A/N: I don't own Harry Potter
This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Assignment #6 -Muggle Studies - Task #1 - Vacuuming Shoes:Write about finding something out about someone else.
Word Count: 940
The howling outside caused Narcissa Black to look out the window. She had been about to go to bed, but the howling stopped her. The full moon hung over the castle, casting shadows across the grounds. Her fingers touched the pendant around her neck. She could feel its warmth beneath her fingers. It was always warm on the full moon nights.
She knew the cry of a werewolf when she heard one. The wolf within her stirred. Her fingers gripped the pendant. Her nails digging into her palm The pendant was an ancient heirloom, something that promised to keep the wolf at bay.
It was a large piece of moonstone carved in the shape of the full moon. There was a rune carved into the back, and then painted with silver. The chain was also silver. It burned her skin when it touched it. She hated the pain from the pendant, but tolerated it because of what it kept her from doing. So far, it was working. She had not transformed since starting Hogwarts.
Now, with the cry of another wolf so close, she doubted the pendant would be able to protect her. It had been working so far tonight though. She turned from the window, slid into her bed and pulled the curtains closed, trying to pretend there wasn't another wolf out there. She could still hear the howls if she listened close enough. The wolf sounded lonely to her.
She slept fitfully, tossing and turning throughout the night. Dreams of running through the forest haunted her as she woke exhausted. Narcissa rose, dressed quickly, her fingers brushing against the pendant. It was now cold to the touch. It had protected her despite there being another wolf so close. She wondered where this new one had come from. It had to be a first year, someone who hadn't been here before. No wonder the new wolf was lonely!
That thought consumed her throughout the morning. She kept an eye on the first year Slytherins. None of them appeared to be exhausted as she felt. None of them were the other wolf. She sighed. It would have been so much easier to approach one of them. They would at least know her, know her name.
She could have stopped there. It wasn't someone from her house, so why worry about it? But Narcissa couldn't let the idea of the first year wolf go. Whoever it was had to be scared. They were away from home. For the first time, she knew in her heart she had to do something, something she wasn't being told to do. She made her decision that night, a few minutes before moon rise.
She slipped out of the castle, slid the pendant from her neck, and waited. The transformation was harsh. It hurt, it made her cry out in pain, in fear. This was only the second time she'd ever been allowed to transform. The first time had been an accident. No one had known she was a werewolf. She stilld didn't know why she was one.
No one in her family had been willing to explain it. So, instead, she was given the pendant. Told it would keep her secret from being discovered. Now, without it, she was the wolf.
Slowly, she explored her new form. Narcissa sniffed the air. She could smell him. She could tell from the scent the other wolf was a he! The whole world was different as a wolf. It was brighter in a way. She could smell things she'd never dreamed possible, hear things that she'd only ever imagined.
At that moment, Narcissa made two decisions. One, she loved this form, loved being a wolf. And two, she was never going to put that pendant back on. She could feel the wolf taking control of her.
Slowly, she let it. The wolf knew where the other was, and it would find him. Narcissa sat back in her own mind, feeling the wind on her fur. Soon, she was standing by the Whomping Willow. She wrinkled her nose, but sniffed around.
There, that knot smelled different than the wood surrounding it. She nudged it with her nose and suddenly a passage opened. The air filled with the scent of the other wolf. Narcissa yelped in excitement. She had found him!
She followed the passage to where it finally ended in a small shack. The other wolf was curled against the wall, whimpering, alone. Narcissa walked over. He stood, bared his fangs at her. She bared hers back. Slowly they sniffed each other, coming to realize that neither was an enemy. They lay against one another, sleeping until the sun rose.
Narcissa was first to wake. She glanced over at her sleeping companion. She recognized him from the Gryffindor table. He was the boy that hung out with her cousin, Sirius.
"Morning," she whispered, sitting up slowly. He stirred beside her.
"Who? Who are you?"
"I'm Narcissa, what's your name?"
"Remus. Wait... you're a..."
"Yes, I am. Same as you," Narcissa answered, giving him a smile.
"And you, kept me company last night?"
"Yes, I did. And I'll do the same tonight, and every month if you'd like?"
"I would, but, um, could you not tell my friends? Sirius will be a complete prat if you and me..."
"I wouldn't dream of it. We should get back to the castle. Separately."
"Right, I'll go first," Remus said, slipping from the shack. Narcissa waited a moment and followed. She knew Remus was young now, so was she at only thirteen, but she knew that her and Remus were meant to be.
