Werewolves

Out of the darkness, the werewolf came. A feral smile was on its elongated face, grey fur sprouting in mismatched patches across unnatural skin. And the eyes; those terrible blood-red eyes – carnivorous and insane – were looking directly at Remus. Remus' tiny ten-year-old frame was glued to the spot and he let out a terrified whimper, paralyzed by those awful eyes that filled his vision and painted his whole world scarlet. Then the brilliant white of pain burst up through the red, and the world was no more.

The white cleared into the form of a cool, light room and Remus, no-longer a defenseless ten-year-old, yelped at the figure standing beside his bed. He squinted, rubbed his eyes, and professor Romulus came into focus.

'Whoa there.' The professor's voice was kind but filled with concern. 'I think your adrenaline could use a break, just calm down for a minute. Breathe.'

Remus inhaled long and deep, and then let it out. He looked quietly down at his hospital robes, the bed he was in, and then up at the mocking concave ceiling that trapped him in the hospital wing.

'How long have I been in here?' Remus croaked.

'You slept through the night and most of the day.' the professor pointed to the clock on Remus' bedside table. 'You missed lunch but I can arrange for some food to be brought to you, if you're hungry.'

Remus nodded.

Romulus took some fresh parchment from the pocket of his crimson waistcoat and then placed the tip of his wand on it. He muttered something under his breath and the page slowly filled with ink that spread into perfectly curled words; and then the parchment folded itself up and fluttered away in the shape of an origami bird.

'Lunch' Romulus offered in response to Remus' mystified look. He then sighed and sat down on the edge of Remus' bed. 'Nice place this' He speculated. 'The hospital wing in Durmstrang isn't nearly as nice. The matrons all have mouths like cats asses and the whole place smells of bleach. I'm sure it does more harm for the students to visit the hospital wing there than it does for them to grin and bear their injuries.'

Remus cleared his throat awkwardly, claiming the professor's attention.

'Oh, you're quite right.' Romulus said, seeming to remember where he was. 'Not the sort of thing to be discussing with a Hogwarts student. Do excuse me.'

'Err no, it's not that sir.' Remus laughed. 'It's just…is there a reason why you're here? Did you have something to talk to me about?'

'Ah.' Romulus' expression darkened. 'Yes, I do. Albus has asked me to discuss your injuries with you. He thought someone in my…position, could offer a more educated point of view on your wounds.'

Remus frowned. 'What do you mean?'

'Your cuts and scars, would you care to explain to me how you… acquired them?'

'I – I got into a fight.'

'Don't lie to me boy.' Romulus groaned. 'I'm asking you to put a little bit of trust in me. Whatever you tell me will not go beyond this room.'

Remus looked down at his hands, and then away. 'I was attacked.'

'Not entirely a lie. Getting better.' Romulus sighed.

'Well if you know I'm lying then why don't you just tell me what happened!'

Romulus smiled at Remus knowingly, making his anger cut out like a switch had been thrown. He swallowed audibly.

'Well I would've liked you to tell me. That way I'd gain a little bit of confidence and you could also clear up a few of the murkier details for me, but I suppose we're beyond that now.' Romulus relented, giving Remus a thin smile. 'I know you're a werewolf.'

Remus gave a startled intake of breath.

'Oh come now, you can't be all that surprised.' The professor waved his hand as if to shoo away Remus' expression. 'I spoke with Dumbledore and although he agreed not to tell your friends, he broke no promises by telling me. Besides, the cuts I saw on you the morning after your transformation were evidence enough.'

'The cuts?' Remus asked. 'How could they prove anything? I could've gotten them from anywhere.'

'Well you see.' Romulus fidgeted with the hem of his white shirt. 'The depth of the cuts and the positioning of a lot of them, match mine.' He lifted the shirt to expose a nasty looking red line across his stomach in almost exactly the same place as Remus'.

'You're a werewolf?' Remus spluttered, backing away. 'But you're a teacher!'

Romulus chuckled, sending his raven hair flopping about.

'Is that so hard to believe? You yourself manage to be both a student and a werewolf. Just because we have to live one life, does not mean it is the only one we can lead.'

'I…I guess.' Remus relaxed again, but Romulus looked somehow different to Remus' eyes now. He could imagine the long dark fur that would cover the professor's hands and frame his claws. He could imagine the high cheekbones protruding and growing into a snout. And then Remus stopped imagining these mutations at once, as another thought hit him.

If people knew that Remus was a werewolf, would they feel the same way? Would they be able to look at him without imagining the gruesome teeth and talons? More importantly, would his friends – would anyone – still like him? Could anyone, when the time came, ever love him? The realization of this hit Remus hard and he could feel a knot in his stomach tightening and a hole in his chest opening, swallowing everything, and leaving a bleak empty world in its place.

'Mr. Lupin?'

Remus' attention snapped back to the present.

'Yes?'

'I said that I have to go now, but I'll see you in class.'

'Uh, sure.' Remus answered, the far-away look still lingering in his eyes. 'Sir?'

Romulus paused with one hand on the door-handle.

'Yes?'

'I know it's an odd question…but, do you have a wife? Or a partner or something?'

'I may have been a student at Durmstrang, but I'm afraid I don't swing that way.' The professor managed to keep a straight face for about three seconds and then burst out laughing at Remus' horrified look. It took a minute for Romulus to compose himself, a whole minute. 'Relax, teachers are allowed to have a sense of humor although McGonagall might be an exception. I know why you ask, Lupin, "Who could love a monster?" right? But you'd be surprised. What you need is a distraction, something that you can work on. I found mine.' Romulus tugged at his waistcoat and a shiny badge hit the light with an official looking 'H' in the middle of it. His teacher's badge, Remus presumed. 'If you need any help, I'm free on Tuesday after lessons and I can help you with a few ideas. Welcome to the world of work boy; it's time to choose your career.'

A: So now we know Romulus' little secret :D

D: You know I've just released, we've never written any disclaimers O:

A: :O You're right!

D+A: we don't own harry potter/ the marauders, they belong to J.K Rowling. we don't own Melody, she owns herself ;) however we do own Romulus and another OC that will be introduced soon ;)

R.L: Who's that then?

D: Wait and see young wolf, wait and see ;)

A: Thanks for reading :) we hope you are enjoying our story so far ;D