Chapter XIV - The Longest Night
Strangely enough, there were no nasty news about them on the Daily Prophet. As a matter of fact, there were no articles signed by Rita Skeeter on the following weeks. Remus took it rather worried: he was sure she would seek revenge. But Ellie seemed to have forgotten all about her, and used to say that they had lost everything already and there was nothing else she could do.
Remus now oftenly complained that the potion tasted even worst. But Ellie simply said that leeches usually make potions more acid and that was probably it.
And so, the night of the full moon found them in such a peaceful and happy mood that it was a shame that they had to interrupt their happiness with another experiment.
"I think I'll stay with you now" she said, taking her parchment and quill to the bedroom.
"Are you sure?"
"The ingredients I added, if in right proportions, cancel each other's side effects and only the pain reliever will work." she said, quite confident. "And I'm sure they are right. It's not a common pain reliever, the one I used, but very effective when the pain is generalized throughout the body, which is your case."
Remus was taking his clothes off, as not to rag them during transformation, and sat beside her. The sun was setting and the moon should be rising at any moment. He embraced her and they stood quite still for some moments, just feeling each other's heart bumping fast. She rested her head on his shoulder and heard his voice say "Will you marry me, Ellie?" just before his arm twitched. She lifted her head at once and he stood up, shaking uncontrollably. She still had her hand in his. Next second he was letting out wimps of intense pain.
Ellie stood up, unexpecting this as much as he was, and watched, unable to do anything, as he transformed, curling up on the ground. She had imagined this a thousand times, but she never though it was so horrible. He seemed to have fallen under the Cruciatus Curse, nearly every muscle on his body twitching and his tense skin going red started growing hair. He was crouching in the ground and she couldn't see his face, but two wolf-like hears were now visible under his hair, and as he curled up, shaking and growling, he took, in a minute's time, his wolf appearance.
This had all been so sudden and his screams so intense and unexpected that only now was she realizing something must have gone wrong with the potion. But he was already looking at her, through his wolf eyes, and this time she could not recognize Remus' eyes there.
She trembled for a moment and then-
"Nooooo!"
The wolf had jumped on her, growling and trying to bit her everywhere possible. He sunk his teeth near her shoulder and she cried in pain. They were rolling on the floor, she was trying to get him away from her, remembering her wand laid forgotten somewhere in the living room. She was screaming in agony as he bit her yet again, her blood on his bare fangs and fur. Ellie was crying his name as if it could save her "Remus! Remus! REMUS!!" but her voice, tears and pain were lost.
She kept trying to defend her face with her hand and arms, and she suddenly noticed his wand was near the bed and tried to reach it. She stretched one of her arms and caught it but he seized her cheek before she could defend it again.
"STUPEFY!" she cried and the wolf stopped suddenly, as if it were dizzy. She got up quickly, soaring in pain, and knowing it was only half stunned and that she had no more than a few seconds before he regained his strength again. Her robes were soaking with her blood and her face was painfully hurt.
She stepped out of the door, closing it, and locked it with a spell. She heard the wolf charging against the door, as he regained conscience. Ellie let out no cry and no sound, and just drooped on the floor, bleeding, while the wolf kept trying to tear the door down.
When the moon set, next morning, Remus woke up and he couldn't remember a thing.
Strangely enough, there were no nasty news about them on the Daily Prophet. As a matter of fact, there were no articles signed by Rita Skeeter on the following weeks. Remus took it rather worried: he was sure she would seek revenge. But Ellie seemed to have forgotten all about her, and used to say that they had lost everything already and there was nothing else she could do.
Remus now oftenly complained that the potion tasted even worst. But Ellie simply said that leeches usually make potions more acid and that was probably it.
And so, the night of the full moon found them in such a peaceful and happy mood that it was a shame that they had to interrupt their happiness with another experiment.
"I think I'll stay with you now" she said, taking her parchment and quill to the bedroom.
"Are you sure?"
"The ingredients I added, if in right proportions, cancel each other's side effects and only the pain reliever will work." she said, quite confident. "And I'm sure they are right. It's not a common pain reliever, the one I used, but very effective when the pain is generalized throughout the body, which is your case."
Remus was taking his clothes off, as not to rag them during transformation, and sat beside her. The sun was setting and the moon should be rising at any moment. He embraced her and they stood quite still for some moments, just feeling each other's heart bumping fast. She rested her head on his shoulder and heard his voice say "Will you marry me, Ellie?" just before his arm twitched. She lifted her head at once and he stood up, shaking uncontrollably. She still had her hand in his. Next second he was letting out wimps of intense pain.
Ellie stood up, unexpecting this as much as he was, and watched, unable to do anything, as he transformed, curling up on the ground. She had imagined this a thousand times, but she never though it was so horrible. He seemed to have fallen under the Cruciatus Curse, nearly every muscle on his body twitching and his tense skin going red started growing hair. He was crouching in the ground and she couldn't see his face, but two wolf-like hears were now visible under his hair, and as he curled up, shaking and growling, he took, in a minute's time, his wolf appearance.
This had all been so sudden and his screams so intense and unexpected that only now was she realizing something must have gone wrong with the potion. But he was already looking at her, through his wolf eyes, and this time she could not recognize Remus' eyes there.
She trembled for a moment and then-
"Nooooo!"
The wolf had jumped on her, growling and trying to bit her everywhere possible. He sunk his teeth near her shoulder and she cried in pain. They were rolling on the floor, she was trying to get him away from her, remembering her wand laid forgotten somewhere in the living room. She was screaming in agony as he bit her yet again, her blood on his bare fangs and fur. Ellie was crying his name as if it could save her "Remus! Remus! REMUS!!" but her voice, tears and pain were lost.
She kept trying to defend her face with her hand and arms, and she suddenly noticed his wand was near the bed and tried to reach it. She stretched one of her arms and caught it but he seized her cheek before she could defend it again.
"STUPEFY!" she cried and the wolf stopped suddenly, as if it were dizzy. She got up quickly, soaring in pain, and knowing it was only half stunned and that she had no more than a few seconds before he regained his strength again. Her robes were soaking with her blood and her face was painfully hurt.
She stepped out of the door, closing it, and locked it with a spell. She heard the wolf charging against the door, as he regained conscience. Ellie let out no cry and no sound, and just drooped on the floor, bleeding, while the wolf kept trying to tear the door down.
When the moon set, next morning, Remus woke up and he couldn't remember a thing.