Chapter VIII - The Full Moon
For almost two weeks, Lupin drank the potion daily, always making the same disgusted face and eventually asking Ellie to add some sugar on it.
"Sorry, Remus, but sugar makes it completely useless." Ellie would say, and he had to drink it just as it was, mumbling "I sure hope this works, Ellie, or I might strangle you." which she always found amusing. However, she could not hide from herself the every day the full moon got closer and every day she felt more nervous.
She could tell he was just as anxious as she was, though he could hide it more effectively.
During that time, she kept bumping "are you feeling alright?" at him at unexpected times, to make sure he wasn't hiding something. But she knew, from her own observations, that he seemed just the same.
It was the eve of the full moon night. They were dinning in the small kitchen some mashed potatoes Lupin had made and a very tasty would-be-steak made of vegetables. She could tell he wasn't pleased with the steaks, but still he tried to eat the lot with a smile upon his face.
"Are you nervous?" asked Ellie after a long silence.
"I am." he said without thinking. "I think I've never been so frightened about a coming full moon. It's strange because I know all that can happen is that either I transform into a monster... or I don't. For the first time there is hope that I keep my mind, but that seems to scare me more than the full transformation has for years."
Ellie didn't reply at once.
"I'm a little anxious, too." she said at last. "But I know everything will go fine."
And they sat there, talking through the night about everything except the coming moon.
***
Next morning, Ellie gave Lupin his glass right after breakfast. He drank without a word. He helped her repot some weird plants she had at the back of the garden, and after lunch they decided to stay and play a bit of wizard chess. By 5 o'clock, Ellie started to check and double check everything that would be needed because the moon would rise in about an hour's time.
"I've checked everything" she said.
"Have you got the... tears?"
She nodded. They didn't eat at all, they were too nervous, and so, at a quarter to six, he entered his room. Ellie stayed at the door. They had agreed that he would be locked until she could tell it was safe. And if it wasn't safe, she had the phoenix tears inside her robes.
"Ellie..."
"Go" she said "everything will be fine. I'll see you in a moment."
He looked at her as if it was the last time he'd see her and nodded. She locked the room. Any moment now, he would be starting his transformation.
She waited and heard him pacing around the room. The sun was setting and the full moon was rising. He kept pacing. Ellie kept listening. Any moment now...
He stopped pacing... and Ellie felt her heart sink.
Then a horrible cry came from inside the room.
"Remus!" and she felt an urge to unlock the door. She grabbed the key but stood still, unable to do it. Another cry. She took the tube with the phoenix tears and opened the door.
Remus was screaming again. He was almost transformed. He didn't look remotely like a man. She had never seen him like this before. He was curling in a corner, scratching himself anxiously, and growling. Ellie took a deep breath and a step forward.
"Remus" she called. There was a wolf now where the man had been. "Remus, can you hear me?"
The wolf stood up and looked threateningly at her. His eyes were not as beautiful as Lupin's, but there was still something his in them. She stood there, certain that he would attack her, and certain that it had worked. She was shaking in uncertainty and fear.
"Remus" she tried again, and she felt her eyes were washing in tears "Remus, can you hear me? Are you alright?"
The wolf didn't take his eyes off her and walked at her side. It seemed that he wanted to do something but wasn't sure how to do it. He finally laid his head against Ellie's robes. And she knew she had made it.
She passed her fingers through his fur, gently, in caring gestures, guided by all the love she felt. He seemed to like it: he growled as if he was a cat purring.
Ellie spent the night with him, feeling his soft fur between her fingers, and he actually fell asleep on her lap.
She had made it.
***
It was nearly six in the morning. She hadn't had any sleep at all, taking care of Remus. The moon was nearly setting. He was still sleeping when the first sunshine rays entered through the door.
He woke up and looked at her. But right at that moment, the moon should be setting because he shrugged, stepped away from her and started howling. He was in pain, and she didn't know what to do. Before she had time to think, his fur began to shrink, and his paws slowly turned to hands, and his hears shortened... In what seemed like no time at all, it was all over.
"Remus!" she cried, kneeling at his side. Remus was lying on the ground, looking pale and exhausted. She took him in her arms and embraced him. He was so cold... "Oh, Remus, please tell me you're alright."
He opened his eyes very slowly and gave her a grateful look. She took him on to the bed and gave him to drink from a tube she took from her robes. He drank and closed his eyes again. In less than two minutes he fell asleep. Ellie never left his bedside. And by noon, when he woke up, she was the first thing he recognised.
"Ellie..."
"Don't try to speak just yet. Are you thirsty?"
He nodded and she gave him some water. He drank as if he had never had any in his life. Then he rolled over to get closer to her (she was sitting on the bed) and laid his head on her lap.
"Than-k you" was all he could say.
Ellie kissed his forehead and felt a tear on her hand. Remus kissed her hand and before she could stop him, he raised himself and embraced her. She wanted to say "Remus, you should lie down. You shouldn't make quick moves. You should rest." But all she managed to say was "Remus" before his lips silenced her with a kiss - a long gentle kiss which was followed by another and another and another. Ellie felt almost dizzy with the warmth of his lips. He kissed her neck and she could feel his hands searching for her body beneath the robes.
She seemed to be discovering her senses all over again: he smelled like passion, he tasted like lust, he felt like hunger and he looked so perfect. She was breathing faster and letting out sounds of pleasure, inebriating his hears.
It was like a wave of the ocean, filling her and embracing her. It was like a warm breeze taking over her, heating her skin with every touch. It was like being touched by the sun, his long beautiful fingers rushing through her hair, scanning every pore of her skin, burning in passionate love.
She felt like the whole universe had been created for the sole purpose of that moment and that suddenly everything made sense: the world had stopped but they were more alive than ever.
And during those moments lost in time, they weren't Ellie and Remus: they were just one body and just one soul.
For almost two weeks, Lupin drank the potion daily, always making the same disgusted face and eventually asking Ellie to add some sugar on it.
"Sorry, Remus, but sugar makes it completely useless." Ellie would say, and he had to drink it just as it was, mumbling "I sure hope this works, Ellie, or I might strangle you." which she always found amusing. However, she could not hide from herself the every day the full moon got closer and every day she felt more nervous.
She could tell he was just as anxious as she was, though he could hide it more effectively.
During that time, she kept bumping "are you feeling alright?" at him at unexpected times, to make sure he wasn't hiding something. But she knew, from her own observations, that he seemed just the same.
It was the eve of the full moon night. They were dinning in the small kitchen some mashed potatoes Lupin had made and a very tasty would-be-steak made of vegetables. She could tell he wasn't pleased with the steaks, but still he tried to eat the lot with a smile upon his face.
"Are you nervous?" asked Ellie after a long silence.
"I am." he said without thinking. "I think I've never been so frightened about a coming full moon. It's strange because I know all that can happen is that either I transform into a monster... or I don't. For the first time there is hope that I keep my mind, but that seems to scare me more than the full transformation has for years."
Ellie didn't reply at once.
"I'm a little anxious, too." she said at last. "But I know everything will go fine."
And they sat there, talking through the night about everything except the coming moon.
***
Next morning, Ellie gave Lupin his glass right after breakfast. He drank without a word. He helped her repot some weird plants she had at the back of the garden, and after lunch they decided to stay and play a bit of wizard chess. By 5 o'clock, Ellie started to check and double check everything that would be needed because the moon would rise in about an hour's time.
"I've checked everything" she said.
"Have you got the... tears?"
She nodded. They didn't eat at all, they were too nervous, and so, at a quarter to six, he entered his room. Ellie stayed at the door. They had agreed that he would be locked until she could tell it was safe. And if it wasn't safe, she had the phoenix tears inside her robes.
"Ellie..."
"Go" she said "everything will be fine. I'll see you in a moment."
He looked at her as if it was the last time he'd see her and nodded. She locked the room. Any moment now, he would be starting his transformation.
She waited and heard him pacing around the room. The sun was setting and the full moon was rising. He kept pacing. Ellie kept listening. Any moment now...
He stopped pacing... and Ellie felt her heart sink.
Then a horrible cry came from inside the room.
"Remus!" and she felt an urge to unlock the door. She grabbed the key but stood still, unable to do it. Another cry. She took the tube with the phoenix tears and opened the door.
Remus was screaming again. He was almost transformed. He didn't look remotely like a man. She had never seen him like this before. He was curling in a corner, scratching himself anxiously, and growling. Ellie took a deep breath and a step forward.
"Remus" she called. There was a wolf now where the man had been. "Remus, can you hear me?"
The wolf stood up and looked threateningly at her. His eyes were not as beautiful as Lupin's, but there was still something his in them. She stood there, certain that he would attack her, and certain that it had worked. She was shaking in uncertainty and fear.
"Remus" she tried again, and she felt her eyes were washing in tears "Remus, can you hear me? Are you alright?"
The wolf didn't take his eyes off her and walked at her side. It seemed that he wanted to do something but wasn't sure how to do it. He finally laid his head against Ellie's robes. And she knew she had made it.
She passed her fingers through his fur, gently, in caring gestures, guided by all the love she felt. He seemed to like it: he growled as if he was a cat purring.
Ellie spent the night with him, feeling his soft fur between her fingers, and he actually fell asleep on her lap.
She had made it.
***
It was nearly six in the morning. She hadn't had any sleep at all, taking care of Remus. The moon was nearly setting. He was still sleeping when the first sunshine rays entered through the door.
He woke up and looked at her. But right at that moment, the moon should be setting because he shrugged, stepped away from her and started howling. He was in pain, and she didn't know what to do. Before she had time to think, his fur began to shrink, and his paws slowly turned to hands, and his hears shortened... In what seemed like no time at all, it was all over.
"Remus!" she cried, kneeling at his side. Remus was lying on the ground, looking pale and exhausted. She took him in her arms and embraced him. He was so cold... "Oh, Remus, please tell me you're alright."
He opened his eyes very slowly and gave her a grateful look. She took him on to the bed and gave him to drink from a tube she took from her robes. He drank and closed his eyes again. In less than two minutes he fell asleep. Ellie never left his bedside. And by noon, when he woke up, she was the first thing he recognised.
"Ellie..."
"Don't try to speak just yet. Are you thirsty?"
He nodded and she gave him some water. He drank as if he had never had any in his life. Then he rolled over to get closer to her (she was sitting on the bed) and laid his head on her lap.
"Than-k you" was all he could say.
Ellie kissed his forehead and felt a tear on her hand. Remus kissed her hand and before she could stop him, he raised himself and embraced her. She wanted to say "Remus, you should lie down. You shouldn't make quick moves. You should rest." But all she managed to say was "Remus" before his lips silenced her with a kiss - a long gentle kiss which was followed by another and another and another. Ellie felt almost dizzy with the warmth of his lips. He kissed her neck and she could feel his hands searching for her body beneath the robes.
She seemed to be discovering her senses all over again: he smelled like passion, he tasted like lust, he felt like hunger and he looked so perfect. She was breathing faster and letting out sounds of pleasure, inebriating his hears.
It was like a wave of the ocean, filling her and embracing her. It was like a warm breeze taking over her, heating her skin with every touch. It was like being touched by the sun, his long beautiful fingers rushing through her hair, scanning every pore of her skin, burning in passionate love.
She felt like the whole universe had been created for the sole purpose of that moment and that suddenly everything made sense: the world had stopped but they were more alive than ever.
And during those moments lost in time, they weren't Ellie and Remus: they were just one body and just one soul.