Teddy prowled the small hospital room, irritated by the smells and unable to escape. The window had several protection spells on it that had ignored his insistent battering. Instead, he could only snarl at the full moon overhead; its light a reminder that he had many more hours before he would be free of the wolf and the woman at the far end of the room. She unsettled the wolf and, if he was being honest, himself as well. Her frozen body stank of magic. Magic too heavy and unnatural to be anything but unsettling.
...
His leg was cut open and bleeding. It burned with blinding pain as the rite potion worked itself deeper into the wound. The wolf roared in him, ready to be free, to attack anyone who would dare do this to them. The full moon was nearly two weeks away but it felt like he was on the cusp of a transformation. He fought the wolf and the change with everything he had. He was sure that if he let either win it would eat his humanity whole.
...
"I can't do this. I can't do this. Just make it stop," Lilith whispered, her head pressed against his chest.
"It is over," he said as he rocked her. "Just a little longer. You were strong. Almost there."
She looked up at him and her brown eyes were dead. Claw marks appeared on her skin and blood oozed out to stain his hands.
He scrambled up away from her body. "Lilith! No..."
Someone grabbed his shoulder. He reflexively tried to arm-bar them, but they slipped out of his grasp. Teddy scrambled to his feet and came face-to-face with Hasan. Hasan's eyes gleamed bright with concern from his dark face. Teddy tried to calm his breathing and scanned the area for possible danger.
"You were talking in your sleep," Hasan whispered.
Teddy ran a sluggish hand through his hair. "Thanks."
Ever since they had been to Lilith's cottage, Teddy had had these recurring dreams (or maybe nightmares). They were just replays of old memories, with the odd splash of horror that his brain liked to mix in. He shook himself, trying to shake off the memories like a dog would shake off water.
They were staking out the same place as the night before. Teddy had lost their first lead in a while and they had no better options at the moment. They had taken refuge in the gardening shack again. So far, it was almost as quiet as his times in the Forbidden Forest.
Hasan nodded in response to Teddy's thanks. "You okay?" Hasan asked.
Teddy shrugged. "Old stuff."
It was a semi-regular occurrence for Hasan to wake Teddy up from a nightmare. The first one had actually been when they had barely met as student Aurors. Hasan hadn't asked much then. He had shrugged it off like it wasn't a big deal, just like he had tonight. That unspoken kindness might have the start of their friendship.
"I guess seeing the victim stirred it up," Teddy said honestly. Lilith probably was the reason he was getting them so frequently. He just avoided saying her name because none of the other Aurors had. Besides, saying her name would probably expose the anger that always roiling under the surface.
His nightmare still clung to him, steeping melancholy into his bones. He shivered, not looking forward to whatever other nightmares this night had in store. "In any case," Teddy said. "I can't sleep after that. How about I just start the next shift now?"
Hasan gave him another once-over and then agreed.. He pulled out his prayer mat in preparation for his night prayer. While Hasan performed the series of standing and kneeling poses that made up the rak'ah, Teddy gazed out at the darkness. As he stared, the nightmares tried to wrap themselves around him again.
Teddy ignored them and focused on the case. They had already discussed everything they had both found at Lilith's home. Hasan agreed with Teddy's theories for the most part. He had found the remnants of a redirection charm that explained why Lilith's body hadn't been found right away with the werewolves' sensitive noses.
"Did you know Jones and Collins are considered the top junior team?" Teddy asked quietly when Hasan lay down to sleep.
"So?"
"We are the top junior team."
"Arguably," Hasan said, irritating Teddy with his neutrality.
"Don't you find it insulting that Jones and Collins got pulled into this case?"
There was a pause in the darkness. "Don't spend so much of your energy worrying what everyone's opinions are. There are much more important things to be than the top team."
Teddy grunted. He didn't want philosophy. He just wanted to gripe about Harry and the rest of the Aurors. However, he got the hint and let Hasan fall asleep in peace.
