Caged - MalfoysChick
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The wildness in his eyes was terrifying. Simply and purely terrifying. As Ginny looked at the caged werewolf, she thought she saw a glint in his eyes of the almost normal person that Remu J. Lupin was when he was in human form. But then, as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone again. She sat across from the cage, and watched him pacing, almost as if he were looking for a way out.

Why washe caged? Ginny only knew that Lupin had asked for Dumbledore's confidence in a mission unbeknownst to most. Voldemort would end up calling upon all dark creatures for assistance in the war, and Lupin, Dumbledore and every other person who had sense in their minds knew it. So far, the trolls and the goblins has been called up, and were wreaking havoc upon the Muggles in small bits and pieces, nonetheless causing chaos within the ministry. Lupin did not want to end up losing control over himself during a full moon and help Voldemort, consciously or subconsciously. So he had asked for Dumbledore to cage him on every full moon, and assign him a keeper.

Ginny sighed, frustrated, knowing the only reason she had been assigned the job was because Ron wanted to keep her out of trouble. But how can you be fully out of trouble when you are in charge of a fully grown werewolf? It was nearly impossible. Ginny found herself studying Lupin in his animal form with a kind of interested awe. She took in his appearance, noting small things that were different from his human form. He looked younger, with sinewy muscle stretched over strong bone, his muzzle soft looking and not at all covered in the usual frothy saliva associated with wild beasts.

Suddenly, the werewolf turned from his pacing and looked right at Ginny, his ears cocked and his eyes... they were still the same light gray, soft and silvery with a weathered toughness that suggested he had lived through hard times. Ginny found herself becoming lost in those eyes, overjoyed by having them set upon her. They sent a tingle down the length of her body... and then a moaning sound filled the air. The wolf sat back on his haunches, threw back his head and howled a great howl, loud as a crash cymbal and mournful as a death day party.

Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see the intense pain upon the wolf's face, the horror reflected in his eyes. This was it, Ginny knew. This was his Calling. Lupin let another howl loose, and then began to pace his cage again, whining lightly. Every now and again he would stop and howl, a sad sound. It echoed around the chamber and affected Ginny in ways she could not understand. As she watched him with apprehension, Ginny hoped he would not do a single thing to his body.

But it was not to be. As soon as Ginny has finished her small prayer, she heard a large slam coming from the direction of the cell. Lupin had smashed his body into the bars, attempting to escape. After trying again several times, and not succeeding, he stopped, and began to scratch his muzzle. He scratched it bloody and raw, and then began to scratch his whole body, ears to toes. As Ginny watched, tears came to her eyes.

"Oh, please don't, Professor, please!" she pleaded with the wolf, as though he could understand her words.

"Please, Professor. You're hurting yourself!" she told him, coming up to the bars, wrapping her slender hands around them carefully. Lupin stopped for a second, and looked up at her curiously. Just as she thought he was going to resume scratching himself, the wolf snarled and snapped at her fingers, catching her right pinkie as she withdrew them with a small shriek of horror.

As Ginny looked down at her finger, the wolf let out another mournful howl. Ginny lifted up a trembling left arm, and gingerly pulled back her sleeve to look at her watch. With a sigh of relief, she noted that it was nearly dawn, and slumped back against the cool stone wall of the dungeon. After a few minutes rest, she got up from her slumped position, and walked over to a small curtained window. Pulling back the drapes, she noted that the sun was out, and that she would only have to wait for a few minutes for the rays to reach Lupin.

He stood in his cell, snarling and shrieking, and every now and then scratching himself. The sun was almost there.. almost there... Lupin slammed himself into the bars again. Ginny turned form the window to him, and watched him snarl at her. He began to use his sharp teeth to chew on his leg, and gnawed it over and over... The sun was within inches of his body; he shied away from it.. kept gnawing away. Ginny was appalled as she began to see bone.. And then the sunlight was upon his muzzle, on his teeth that glistened with blood, reflecting brightly in his eyes...

And then he transformed, his fore legs became human arms, his haunches human legs. Lupin's muzzle shrank into a Romanesque nose and a set of full lips.. His small chest grew into tight muscle, his hair returned to a light brownish gray. And Ginny's love was normal again.

Not that Lupin would ever know.

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