The crescent moon was high in the air as I walked beneath its light; these nights were the closest I could get to see its beauty through tame eyes. Despite the year I've spent with this curse, I still would never grow used to it. The painfulness of my body transforming as I slipped into a hungry bloodlust; Prongs and Padfoot had learned of this curse only years ago, and the continued to friend me, despite how dangerous I was.
I watched as a young girl tripped onto the cement road and her gentle voice let out a loud swear. I stopped short before hurrying forward to help her before a loud roar caught my attention. I turned and saw a large wolf walking towards her, my eyes narrowed.
It wasn't Padfoot, and it wasn't a werewolf, but there was no way a wolf would be this close to a town. This had to be an animagus.
I walked between the two and stared at the wolf; the wolf stopped short as the crescent moon illuminated my scars. I wore a black cardigan and black slacks, both were tattered with both age and excessive wear.
The wolf shifted into a human, the white fur shrinking back into his skin as he stood up. He glared at me, looking me up and down before stopping several feet away. I heard the woman behind me whimper, I looked back at her; she wore a dark grey skirt with ripped leggings underneath it and a black tank top over a long sleeved white shirt that was stained with dirt and grass. Her hair was bubblegum pink and she had scrapes on her from falling on the cement.
I shook my head and looked back at the wolf man, "What is your business with this woman," I asked, my voice steady and strong as I set my feet apart, almost bracing myself for an attack.
"Do I need to tell you my business? No! So how about you get the hell out of here you pathetic coward," he snapped, I could see a flicker of fear in his eyes as recognition set in, he could tell what I was, he only needed to look at the scars covering my body. This was a man who understood the pain of shifting, but unlike mine, his was voluntary.
"Yes, I believe you do, if you didn't, then I wouldn't have bothered asking," I growled, my chest rumbled slightly and the guy took a single step away.
"You're not dangerous, the moon isn't full, so you can't fool me, werewolf," he spat.
I chuckled darkly, "That's what you think," I said smoothly, his complexion turned pure white.
"Y-You're bluffing!" he yelled.
"Am I?" I asked as I took a step towards him, he scrambled back and I chuckled.
"Werewolves can only change during a full moon!" he said loudly.
I shook my head, "And who told you that?" I asked, "A textbook?" I asked.
He looked side to side, almost wishing for help, "Y-Yes, and I know you're lying!" he said.
"Really, you don't seem so sure of it," I said sweetly as I took another step back and I let an angry growl slip from between my lips before he turned and ran.
I chuckled softly and looked down, running a hand through my hair. I looked back at the girl; her eyes were wide with fear as she scrambled to her feet. I walked over with my hands out, to prove I would do her no harm, "Relax, I'm not going to harm you," I whispered gently, she looked at me; her eyes flickered between fear and calmness. I watched as her hair slowly began to darken to a blood red.
"Prove it," she said, her voice was strong, but it held no bitterness, nor did it have the icy coldness I was used to.
"How can I do that?" I asked.
"You said werewolves could transform without the use of a full moon," she said.
I chuckled softly, "No, I merely led the man into believing that could happen, I did it mainly to drive him away, I do need a full moon to transform," I said softly.
Her eyes widened further and she skipped back a few steps, "Wait, you're a werewolf?" she asked astonished, I felt a small laugh escape my lips.
"Whom did you think we were referring to?" I asked gently, she blushed deeply and looked away, shrugging slightly.
"I don't know, I just didn't think it would be you," she whispered gently.
"Then why were you afraid of me when I came over to help you after dealing with him?" I asked softly.
She looked at me with strikingly gorgeous dark eyes; I smiled a little, "Isn't it a little obvious? That guy, who is a white wolf just got scared away by you, obviously gonna be at least a little skittish around you," she replied heatedly, I looked down and chuckled softly.
"Well I apologize; I honestly was not meaning to scare you, only him," I replied, "However, are you alright," I asked as I eyed the bleeding scrapes on her hands.
She wiped her hands off on her torn leggings, "I'm fine," she said, brushing my gentility away, just as it always was. She looked at me; she must've seen the pain deep in my eyes, because she walked over and gently touched my cheek, her fingers lightly caressing the scars on my face.
"I don't mean to sound abrupt, life must be difficult for you do to your…nature," she whispered softly, her voice was gentle and kind, something foreign and strange to me.
"Don't worry ma'am, I'm used to it, so it hardly hurts me anymore," I replied truthfully, "But if you're fine I'll leave you be," I said, lightly pulling away and I began to walk down the street.
But I heard her klutzy footsteps as she ran after me, I looked back as she fell into my arms, I smiled and caught her easily, "Easy," I said as I steadied her, "I don't mean t sound rude, but are you always this clumsy?" I asked softly, she smiled a nodded.
"Unfortunately," she replied as her hair brightened to bubblegum pink.
"May I ask as to what I can help you with?" I asked, she smiled and nodded.
"Do you have a home to return to?" she asked, I shook my head honestly.
"No, I mostly roam the countryside," I replied simply.
She gently clasped my hand in hers, "Then stay with me for the night, please it's the least I can do for helping me," she said softly, her eyes were almost begging.
I hesitated slightly, "Um, alright," I said gently, "Thank you."
"You're most welcome," she said as she began to tug at my hand. I slowly began to follow her with a small sigh.
She pulled me quickly through the streets of London to a darker part of the city, pretty much the slums. She walked to a one story house with peeling paint; the front door had a crack on it with the paint also peeling. She looked back at me with a slightly sheepish grin as she tapped the doorknob with her wand and walked inside.
She stepped aside for me to enter; she shut the door behind me and locked it once more. "Sorry about the mess," she quickly apologized as I began to look around the room. We had walked into the living room, the couch was a light brown with dark stains on it, and the coffee table was littered with takeout boxes and miscellaneous trash. The floor had some papers scattered across it. There was no television and there was little decoration. On the wall hung a black and yellow striped tie and I smiled a little.
"So you were a Hufflepuff?" I asked looking at her, she smiled and proudly and nodded.
"Yep, what was your house? If you don't mind me asking," she said grinning wildly.
I chuckled softly, "Not at all, I was in Gryffindor," I replied with a smile as I followed her into the kitchen. She had a small table that was cluttered with dirty dishes and Auror papers, my fingers lightly grazed them as I walked.
She looked back as she heard the papers shuffle slightly, she smiled as she looked saw my fingers lingering slightly on the papers, "I'm studying to become an Auror," she explained quickly, I smiled and nodded.
"I assumed as much," I replied smiling, a peppy smile flashed across her face as she walked over to a cupboard and opened it.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" she asked.
"Sure," I replied softly as she pulled down two chipped mugs. She walked over to the stove and placed a kettle of water on it to boil before walking over to the table and quickly clearing it of the papers and dishes.
"Please, have a seat," she said gesturing sweetly to the chairs, I sat down in one and waited, lightly tapping my fingers on the wooden table.
"How long have you lived in this area," I asked softly, she looked over at me as she placed the dishes in the sink.
"A couple of years now," she replied, "I decided to get my own place once I finished at Hogwarts," she explained calmly.
I felt my body grow slightly numb, "Oh? When did you graduate?" I asked.
"Oh a couple years," she said as she looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, it was cracked with chipped paint, "I loved my parents dearly, but I thought it was high time I moved out and proved I didn't need them to survive anymore."
I looked down at my hands and closed my eyes, "I see," I replied evenly. She was so young, I had graduated at least 15 years ago, so if it were only a couple years (my mind seeing 'couple' as two) then we were about 13 years apart.
She set the mug of steaming water down in front of me and the tea bag in it was soaking delicately in it. I looked up at her and smiled warmly, "Thank you," I said softly.
"By the way, I'm Tonks," she said warmly.
"I'm Remus, Remus Lupin," I replied.