MUAHAHA!! The long awaited chapter three!! (I has a little worried it
wouldn't come! ^.^;)*does a jig* learn what freaked out Draco, and watch as
my plot starts to unfold!! I don't know why it took so long to put it up,
I actually finished it a month ago X_x And REVIEW!! *cry's when you
don't* It gives me motivation people!
Take a breath...
...Your life is changing.
Chapter three:
People at the castle were completely unaware of anything unusual happening outside, as they were either finishing up their dinner or relaxing in their common rooms. Professor McGonagall, who knew some students were out-side, could have been suspicious of things, had forgotten about the three boys while she was caught up in her work.
There were four people outside on the castle grounds on this particular night, and all of them were screaming, three of them in terror and one in pain. Remus was changing. Harry, Ron and Draco, too scared to run past him towards the castle, ran straight into the forest. As Remus finished his transformation into a werewolf, all of his memories left him as he caught the sent of human flesh. The screaming had stopped, but Remus could sense where all three boys were. The werewolf could smell his targets moving apart. Just then, a quick yell from Draco was heard, and the werewolf set off, stalking him, sensing weakness.
Somewhere in the forest Draco had tripped. Ron and Harry had been separated from him a while back. He rolled onto his back, trying to get up, when he noticed two gleaming eyes out of the darkness.
"No," he whimpered. He lay, frozen, in the spot where he had fallen, as his biggest fear approached him. With a deep growl, the werewolf launched himself at Draco. The boy held up his leg to deflect the attack, but the werewolf swiftly swerved out of his way, and sunk its hungry jaws into the side of his calf. Draco screamed loudly in pain, hoping that someone would hear him and come to his aid.
The werewolf was now trying to pull his leg off. Draco came out of his stupor, took out his wand, and pointed it at the werewolf saying incantation that shot fire at the animal's face. The werewolf Remus let go of Draco's leg and whimpered in pain, pawing at its face. Draco stood up as fast as he could, but the pain was so bad he thought he'd die just standing up, but somehow he managed to start running. He could hear the werewolf cease whimpering somewhere behind him. 'I'm going to die!' he thought, terrified. Just then, he ran into something that fell back as he did.
"Malfoy?" it whispered frantically.
"Weasley?" Draco whispered back. Harry was with him. In the darkness, Draco could barely make out their outlines.
"He's back there!" Draco said, pointing in fear behind him, and they all started running again. They could hear the werewolf closing in on them. They had all given up hope of coming out of this alive when they fell off the edge of a very large cliff and darkness over-took them.
~`~`~
Hermione, although informed of Harry and Ron's detention, was angry that Harry and Ron didn't meet her in front of the Great Hall like they had planned. With the knowledge that they might be in detention, she went to eat dinner and then went back to the common room to study up on the classes they had in the next week, as they had arrived at school on Thursday night. She really didn't worry about the two boys as she read new and interesting things about the plants and new potions they were going to study in class soon. She knew whatever they were doing they'd be fine. Though she did have a few worried thoughts of them, last time they had detention with Draco, they had seen the Dark Lord.
It wasn't till she headed up the stairs to her dormirory later that night that she started wondering when they'd be back, but reading in the dim light of the common room had made her more tired then she thought it would, and all she could think of was her bed. She sank into it and almost instantaneously fell asleep.
****
Harry could feel the morning sun on the back of his eyelids, but he didn't want to open them. He tried to recall what he had been doing to make his head hurt so much. He remembered serving his detention, planting trees, and seeing Remus... wait! His hand suddenly clasped around a bunch of leaves, and his eyes opened. He saw the sky above him and treetops framing it. He sat up and held his throbbing head, trying to gather his thoughts together. He wheeled around wildly to see what had become of everyone. His eyes first landed on Draco, who was on his left, covered in leaves like he'd been lying there all autumn, and to his right lay the naked figure of Remus who was face down and covered in leaves, right behind him was Ron.
Harry got up, pushed all the leaves off him-self, and ran to Ron's side. Harry shook him hard on the shoulder. "Ron... Ron!"
Ron's eyes flew open and he sat up. "Whoa," he said as he looked around a bit before remembering where they were, and why. He got up as well brushed the leaves off, looking up. They had fallen off some sort of ledge, on the opposite side of which was a hill. It looked like someone had cut out a wedge out of the earth. The trees in the wedge were scarce but the canopy was still very dense.
Ron looked down and around him, and he spotted Remus and Draco. Harry had started to walk toward Remus, taking his school robes off in order to cover the older man. Ron walked over to where Draco lay to make sure that he'd have an edge on him if he woke up. But as Ron walked closer to Draco's unconscious body he noticed something. There was blood, and lots of it, all over the leaves and robes around his right leg.
"Uh, Harry? You might want to see this."
Harry, having covered up Remus, sprinted over to Ron, "what?" he asked Ron pointed to Draco's leg and Harry unexpectedly knelt down beside his body, Draco's hair had gone very astray.
"Oh my god, Harry, I think he's going to be a werewolf!" Ron gasped.
Harry, putting aside his feelings of hatred for Draco, bent over his leg to see if there was anything he could do to help him. There was blood everywhere, all over his robes and the leaves around it. Harry wasn't sure what he should do. Why ooooh why couldn't they have just ran into Hagrids cabin? At least this way remus wasn't prowling around the grounds, he might have injured more people this way.
"What are you doing, Harry?" came Ron's soft and confused voice from over Harry's shoulder.
"I want to make sure he's all right," Harry said. He moved his right hand under Draco's nose to see if he was breathing. He was, but lightly, very lightly.
Ron was silent, even though he refused to help Draco, he could understand that Harry was just the kind of person that would help anyone, if they really needed it. This situation was just too awkward for him to pipe in as he usually did.
Harry tilted Draco's head back with his left hand. He had learned a bit about health in his old Muggle school and knew this would help Draco breathe better. Out of the blue Harry got a strange sense of déjà vu. But before he could think of exactly why, Draco's eyes snapped open. They didn't stay open, though before Harry could say anything he had passed out again.
"I guess he's alive," Ron said, stating the obvious. There was a slight hint of disappointment in his voice too. Harry suppressed a smirk, even though Draco had came out of this probably the worst of them all, Harry didn't feel too sorry for him. It was going to be bad for both Draco and Remus, but Harry thought this would teach Draco a lesson he'd probably never get in normal conditions.
Harry now moved down to Draco's battered leg and ripped apart the other boy's robes to form a bandage. He was rich, so it didn't matter to Harry that Draco's robes were now ruined beyond repair. Though the wound had been bleeding quite a bit over the night, Harry took a chance that it might still do some good to bandage it. When he was finished, he stood up and looked around at where they had fallen, and tried to think about how they would get out. Ron had started to wonder the same thing.
"Kind of a tight spot were in, don't you think, Harry," Ron said.
"I imagine Draco's will be worse."
"Ha ha, I'll bet you're right. So how do you propose we get out of here? Maybe drag them up the hill?" He pointed to the slop of the wedge in the earth.
"You must be joking Ron! Tha--" But before Harry could finish what he was saying they heard something that sounded awfully like yelling. He hushed Ron. They waited a while in silence, and then they could hear the shouting of presumably frantic teachers searching for them.
****
It had been a long hike back to the castle. Harry hadn't realized how far they had gone, he was dazed the whole way, must have been the fall. But they were now safely in the hospital wing. Hagrid had found them and called to the other teachers. Just about every teacher was out there, looking for them. Madam Pomfrey was expertly tending to Draco now. She had neglected to pull curtains around his bed, and Harry and Ron could see how bad the wound on Draco's leg was. It was bad, really bad. It made Ron sick to look at it and even worse to think Harry had touched it.
Teachers all crowded around the two beds occupying Draco and Remus. Their beds were across the room from Ron and Harry, and next to each other. Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and even Flitwick were standing around them, talking frantically a midst themselves with Madam Pomfrey. It seemed that no matter what the teachers said, Draco was most defiantly going to end up being a werewolf. Remus' collarbone had broken, and he lay in the other bed under the covers. Though Ron and Harry were in generally good health, they were forced to eat some chocolate and rest awhile in the hospital wing. There had been no sign of Hermione yet, maybe she hadn't heard the news, or perhaps she didn't know they were back yet.
Harry and Ron were talking to each other in hushed voices, when suddenly Dumbledore approached them. He looked at them with very mellow look. "How are you two boys?" He asked, in a soft gentle voice.
"Fine," they said in unison. "Must ask you though, why couldn't you have gone to get Hagrid?" Dumbledore asked, looking at both of them.
"Well," Harry began, knowing anything he said wouldn't help his situation at all, "If remus hadn't chased us into the forest he could have attacked more people."
The head masters took on a serious look, "Hagrid is much more capable of taking on a full fledged werewolf then any of you are. You three could have been killed..." The two said nothing. "I guess its understandable, its hard to think clearly when you are so afraid,"
Harrys insides started to turn around inside, he felt bad, all this could have been avoided if he had just gone to get Hagrid.
Dumbledore's hard expression became a pensive one. "You know it was hard trying to keep Remus here when he was a boy," he started, the boys staring intently at him. "We had to make so many excuses so his classmates wouldn't find out." Harry and Ron weren't sure they knew where this was going. "And it was so much easier for him, and the staff, that no one knew." Dumbledore glanced toward Remus' bed and gave another smile. "I know both of your feelings for Mr. Malfoy are, well, unenthusiastic, to say the least" Ron snorted. "I have already sent an owl to the Ministry of Magic telling them, in a toned down version, what happened."
Harry's eyes went wide. "But Prof--"
"The staff has decided it would be best to cast a memory charm on the both of you, for yours and Draco's sake." They stared at him, mouths open. The look on Dumbledores face grew very distant now.
"But--" Harry tried once more, but Dumbledore interrupted him again.
"Its not up to you to decide Harry, I'm sorry." The genuine look of misery on the old man's face made Harry change his mind about arguing. "What about Remus," he said instead.
"Oh..." Dumbledore looked gravely back to the unconscious, now crippled man. "I'm not too sure, the Ministry's very hard on werewolf attacks, but I'll do what I can. He doesn't deserve more then he has already..." There was a long pause, Dumbledore was looking around at Madam Pomfrey. Harry wondered if he should say something, but before he did, Dumbledore pulled out his wand. He looked at it with a very solemn look and said, "Once again, I'm very sorry." He looked to Harry and Ron now, they didn't look afraid, rather, just waiting to accept what was to come. "It won't hurt, I assure you, and afterwards you may go back to your common room," He adopted a small smile. "I'm sure Miss Granger will be wondering where you are by the time you get back to Gryffindor Tower." He raised his wand to Harry's head first.
~`~`~
Harry and Ron made it back to the common room somehow, and said the password to open the door somehow. The memory charm had made them very dazed and confused. As soon as they had stepped inside, Hermione was up and hugging the two of them around their necks. "Oh my god, I was a little worried when you didn't come back last night! I had no idea you were in trouble, what happened?" she asked backing away from them and looking at them intently.
"I couldn't find my socks! They were right there and then they ran off!" Ron half-yelled. Hermione stared at him in surprise and confusion. She looked to Harry for an answer.
"We had memory charms," he said slowly.
Hermione's eyes went wide, she almost asked why but she reminded herself that it would be pointless. "How is it that your not affected by the side affects of the charm as much as Ron?" she said, giving an awkward glance to Ron, who was now looking all around the common room for his socks.
"I don't know," he said airily, with a slight frown. "I'm tired though, maybe it has something to do with my ability to repel the Imperius curse?"
"Maybe," Hermione said, putting the idea in the back of her head to research later. "But can you remember anything about last night?"
"A bit..." He said slowly as if remembering took a lot of effort. "Only that we were running into the woods for some reason and then we fell. The rest is blank."
"Oh, Harry, Ron... I can't believe that--"
"THERE THEY ARE!" Ron yelled looking down at his feet.
****
A couple members of the Ministry arrived, and Dumbledore led them into the hospital wing.
"Here," he said, as he pulled back Draco's curtain. Remus didn't have one.
"Hmm," said one man.
"Where is Cornelius today?" Dumbledore asked raising an eyebrow.
"Busy," said the other man simply.
The two members of the Ministry started talking avidly about werewolf laws and such. They wanted to put Remus in Azkaban, but Dumbledore had managed to talk them out of the idea. They were discussing another punishment when suddenly Draco awoke.
He looked around at the trio fervently, and then down at his leg, because it felt like it was melting. He screamed and threw his pillow at it, and buried his head in his arms. Dumbledore moved to calm him. The racket made Remus stir in his sleep.
"Draco!" Dumbledore said loudly but soothingly, putting his hand on the boy's protruding elbow. "I am so sorry," he said at Draco's crossed arms. "There's nothing we can do, you'll have to live as a werewolf from now on, unless a permanent cure is found..."
"No..." came a soft voice from the other occupied bed. The Headmaster turned to face Remus, who was sitting up now. Wide-eyed and pale, he whispered the word again as every thing swirled before his eyes. His worst nightmare had come true. And under Draco's folded arms, for the first time in eight years, he was crying.
***End of chapter 3
*Gasp* after I got through the hard part (writing/typing when they wake up in the forest), it was very compelling to keep going. It's a bit longer then the other ones, but that's okay. Be sure to r/r!!
Take a breath...
...Your life is changing.
Chapter three:
People at the castle were completely unaware of anything unusual happening outside, as they were either finishing up their dinner or relaxing in their common rooms. Professor McGonagall, who knew some students were out-side, could have been suspicious of things, had forgotten about the three boys while she was caught up in her work.
There were four people outside on the castle grounds on this particular night, and all of them were screaming, three of them in terror and one in pain. Remus was changing. Harry, Ron and Draco, too scared to run past him towards the castle, ran straight into the forest. As Remus finished his transformation into a werewolf, all of his memories left him as he caught the sent of human flesh. The screaming had stopped, but Remus could sense where all three boys were. The werewolf could smell his targets moving apart. Just then, a quick yell from Draco was heard, and the werewolf set off, stalking him, sensing weakness.
Somewhere in the forest Draco had tripped. Ron and Harry had been separated from him a while back. He rolled onto his back, trying to get up, when he noticed two gleaming eyes out of the darkness.
"No," he whimpered. He lay, frozen, in the spot where he had fallen, as his biggest fear approached him. With a deep growl, the werewolf launched himself at Draco. The boy held up his leg to deflect the attack, but the werewolf swiftly swerved out of his way, and sunk its hungry jaws into the side of his calf. Draco screamed loudly in pain, hoping that someone would hear him and come to his aid.
The werewolf was now trying to pull his leg off. Draco came out of his stupor, took out his wand, and pointed it at the werewolf saying incantation that shot fire at the animal's face. The werewolf Remus let go of Draco's leg and whimpered in pain, pawing at its face. Draco stood up as fast as he could, but the pain was so bad he thought he'd die just standing up, but somehow he managed to start running. He could hear the werewolf cease whimpering somewhere behind him. 'I'm going to die!' he thought, terrified. Just then, he ran into something that fell back as he did.
"Malfoy?" it whispered frantically.
"Weasley?" Draco whispered back. Harry was with him. In the darkness, Draco could barely make out their outlines.
"He's back there!" Draco said, pointing in fear behind him, and they all started running again. They could hear the werewolf closing in on them. They had all given up hope of coming out of this alive when they fell off the edge of a very large cliff and darkness over-took them.
~`~`~
Hermione, although informed of Harry and Ron's detention, was angry that Harry and Ron didn't meet her in front of the Great Hall like they had planned. With the knowledge that they might be in detention, she went to eat dinner and then went back to the common room to study up on the classes they had in the next week, as they had arrived at school on Thursday night. She really didn't worry about the two boys as she read new and interesting things about the plants and new potions they were going to study in class soon. She knew whatever they were doing they'd be fine. Though she did have a few worried thoughts of them, last time they had detention with Draco, they had seen the Dark Lord.
It wasn't till she headed up the stairs to her dormirory later that night that she started wondering when they'd be back, but reading in the dim light of the common room had made her more tired then she thought it would, and all she could think of was her bed. She sank into it and almost instantaneously fell asleep.
****
Harry could feel the morning sun on the back of his eyelids, but he didn't want to open them. He tried to recall what he had been doing to make his head hurt so much. He remembered serving his detention, planting trees, and seeing Remus... wait! His hand suddenly clasped around a bunch of leaves, and his eyes opened. He saw the sky above him and treetops framing it. He sat up and held his throbbing head, trying to gather his thoughts together. He wheeled around wildly to see what had become of everyone. His eyes first landed on Draco, who was on his left, covered in leaves like he'd been lying there all autumn, and to his right lay the naked figure of Remus who was face down and covered in leaves, right behind him was Ron.
Harry got up, pushed all the leaves off him-self, and ran to Ron's side. Harry shook him hard on the shoulder. "Ron... Ron!"
Ron's eyes flew open and he sat up. "Whoa," he said as he looked around a bit before remembering where they were, and why. He got up as well brushed the leaves off, looking up. They had fallen off some sort of ledge, on the opposite side of which was a hill. It looked like someone had cut out a wedge out of the earth. The trees in the wedge were scarce but the canopy was still very dense.
Ron looked down and around him, and he spotted Remus and Draco. Harry had started to walk toward Remus, taking his school robes off in order to cover the older man. Ron walked over to where Draco lay to make sure that he'd have an edge on him if he woke up. But as Ron walked closer to Draco's unconscious body he noticed something. There was blood, and lots of it, all over the leaves and robes around his right leg.
"Uh, Harry? You might want to see this."
Harry, having covered up Remus, sprinted over to Ron, "what?" he asked Ron pointed to Draco's leg and Harry unexpectedly knelt down beside his body, Draco's hair had gone very astray.
"Oh my god, Harry, I think he's going to be a werewolf!" Ron gasped.
Harry, putting aside his feelings of hatred for Draco, bent over his leg to see if there was anything he could do to help him. There was blood everywhere, all over his robes and the leaves around it. Harry wasn't sure what he should do. Why ooooh why couldn't they have just ran into Hagrids cabin? At least this way remus wasn't prowling around the grounds, he might have injured more people this way.
"What are you doing, Harry?" came Ron's soft and confused voice from over Harry's shoulder.
"I want to make sure he's all right," Harry said. He moved his right hand under Draco's nose to see if he was breathing. He was, but lightly, very lightly.
Ron was silent, even though he refused to help Draco, he could understand that Harry was just the kind of person that would help anyone, if they really needed it. This situation was just too awkward for him to pipe in as he usually did.
Harry tilted Draco's head back with his left hand. He had learned a bit about health in his old Muggle school and knew this would help Draco breathe better. Out of the blue Harry got a strange sense of déjà vu. But before he could think of exactly why, Draco's eyes snapped open. They didn't stay open, though before Harry could say anything he had passed out again.
"I guess he's alive," Ron said, stating the obvious. There was a slight hint of disappointment in his voice too. Harry suppressed a smirk, even though Draco had came out of this probably the worst of them all, Harry didn't feel too sorry for him. It was going to be bad for both Draco and Remus, but Harry thought this would teach Draco a lesson he'd probably never get in normal conditions.
Harry now moved down to Draco's battered leg and ripped apart the other boy's robes to form a bandage. He was rich, so it didn't matter to Harry that Draco's robes were now ruined beyond repair. Though the wound had been bleeding quite a bit over the night, Harry took a chance that it might still do some good to bandage it. When he was finished, he stood up and looked around at where they had fallen, and tried to think about how they would get out. Ron had started to wonder the same thing.
"Kind of a tight spot were in, don't you think, Harry," Ron said.
"I imagine Draco's will be worse."
"Ha ha, I'll bet you're right. So how do you propose we get out of here? Maybe drag them up the hill?" He pointed to the slop of the wedge in the earth.
"You must be joking Ron! Tha--" But before Harry could finish what he was saying they heard something that sounded awfully like yelling. He hushed Ron. They waited a while in silence, and then they could hear the shouting of presumably frantic teachers searching for them.
****
It had been a long hike back to the castle. Harry hadn't realized how far they had gone, he was dazed the whole way, must have been the fall. But they were now safely in the hospital wing. Hagrid had found them and called to the other teachers. Just about every teacher was out there, looking for them. Madam Pomfrey was expertly tending to Draco now. She had neglected to pull curtains around his bed, and Harry and Ron could see how bad the wound on Draco's leg was. It was bad, really bad. It made Ron sick to look at it and even worse to think Harry had touched it.
Teachers all crowded around the two beds occupying Draco and Remus. Their beds were across the room from Ron and Harry, and next to each other. Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and even Flitwick were standing around them, talking frantically a midst themselves with Madam Pomfrey. It seemed that no matter what the teachers said, Draco was most defiantly going to end up being a werewolf. Remus' collarbone had broken, and he lay in the other bed under the covers. Though Ron and Harry were in generally good health, they were forced to eat some chocolate and rest awhile in the hospital wing. There had been no sign of Hermione yet, maybe she hadn't heard the news, or perhaps she didn't know they were back yet.
Harry and Ron were talking to each other in hushed voices, when suddenly Dumbledore approached them. He looked at them with very mellow look. "How are you two boys?" He asked, in a soft gentle voice.
"Fine," they said in unison. "Must ask you though, why couldn't you have gone to get Hagrid?" Dumbledore asked, looking at both of them.
"Well," Harry began, knowing anything he said wouldn't help his situation at all, "If remus hadn't chased us into the forest he could have attacked more people."
The head masters took on a serious look, "Hagrid is much more capable of taking on a full fledged werewolf then any of you are. You three could have been killed..." The two said nothing. "I guess its understandable, its hard to think clearly when you are so afraid,"
Harrys insides started to turn around inside, he felt bad, all this could have been avoided if he had just gone to get Hagrid.
Dumbledore's hard expression became a pensive one. "You know it was hard trying to keep Remus here when he was a boy," he started, the boys staring intently at him. "We had to make so many excuses so his classmates wouldn't find out." Harry and Ron weren't sure they knew where this was going. "And it was so much easier for him, and the staff, that no one knew." Dumbledore glanced toward Remus' bed and gave another smile. "I know both of your feelings for Mr. Malfoy are, well, unenthusiastic, to say the least" Ron snorted. "I have already sent an owl to the Ministry of Magic telling them, in a toned down version, what happened."
Harry's eyes went wide. "But Prof--"
"The staff has decided it would be best to cast a memory charm on the both of you, for yours and Draco's sake." They stared at him, mouths open. The look on Dumbledores face grew very distant now.
"But--" Harry tried once more, but Dumbledore interrupted him again.
"Its not up to you to decide Harry, I'm sorry." The genuine look of misery on the old man's face made Harry change his mind about arguing. "What about Remus," he said instead.
"Oh..." Dumbledore looked gravely back to the unconscious, now crippled man. "I'm not too sure, the Ministry's very hard on werewolf attacks, but I'll do what I can. He doesn't deserve more then he has already..." There was a long pause, Dumbledore was looking around at Madam Pomfrey. Harry wondered if he should say something, but before he did, Dumbledore pulled out his wand. He looked at it with a very solemn look and said, "Once again, I'm very sorry." He looked to Harry and Ron now, they didn't look afraid, rather, just waiting to accept what was to come. "It won't hurt, I assure you, and afterwards you may go back to your common room," He adopted a small smile. "I'm sure Miss Granger will be wondering where you are by the time you get back to Gryffindor Tower." He raised his wand to Harry's head first.
~`~`~
Harry and Ron made it back to the common room somehow, and said the password to open the door somehow. The memory charm had made them very dazed and confused. As soon as they had stepped inside, Hermione was up and hugging the two of them around their necks. "Oh my god, I was a little worried when you didn't come back last night! I had no idea you were in trouble, what happened?" she asked backing away from them and looking at them intently.
"I couldn't find my socks! They were right there and then they ran off!" Ron half-yelled. Hermione stared at him in surprise and confusion. She looked to Harry for an answer.
"We had memory charms," he said slowly.
Hermione's eyes went wide, she almost asked why but she reminded herself that it would be pointless. "How is it that your not affected by the side affects of the charm as much as Ron?" she said, giving an awkward glance to Ron, who was now looking all around the common room for his socks.
"I don't know," he said airily, with a slight frown. "I'm tired though, maybe it has something to do with my ability to repel the Imperius curse?"
"Maybe," Hermione said, putting the idea in the back of her head to research later. "But can you remember anything about last night?"
"A bit..." He said slowly as if remembering took a lot of effort. "Only that we were running into the woods for some reason and then we fell. The rest is blank."
"Oh, Harry, Ron... I can't believe that--"
"THERE THEY ARE!" Ron yelled looking down at his feet.
****
A couple members of the Ministry arrived, and Dumbledore led them into the hospital wing.
"Here," he said, as he pulled back Draco's curtain. Remus didn't have one.
"Hmm," said one man.
"Where is Cornelius today?" Dumbledore asked raising an eyebrow.
"Busy," said the other man simply.
The two members of the Ministry started talking avidly about werewolf laws and such. They wanted to put Remus in Azkaban, but Dumbledore had managed to talk them out of the idea. They were discussing another punishment when suddenly Draco awoke.
He looked around at the trio fervently, and then down at his leg, because it felt like it was melting. He screamed and threw his pillow at it, and buried his head in his arms. Dumbledore moved to calm him. The racket made Remus stir in his sleep.
"Draco!" Dumbledore said loudly but soothingly, putting his hand on the boy's protruding elbow. "I am so sorry," he said at Draco's crossed arms. "There's nothing we can do, you'll have to live as a werewolf from now on, unless a permanent cure is found..."
"No..." came a soft voice from the other occupied bed. The Headmaster turned to face Remus, who was sitting up now. Wide-eyed and pale, he whispered the word again as every thing swirled before his eyes. His worst nightmare had come true. And under Draco's folded arms, for the first time in eight years, he was crying.
***End of chapter 3
*Gasp* after I got through the hard part (writing/typing when they wake up in the forest), it was very compelling to keep going. It's a bit longer then the other ones, but that's okay. Be sure to r/r!!