"Goodnight James..." Lily called as she walked down the hall to the girls'
bedroom later that night. James smiled, watching her walk away, then turned
around and closed Remus' bedroom door quietly behind him. Remus was turning
his bedsheets up, while Sirius and Peter were placing purple sleeping bags
strategically ont he floor around the bed. They were also complaining.
"Remus, why does James get the bed?" Sirius grumbled.
"Moony, why can't we just make your bed bigger?" Peter whined for the fifth time.
"Because Peter, that's magic, and we're not allowed to do magic on holiday!"
"It's not like anyone would find out..." Sirius grumbled, clambering into his sleeping bag.
"Guys..." James said quietly. Only Remus looked up.
"I mean really, its not like it would be *hurting* anyone," Sirius continued.
"Guys..." James spoke up louder. The three looked at him curiously.
"What's up Prongs?" Remus asked.
"What time do your parents get home tonight, Remus?" he asked.
"They won't be back until tomorrow, Father had business in town... why?"
"The sun is going down... which means the moon will be up soon... where are you going, Moony?"
"There's a room in the basement... chains and all... so I can't escape." Remus stopped for a minute; it was hard to talk about. "Why?"
"Tonight... tonight is the perfect night to try out our little... talents."
The four boys grinned.
Meanwhile, down the hall...
"Where shall we put you?" Annie murmured to herself, tugging on a stray curl.
"How about the basement?" Rhia suggested.
"No, Remus will be there." Annie replied.
"Well, we need to hurry." Lily nodded out the window to the sun hanging low in the sky.
"Are there any other places, Annie?" Rhia asked.
"Well...there are some chains in the woods. I tried to secretly keep a gnome for a pet but it bit." Annie explained sheepishly. "We could put you there."
"Great idea." Lily smiled.
"Come on, the sun is going fast." Rhia stood, walking down the stairs and going outside, nearly bumping into the boys as they did so.
"Remus!" Rhia cried. "I...I thought you were upstairs."
"No, we...were just going outside." Rhia stammered.
"For some fresh air." Lily added.
"Don't come with us!" Annie cried and the other girls gave her deadly glares.
"OK, we won't." James nodded the boys away and the girls resumed their trek outside.
"You nearly gave it away, Annie." Admonished Rhia.
"I know, I'm sorry." She hung her head.
"But Sirius was smiling at you." Lily said with a grin. Annie's head immediately snapped up.
"Really?" She said with a giggle.
"Honestly, Annie, don't get too worked up over him." Rhia advised, standing next to where the chains were.
"I'm not getting worked up!" she insisted.
"I know, I know, you're only...ah!" Rhia cried out as she fell to the forest floor, writhing in agony.
"Rhia!" Annie cried. The sun disappeared behind the second to last hill.
"Quick..." Rhia moaned, her voice raspy, her hair growing longer and shaggier.
"Get the chains on, Annie!" Lily ordered, snapping a tight shackle about Rhia's wrist. Annie nodded and reached down to grab a shackle. Rhia snatched her arm.
"Better hurry...or I'll eat you up." A terrible light shone in the girl's eyes, a terrible hungry light. Annie's own gray eyes widened and she shook as she clapped the shackle on her.
"Come away, Annie!" Lily grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the forest as Rhia howled and turned into a full-fledged beast, writhing and snapping at the chains that bound her.
"Are you sure they'll hold her?" Annie asked, shaking.
"Quite sure." Lily nodded, though her stomach was turning. "Come inside, I'll make some tea."
"Alright." Annie followed her inside the house and sat down to a cup of tea before bed.
~*~
"The sun's just about to rise." Prongs told his friends as they came over the hill. He wasn't sure how, but when they were all in their animal form, they were able to communicate quite easily.
"This was great!" Padfoot cried, jumping into a pile of snow. They had returned from a night out, accompanying Moony through his moonlight séance, and had roamed all over the little village, Peter slipping in through small holes when necessary and Sirius securing food by begging.
"We should bring some stuff to the Shrieking Shack." Wormtail suggested.
"Sounds like-" Moony stopped abruptly as they came upon a wolf, asleep in a pile of snow.
"What is that?" Wormtail asked.
"It's a wolf, obviously." Padfoot chided.
"Not just a wolf. A werewolf." Prongs added.
"A shewolf." Moony said softly as light filled the area and the sun came up, changing him back into Remus. The others transformed themselves back into humans as the shewolf became...Rhia.
"Oh, no..." James muttered, glancing at the look of horror on Remus' face. He heard voices behind him, and saw the girls were coming out to Rhia with a blanket and a steaming mug of cocoa. Remus was slowly advancing on Rhia though, not believing what he was seeing.
"Oh... what? What is this?" they heard him whisper. He bent down near Rhia, her clothes in bloody tatters, sleeping quite soundly. "Rhia... a werewolf?"
Just then, Lily and Annie bumped headlong into James, but he shushed them before they could speak a word. And there the five stood, watching Remus as he examined Rhia in awe. Slowly, as if feeling everyone's presence, she started to awaken.
"Lily?" she mumbled without opening her eyes. "Are you here yet?" She chanced one eye open a peek and screamed.
"Shhh, Rhia, its okay!" Remus comforted her, but she scrambled away from him as far as she could get, considering she was still chained.
"No! No, its not!" Her gaze turned to Lily and James. "You! You two promised to keep it a secret! And you, Annie, and Peter... and you Sirius! Of all people, I would think you would know when to keep a secret of mine!" She crawled away from them even more, tears brimming her eyes. "He... he wasn't supposed to know..."
"Rhiannon!" Remus shouted, and she fell silent. "When I tell you its okay, believe me."
"No, its not! Now you know... I'm a... a freak."
Remus chuckled. "Rhia... where do you think I go once a month?"
"I didn't even know you left," Rhia replied softly, averting her eyes.
"I do. I understand, Rhia... I'm, well... a 'freak' as well."
Rhia looked up at him. Since she had overheard the conversation on the train, she had tried to convince herself it wasn't true. "Oh, Remus!" she cried, falling into his arms.
"Remus!" Sirius shouted, taking a step closer. He turned. "You can't do this!"
"Do what, Sirius?"
"You know what, Moony! You know what the Wolf in you wants... you can't do this. Not to Rhia."
"Sirius...." Remus implored. Sirius held up his hands and walked back to the house, leaving everyone to stare in silence.
"Remus, why does James get the bed?" Sirius grumbled.
"Moony, why can't we just make your bed bigger?" Peter whined for the fifth time.
"Because Peter, that's magic, and we're not allowed to do magic on holiday!"
"It's not like anyone would find out..." Sirius grumbled, clambering into his sleeping bag.
"Guys..." James said quietly. Only Remus looked up.
"I mean really, its not like it would be *hurting* anyone," Sirius continued.
"Guys..." James spoke up louder. The three looked at him curiously.
"What's up Prongs?" Remus asked.
"What time do your parents get home tonight, Remus?" he asked.
"They won't be back until tomorrow, Father had business in town... why?"
"The sun is going down... which means the moon will be up soon... where are you going, Moony?"
"There's a room in the basement... chains and all... so I can't escape." Remus stopped for a minute; it was hard to talk about. "Why?"
"Tonight... tonight is the perfect night to try out our little... talents."
The four boys grinned.
Meanwhile, down the hall...
"Where shall we put you?" Annie murmured to herself, tugging on a stray curl.
"How about the basement?" Rhia suggested.
"No, Remus will be there." Annie replied.
"Well, we need to hurry." Lily nodded out the window to the sun hanging low in the sky.
"Are there any other places, Annie?" Rhia asked.
"Well...there are some chains in the woods. I tried to secretly keep a gnome for a pet but it bit." Annie explained sheepishly. "We could put you there."
"Great idea." Lily smiled.
"Come on, the sun is going fast." Rhia stood, walking down the stairs and going outside, nearly bumping into the boys as they did so.
"Remus!" Rhia cried. "I...I thought you were upstairs."
"No, we...were just going outside." Rhia stammered.
"For some fresh air." Lily added.
"Don't come with us!" Annie cried and the other girls gave her deadly glares.
"OK, we won't." James nodded the boys away and the girls resumed their trek outside.
"You nearly gave it away, Annie." Admonished Rhia.
"I know, I'm sorry." She hung her head.
"But Sirius was smiling at you." Lily said with a grin. Annie's head immediately snapped up.
"Really?" She said with a giggle.
"Honestly, Annie, don't get too worked up over him." Rhia advised, standing next to where the chains were.
"I'm not getting worked up!" she insisted.
"I know, I know, you're only...ah!" Rhia cried out as she fell to the forest floor, writhing in agony.
"Rhia!" Annie cried. The sun disappeared behind the second to last hill.
"Quick..." Rhia moaned, her voice raspy, her hair growing longer and shaggier.
"Get the chains on, Annie!" Lily ordered, snapping a tight shackle about Rhia's wrist. Annie nodded and reached down to grab a shackle. Rhia snatched her arm.
"Better hurry...or I'll eat you up." A terrible light shone in the girl's eyes, a terrible hungry light. Annie's own gray eyes widened and she shook as she clapped the shackle on her.
"Come away, Annie!" Lily grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the forest as Rhia howled and turned into a full-fledged beast, writhing and snapping at the chains that bound her.
"Are you sure they'll hold her?" Annie asked, shaking.
"Quite sure." Lily nodded, though her stomach was turning. "Come inside, I'll make some tea."
"Alright." Annie followed her inside the house and sat down to a cup of tea before bed.
~*~
"The sun's just about to rise." Prongs told his friends as they came over the hill. He wasn't sure how, but when they were all in their animal form, they were able to communicate quite easily.
"This was great!" Padfoot cried, jumping into a pile of snow. They had returned from a night out, accompanying Moony through his moonlight séance, and had roamed all over the little village, Peter slipping in through small holes when necessary and Sirius securing food by begging.
"We should bring some stuff to the Shrieking Shack." Wormtail suggested.
"Sounds like-" Moony stopped abruptly as they came upon a wolf, asleep in a pile of snow.
"What is that?" Wormtail asked.
"It's a wolf, obviously." Padfoot chided.
"Not just a wolf. A werewolf." Prongs added.
"A shewolf." Moony said softly as light filled the area and the sun came up, changing him back into Remus. The others transformed themselves back into humans as the shewolf became...Rhia.
"Oh, no..." James muttered, glancing at the look of horror on Remus' face. He heard voices behind him, and saw the girls were coming out to Rhia with a blanket and a steaming mug of cocoa. Remus was slowly advancing on Rhia though, not believing what he was seeing.
"Oh... what? What is this?" they heard him whisper. He bent down near Rhia, her clothes in bloody tatters, sleeping quite soundly. "Rhia... a werewolf?"
Just then, Lily and Annie bumped headlong into James, but he shushed them before they could speak a word. And there the five stood, watching Remus as he examined Rhia in awe. Slowly, as if feeling everyone's presence, she started to awaken.
"Lily?" she mumbled without opening her eyes. "Are you here yet?" She chanced one eye open a peek and screamed.
"Shhh, Rhia, its okay!" Remus comforted her, but she scrambled away from him as far as she could get, considering she was still chained.
"No! No, its not!" Her gaze turned to Lily and James. "You! You two promised to keep it a secret! And you, Annie, and Peter... and you Sirius! Of all people, I would think you would know when to keep a secret of mine!" She crawled away from them even more, tears brimming her eyes. "He... he wasn't supposed to know..."
"Rhiannon!" Remus shouted, and she fell silent. "When I tell you its okay, believe me."
"No, its not! Now you know... I'm a... a freak."
Remus chuckled. "Rhia... where do you think I go once a month?"
"I didn't even know you left," Rhia replied softly, averting her eyes.
"I do. I understand, Rhia... I'm, well... a 'freak' as well."
Rhia looked up at him. Since she had overheard the conversation on the train, she had tried to convince herself it wasn't true. "Oh, Remus!" she cried, falling into his arms.
"Remus!" Sirius shouted, taking a step closer. He turned. "You can't do this!"
"Do what, Sirius?"
"You know what, Moony! You know what the Wolf in you wants... you can't do this. Not to Rhia."
"Sirius...." Remus implored. Sirius held up his hands and walked back to the house, leaving everyone to stare in silence.