Chapter Twenty Five

A/N: No reviewers.

With her brother and her best friend once more by her side, Selena's life felt nothing short of perfect. Her essays improved, she was always laughing, she even found the confidence to try out for the Quidditch team- although falling flat on her face during the game had not been her finest moment. Fred showed far more potential and had been allowed to train with the team, although he was too young to join their ranks for the official matches. He had been awarded the position of Beater, something that made him immensely proud. 'He wants to be like his dad.' she acknowledged. It made sense to her more than anyone.

Selena's happiness formed a shield around her heart, joy and laughter overcoming any small issue she might face. But there was one not-so-small issue that joy could do nothing to combat. And it rose in the sky that night, just like any other.

"It's going to be alright, Lena." Teddy professed, seeing his sister's heavy breaths. She was frightened out of her mind as she leant against the shutters, as if they would suddenly swing away from her window. "We'll protect you."

"Yeah." Fred agreed, his smile a little too genuine for such a dangerous situation. "I promise, nothing's going to happen to you."

"But what if it does?" she bit back, her voice cracking. She quickly looked towards the door, hoping no prefects were patrolling nearby. They had no choice but to hide in an empty classroom, their best chance to stay together and not to be caught. That night was the first full moon since she had told the boys her secret and neither had wanted to leave her alone, in case something should happen this time. On all the full moons before this, she had endured pain, but nothing more.

This time was different. She could feel it.

Teddy pulled a crumpled piece of parchment from the pocket of his trousers, waving it in front of his sister's face. "Then this has everything we need to know. But we're not going to need it, Lena, trust me."

She wanted to trust him, so desperately, but the fear turning over and over in her stomach would not allow it. She leant her head more firmly against the shutters, the pressure causing an ache in her temples so intense she could hear her heart beating in her ears. She barely noticed the pain. It was nothing compared to the cruel cut of moonlight.

Minutes went by, dozen upon dozen until they had been sat at the window for hours. Every so often, one of the boys would begin a conversation, trying to distract them from the time which passed achingly slowly, but Selena rarely spoke and most of the time they conducted their vigil in silence.

"Are you alright, Lena?" Fred asked, breaking a silence that had lasted more than an hour. The girl was quick to nod, a little too enthusiastic to be convincing. This time, her best friend would not accept a lie. "You've got your fists clenched, you have done for a while now. Like you're in pain."

Selena looked to her hands, white and bloodless from the force she was holding them together. "It's been worse."

It was the most concession the girl would make, but it did nothing to reassure her companions. In fact, Fred seemed to pale even further. Teddy, on the other hand, was lost in thought. He had had an idea, a mad one, but one that just might ease his sister's suffering.

"Lena, why don't we open the shutters?" Teddy watched his sister's expression turn from pained to incredulous. He may as well have offered to stab her in the heart.

"Teddy, if we open the shutters, I'm going to change." Lena's voice was almost silent, so much so that her brother had to strain to hear. "That's what we've gone to all this trouble to stop!"

"But Lena, if you don't change, you're going to stay in pain anyway." Teddy argued. "At least this way you might not hurt anymore."

"And what if a prefect comes patrolling and I'm howling at the moon?" Selena was almost delirious at the prospect of revealing her secret. She could not understand how her twin did not understand the extent of danger they would face. "What if I hurt you?"

"But you said it yourself, Lena." Fred chipped in, remembering the day they had reunited. He tried not to think of it too much, ashamed at how he had cast his friend aside, but the memory was as fresh in his mind now as the day it was spoken. "That wolf would still be you. And if you don't want to hurt us, why would it?"

The girl looked from one boy to the other, searching their expression for doubts she could use to argue against them. Almost impossibly, she could not find any. They both looked confident in their plan. 'I never realised they trusted me so much.' she thought. Even as her heart pounded in her chest, she could not help but smile a little.

"Are you sure about this?" Selena pressed, a final attempt to change their minds. The two boys nodded.

"It'll be okay, Lena, I promise." Teddy professed, leaning forward to hug his sister. Over her brother's shoulder, Selena could see Fred smiling encouragingly from where he stood at the window, one hand rested on the shutters.

When she had her friend and her brother close, the girl felt infinitely safe, but the moment they stepped away from her, she could feel the panic rise in her heart, almost overwhelming in its intensity. Every sinew in her body was crying out for her to run, to find a darkened room with no shutters to open. But Selena would not allow herself to be bullied by her own mind. 'I'm stronger than that. I can do this.'

And so the shutters were thrown open, and Selena bit her lip bloody at the pain. The light burned white, spreading across her skin like molten metal, encasing her in an agony she could not escape from. She could not even find the strength to scream.

Teddy and Fred watched from the window, horrified, as Selena began to change. Claws sprouted from her fingertips, her pale skin turning to chestnut fur. Her clothes had fallen in tatters to the ground beneath her, the only evidence of the girl the wolf had once been.

"Lena?" Teddy asked tentatively, holding his hands out gently as he approached her. He did not know quite what he had expected. Perhaps his sister would embrace him, or perhaps she would run. He had never expected her to growl at him, her eyes black and cold.

Teddy's heart dropped in his chest. Lena did not recognise him.

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