf would take over.
Remus hunched over as the first wave of pain hit him. He clenched his teeth, but still cried out as his body started to change. It didn't matter how often he went through the transformation; it never got any easier to deal with. Remus could feel his bones change, his skin splitting and growing over the wolf's body. He head pounded as his skull lengthened. Fur was starting to spread over his body as his ears and tail finished growing. Remus howled in pain as the transformation finished and the wolf took over.
The wolf wanted out, but there was no way to get out. He threw himself at the walls and clawed at them. There were humans out there, there was food beyond these walls, but he couldn't get to it. The wolf snarled and slashed his own leg, letting out a small yelp of pain before lapping at the blood, relishing the taste.
The night passed quickly with the wolf alternating between trying to escape and clawing himself. Whenever he stopped to rest he would howl in pain, though soon after he would be up again and begin tearing himself apart once more.
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"Come on Padfoot, it'll be fun. Besides, you even said that you wanted to practice change…" James, Sirius, and Peter were sitting in their dormitory, practicing and attempting to change into their Animagus forms. So far, Sirius was the only one to successfully transform, although he had moments of panic where he would instantly change back.
Sirius glared at his friend. "Yes, but I never agreed to be used as your pillow! You were the one that accidentally set in on fire."
"You still need to practice if you want to help Moony next month." James reminded him. Sirius stayed where he was, unmoving and unchanging. James sighed. "Fine, I won't use you as a pillow, but come on, change anyway!"
"Besides, it's so cool to watch!" Peter added excitedly.
Sirius let out a bark of laughter, sounding almost like the giant bear-like dog he could turn into, but finally relented. Unlike Remus' transformations, his was completely smooth. He didn't feel any pain as he changed into a dog; his was quick, easy, and completely painless. After it finished he stayed where he was; he needed a few seconds to get used to his new body and senses.
"Hey Padfoot, you okay?" James asked. He was holding his wand out, ready to perform the spell to change Sirius back if he needed to. It wouldn't have been the first time they had used it.
Sirius barked and ran over to him, a maniacal grin on his face. He sat down next to James and stared at him with a look that plainly said, "What are we going to do now?"
James grinned and began petting Sirius. "Oh you're such a good puppy Padfoot! Yes you are! Yes you are!"
Sirius growled and moved away from him. He did not like to be treated like some normal, tiny puppy. Well, that wasn't true; he was fine with it as long as a cute girl was treating him that way. Sirius walked over to James' bed and pulled the blankets onto the floor. He continued to yank on them until they started to rip.
"Sirius!" James yelled. He pulled out his wand and muttered a quick spell that tied a length of rope around his friend's neck.
Sirius turned and growled at him, almost daring him to try to stop him. "Peter, help me get this mutt off my blankets!" James yelled, not noticing that Sirius was no longer paying any attention to them and was looking towards the window with a slightly puzzled look on his face. Peter scurried over and the two of them gave a sharp tug on the rope. Sirius yelped as the rope dug into his neck and tumbled over onto the floor.
James pulled out his wand and got rid of the rope. "Sirius, are you okay?" He asked. "I didn't mean to hurt you…"
Sirius ignored him and ran over to the open window. He thought he had heard something… Yes, there it was again, a loud pain-filled howl coming from the direction of Hogsmeade. Sirius whimpered as his friend's howl was replaced with softer yelps of pain. He had almost forgotten that it was the full moon; he almost forgotten that Remus was currently tearing himself apart. When the howls started up again Sirius stuck his head out the window and howled as well.
James pulled Sirius in and closed the window. "What were you doing? If someone had heard you or seen you…"
Sirius changed back and collapsed on his bed. "I heard him." He said softly. "I could hear him howling and yelping." He shook his head. "James you didn't know how hard it was, how painful it was to listen to that, knowing that I could be there helping him…"
"Sirius you couldn't have been there!" James said. "You froze up just yesterday! You panicked and changed back after only a few seconds! What if you had that happen tonight?"
"I know James!" Sirius snapped. He saw the hurt look on his friend's face and sighed. "I'm sorry." He said. "It's just frustrating to be so close, but still have to sit here while Remus is out there… Just don't ask me to practice anymore tonight, okay?"
"Well, I still need to practice tonight." James said. "You'd better get your wand out, just in case."
"You're going to get it this time though, James!" Peter said enthusiastically. "You're going to change tonight, I know it!"
Peter was right. After about an hour or so of failed attempts James successfully managed to turn into a stag, then back into a human. Yet even though he was happy for his friend, Sirius thought he could still hear Remus' howls echoing faintly in the night. Yes, James may have completed the transformation, but Peter hadn't and all three of them needed to perfect it in a month because Sirius would not spend another full moon listening to his friend howl with pain.
