THE QUEEN OF MY HEART

Dedication: To Ruatha Oakenhelm. She inspired me to write about the Mauranderers. Read her story "Die for you". It only has a few chapters so far, but it's awfully good.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for Madam Epdac.

Chapter Two: The Transformation

Remus stared at Lily, completely aware of the fact that she had just saved his life. He desperately wanted to get up and flee the embarrassing scene, but his limbs were not getting the message. It was like the connection between his brain and his muscles was severed. He was unable to move in the slightest.

"Remus," Lily began, pushing some red hair from her face, "I hate to be rude, but would you mind getting off me."

"I'll try," Remus mumbled.

This time, his limbs did move. He quickly climbed off of Lily and stood up. Lily sat up and stared at him. Remus held out his hand and helped her up.

"What on earth were you doing hanging out that door?" Lily asked, once on her feet.

"Air!" Remus blurted. "The air wanted me. I mean, I wanted the air. I..needed air to breath."

Lily just looked at him, quite bemused.

"Oh," she said. "Air. I got it."

Remus felt like kicking himself. He felt so stupid and he was almost sure he was blushing. Lily had to think he was a brainless git.

"I suppose I ought to get back to my friends," Lily told him.

"Good," he began, "that sounds good. It's nice to have friends."

Lily nodded as she turned and headed down the corridor. Once Lily had gone into her compartment, Remus banged his head against the wall.

He was so distressed about what Lily must think about him that he nearly forgot his symptoms. It was when he puked off the train that he remembered his condition.

Remus went back to the compartment and sat down. He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh, and lay his head back. Peter, Sirius, and James eyed him.

"I've never seen someone who was so many different colors at once," James commented.

"Your cheeks are pink," Sirius told him.

"Your jaw and temples are a shade of green," Peter added.

"Your chin and forehead are almost white," James explained. "And you have dark circles under your eyes."

Thanks for the description," Remus complained, not wanting to know how horrible he looked in front of Lily.

"Feeling any better?" Peter asked.

"Not in the least," Remus groaned.

Sunset fell over the train. Remus' cramps were getting worse by the minute and he had the beginnings of a beard growing. Sure that the train would stop soon, the guys quickly put on their robes. Remus had old and tattered ones, like he did every year. His mother only got him new ones when the older ones were too torn to wear. If she got him new robes, he would just ruin them.

The train pulled into Hogsmede Station. Sirius pulled an old cloak with a hood out of his trunk and put it on Remus. He was now mostly covered in hair.

"There," Sirius began, "just keep your head down and it'll be alright."

James glanced into the hall and made sure that it was mostly clear before he and Sirius helped Remus out of the compartment. Peter pulled a couple of chests behind him. As they got off the train, Remus cringed in pain, holding his sides.

"I'll take him the rest of the way to the carriages," James offered to Sirius. "You get the other trunks."

"Alright," Sirius agreed, letting go of Remus and getting back on the train.

Remus stared at the ground, trying his best to hide his transformation. He began to hunch over, unable to hold himself upright. James kept his arm around Remus to help him walk, even though it was straining to keep him standing. Finally, they got to the carriage. Remus climbed weakly into the carriage as James helped Peter with the trunks. Remus got on one of the seats and lay down. The sharp pains in his sides seemed to fuse his body in a bent-over position.

Sirius, James, and Peter got into the carriage. They all squeeze in on the other side of Remus and watched him cautiously.

"What are we going to do?" Peter whined.

"We can let him off before we leave Hogsmede," James suggested.

Remus was in so much pain that he clung to the cushion with his now sharp teeth and kicked his shortening legs furiously. He wheezed and whined and moaned. Sirius stared out the window.

"There's the Streaking Shack," he pointed out.

James leaned forward and unlatched the door. With no hesitation, Remus leapt out of the door and scurried toward the large, broken-down house. It was in desperate need of repairs. The wooden fence had missing slats and holes on it. Remus ran, on all fours, through on of the holes and up to an old window without glass. Remus jumped through. Inside, Remus found comfort. Since he started school at Hogwarts, he had spent many hours in that house. It was apparent. The furniture was torn and broken and the walls were covered in scratch marks.

Remus crawled up the stairs to a bedroom with a canopy bed and climbed on to it. He panted, looking across from him at a full-length mirror on the wall. He stared at the pathetic sight he could see in the reflection. It was an tired-looking and skinny, grey wolf.

Consumed by the sorrow of seeing himself again as a werewolf, Remus broke out in an undescribable rage. His eyes turned a blazing yellow as he snarled at his horrid reflection. Remus leapt from the bed and crashed right into the mirror. He furiously smashed every piece of glass large enough to see himself in, ignoring the many cuts gained from the task. Not being able to see himself did not cure his anger. It seemed to have fed it. Quite distressed and masochistic, Remus began tearing at his own skin, hoping that somehow he could reveal his true self under the wolf's fur. It was no use.

Remus lay still on the broken glass and howled loudly and dismally.