Disclaimer: All Harry Potter stuff belongs to J K Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sand of Time

by Willowcharm

Chapter 25: A Night to Remember

Harry dumped his bag beside his bed and sat down wearily. Lessons were over for the day for which he was thankful. The full moon was due again tonight and as usual he was feeling terrible. This would be his last transformation in this time, he thought. He wondered if he would still be allowed to use the Room of Requirement when he returned to the future or if he would have to go to the Shrieking Shack like Remus had done. The thought of going back was strange- he was used to this time now. And there'd be all the questions that Ron and Hermione would want to ask him about his time here. He knew there'd be some things he wouldn't tell them. And hopefully they had already been told about him now being a werewolf. He didn't particularly want to have to do that himself. With a sigh he got up. It was time to go and prepare for his monthly torture. But when he opened the door to leave he found himself confronted by James, Sirius, Peter and...Himself?

'What's going on?' Harry asked as he found himself being pushed back into the room.

'You, my son,' said James, 'are going to drink this Polyjuice. Then you are going to lead Moony to wherever it is you were planning on spending the night. After that you are going to meet Madam Pomfrey who will lead you to the Whomping Willow and on to the shrieking shack. Padfoot, Wormtail and I will meet you there later on. Get the picture?'

Harry did but he objected.

'No! I can't let Remus do that. You don't know what it would be like for him to be all alone.'

'I know exactly what it will be like,' said Remus firmly, his voice as identical to Harry's as his looks. 'How do you think I managed before they became animagi? Anyway, you don't have any option. I took the potion ten minutes ago so it will be another fifty minutes before it wears off. Madam Pomfrey is expecting me in twenty minutes.'

'So you need to get a move on,' chipped in Sirius and handed Harry a vial.

A lump formed in Harry's throat at the thought of the gift he was getting. He quickly forced the potion down and as soon as he was fully transformed into a Remus look alike he led the way to the Room of Requirement, explaining briefly the properties of the room as they went. James was disgusted when he saw how Harry had neglected to provide even the most basic of "creature comforts" for himself.

'I'll be talking to you about this when we have more time,' he said and Harry quailed slightly. In a second the cage was equipped with some old tree trunks, a mattress, an old book, a "bed" of leaves and twigs and a small pool of water set into the floor. A giant soft toy completed the collection and Harry guessed this was for the wolf to take out its aggression on. In moments Remus was secured in the cage and had settled down on the mattress to read. After telling Harry where to meet Madam Pomfrey James led Sirius and Peter away and Harry was left to make his own way down to a little used side door.

'There you are, dear.' Madam Pomfrey's voice was kind as she greeted who she thought was Remus. 'Come on, then.'

She led Harry briskly to the Whomping Willow and after freezing the branches by prodding the knot with a stick took him through the tunnel until they reached the Shrieking Shack. Once they were inside she took a flask from a pocket and handed it to Harry.

'Now you make sure and drink all of this hot chocolate, Remus,' she said. 'You need all the nourishment you can get. And try to get some sleep before the change. I'll be back for you at noon tomorrow. Goodbye dear.'

Once alone, Harry first placed his own flask safely on a high windowsill- it contained the Polyjuice he would need to take before the school nurse came back to collect him. Then he took her advice and drank the hot chocolate before settling down on the bed for a rest.

Some time later he was jolted awake by the agony of the beginnings of his transformation. His cries of pain soon turned to howls as the wolf form was completed. But suddenly the wolf smelt something. Prey. The door had opened and the werewolf smelt the unmistakeable odour of human.

But when the wolf charged through the door it found only animals. A large dog, a magnificent stag and a small rat which clung to the shoulder of the dog. Friends. The other creatures turned and instinctively the wolf followed. Once out in the school grounds they skirted round the edge of the forest then jumped the boundary fence and ran off into the open countryside. Gradually the presence of the others did something to the wolf that was Harry. A small piece of his human mind seemed to resurface and both that and the wolf mind felt exhilarated by the fresh night air. They had no startling adventures that night but merely roaming the open countryside in the hills around Hogsmeade was adventure enough. At one point the wolf suddenly sat up and howled at the huge white moon overhead just for the sheer pleasure at being able to do it. If the human part of Harry had been paying attention he would have seen the dog and stag looking at him in a rather indulgent manner.

The sky was beginning to lighten in the east before the group returned to the Shrieking Shack. Just after the wolf entered it smelt the scent of human prey again. But he was tired now and had barely turned round before the door was slammed shut and he was alone. Exhausted from the night's exertions, it curled up in a corner of the room and fell asleep.

Harry was halfway human before he woke. He groaned in pain as his bones and muscles and skin finished changing shape. Then, after he had been himself again for a few minutes, he remembered how he had spent the night and smiled before moving to the bed for another sleep. A magical alarm, which James had thoughtfully arranged to go off, woke him in time to take the potion to turn him into Remus shortly before Madam Pomfrey arrived to escort him back to the castle.

'How did it go, Remus?' she asked.

'Not as badly as sometimes,' answered Harry truthfully.

'Well make sure you get plenty of rest. Go straight to your dormitory. I'm sure your friends will manage to bring you some lunch.' They were at the castle now and the nurse went off in the direction of the hospital wing. Harry went up to Gryffindor Tower to find Remus had already returned and was lying in his bed, sound asleep. He decided it was a good idea to follow his example and collapsed onto his own four poster. Much as he had enjoyed himself, a night spent running around had taken its toll on him and he was soon unconscious.

The two werewolves woke up sometime in the middle of the afternoon and discovered that their friends had indeed brought some plates of food for them which they devoured ravenously. They had just finished and Remus seemed about to say something when James and Sirius burst in having finished lessons for the day.

'So did you enjoy yourself last night?' James asked Harry.

'I was just going to ask him that before you barged in,' complained Remus.

'Sorry Moony,' said James, not sounding sorry at all.

'Well?' This was from Sirius.

'It was...' began Harry. 'I don't think I've ever felt so free in my life before. Not even when I've been flying. Before I transformed I was worried I wouldn't remember anything afterwards- I don't usually remember much about being a wolf. Just the pain of changing. But this time I remember everything. And I know I'll never forget it. It was a night to remember. For always.'