The Gryffindor boys had a lie-in Saturday morning, waking up and heading down to the Great Hall for a late breakfast. Remus was feeling a little tired despite the lie-in; a side-effect of his body preparing for his forthcoming transformation.
'Are you feeling alright Remus?' James asked, pouring ketchup on his sausages.
'Yeah,' Remus lied, 'just my stomach ache again,'
James shrugged, 'maybe you should go back for another potion or something,'
'Later perhaps.' Remus told him, his stomach twisting as if he did actually have an ache, but it was just his discomfort at lying.
That day Remus, James, Sirius and Peter explored the castle and the grounds.
They climbed the steps up to the Owlery, walked full circle around the banks of the Black Lake, snuck around Hagrid the Gamekeeper's garden before being told to clear off, and got to the edge of the Forbidden Forest before Hagrid once again caught them and escorted them back to the castle.
'Busy day?' Hestia Jones asked Remus as he plonked himself down at the Gryffindor table beside her.
'Mhm,' Remus nodded, feeling strung out with anticipation. It was almost seven o'clock. He had half an hour to have dinner and get up to the Hospital Wing.
'Are you feeling alright Remus?' James asked when Remus excused himself from the table.
'Stomach ache again,' he shrugged, putting a hand to his abdomen.
'You'd better go get another potion for it; you're looking really pale,'
Remus appreciated that James seemed to be looking out for him.
'We'll see you when you get back,' James waved, 'and you'd better be feeling better!'
Remus smiled as he left the Great Hall along with a couple of other students in need of an early night. But his smile faded the closer he got to the Hospital Wing.
'Ah, Mr Lupin, there you are!' Madam Pomfrey was fussing about making the beds when Remus poked his head around the door. 'Well come on in! I'll be with you in two shakes of a Sphinx's tail!'
Remus awkwardly stood by the doorway until Madam Pomfrey pulled on a cloak and locked up the doors of the Hospital Wing.
They avoided the Great Hall where some students were still eating, and headed out to the dark grounds.
Remus could feel his body reacting to the rising full moon. He was tense all over, his shoulders were hunched in anticipation and his hands were clenched into fists.
They reached the Whomping Willow in a couple of minutes and Madam Pomfrey showed Remus how to properly aim a long stick at the knot on the tree trunk. The tree above creaked and thrashed its branches until the knot was pressed and the tree froze, mid-lash.
Madam Pomfrey led Remus down the secret passageway beneath the Willow.
It was a low-ceilinged earthy tunnel that wound onwards from the tree's roots. As Remus crouched down and entered the passageway he smelt a mixture of mud and damp, as well as the stink of decomposing undergrowth – a sign that his senses were becoming sharper.
Soon enough they emerged into the wooden shack. It looked as though it had indeed fallen into disrepair and become inhabited by ghosts. There was no lighting, besides the wand which Madam Pomfrey had illuminated, and the wand light simply caused the cobwebs on the ceiling and the door frames to glitter.
Madam Pomfrey led Remus further into the shack until they reached a large room with no furniture.
'This is where Professor Dumbledore intends for you to transform,' the Matron told him, depositing a small bag of items that she had been carrying onto the floor. 'He apologises for the lack of décor, he wasn't sure what things you would like to have in here, if anything.'
'It's fine,' Remus said, moving across the bare floorboards to the window. The window showed a view of Hogsmeade Village, the only all-wizard village in Britain.
'How safe are these windows?' Remus asked, thinking that the windows in the shack were pretty pointless considering the purpose of the building.
'Extremely safe,' Madam Pomfrey reassured him. 'Would you like me to stay with you for a while?'
Remus glanced out the window once more; the moon was on its ascent.
'No, thank you. I'll be fine now,' he told her. It was best she didn't stay too long or he'd just get agitated. 'What will you tell people if they come looking for me?'
'I'll tell them that it's late and they should be in bed, just like my patient is,' she smiled.
Remus returned her smile with a strained one.
'I'll come back for you in the morning, okay?'
Remus nodded and thanked the Matron once more before she left. Once her footsteps had faded out of earshot, Remus sat down on the floor of the shack with a deep sigh. He rummaged through the bag that Madam Pomfrey had brought. In it were some spare clothes, a blanket, a candle and some matches, some smelly ointments, a scarf and a hat.
As the night wore on, the moon got higher. He knew that he still had a few hours before his transformation. Remus decided that he might as well attempt to get some rest before it happened.
He slept fitfully on the dusty floor until gone midnight when the first wave of pain cascaded through his body – it was beginning.
He quickly got to his feet and stripped off his clothes before he lost control of his body and the monster inside him took over.
A spurt of energy shot through his body, he gasped in pain. Every cell in his body was tingling. He started to shudder, his whole body wracked with seizures. Remus shrieked as his knees gave way and he hit the solid floor of the shack.
He hoped Dumbledore's enchantments would hold out.
He bucked as a wave of heat blasted down his spine. His legs jerked and curled into his body. He could feel the pressure of his nose and mouth lengthening, becoming a snout. His fingers retracted in a shatter of bones and agony. His senses sharpened, his ears extended, his spine compacted. Fur sprouted all over his body and a low moaning emanated from his throat, becoming a growl.
As the creature stretched out and dug its claws into the woodwork of the Shrieking Shack, Remus felt himself losing control of his body. He felt his arms and legs carry him towards the window of the shack. His fingers were claws which scratched at the window, at the distant moon, wanting break out.
His jaw stretched, revealing sharp canine teeth, and from the back of his throat a howl escaped. Long and piercing, haunting enough for the residents of Hogsmeade Village to wake from their peaceful slumbers with a start.
And as the wolf dropped back to its four paws, Remus Lupin blacked out and was in control no more.
Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been busy with my Charlie and Doctor Who fics.
But I hope that this one makes up a little bit for the wait.
And I'd just like to say a massive WOOHOOO! because this story has reached 10 Favourite Stories!
So all I know is that 10 of you like it! That's awesome!
