Fourteen
"Are you sure you're alright with being here with me?" Remus asked as Lina took off the Invisibility Cloak. "After all, I'm still not sure if this will work."
"Of course, Remus, don't be silly," Lina lied, avoiding his gaze. She didn't like lying to Remus. She had truly never been more afraid in her life, but no one else needed to know that.
A ray of moonlight shone through a crooked window on the wall. Lina's heart skipped a beat.
"Here goes nothing," Remus said quickly. "Remember, Lina, I love you. And if I come towards you, run away. Fast."
Lina didn't have time to respond before she had to hide her eyes. She didn't want to watch as Remus, her beloved, changed into a horrible beast. She heard his screams, and she tried to cover her ears, but it didn't work. His howl broke through her fingers that were clamped to the sides of her head. Her eyes squeezed shut, so tightly that she thought they would explode. Pictures passed across her mind – a wolf coming after her as she cowered in the corner; a different wolf bounding towards her from a coffin and Remus jumping in front of her to save her; a black dog and a wolf locked in battle; Remus murmuring about monsters. She couldn't take it, she just couldn't she wanted it to end.
And it did.
As suddenly as it had come, it stopped, and the room was silent. She slowly opened her eyes and took her hands off her ears. She turned around and saw . . . the same wolf that she had seen in her visions. Her first reaction was to scream, but she didn't, for she saw that it was just sitting there, staring at her.
The wolf gave a small whimper. Lina cautiously walked towards him, and he didn't move.
"Remus?" she asked. He tilted his head, indicating that he had no idea what she was talking about. However, he didn't attack her, either.
"Do you remember me? It's me. It's Lina, your Lina. Don't you know me?" The wolf just stared back at her, the same vacant expression on its face.
"Oh, Remus, I'm so sorry that this has to happen to you. You have no idea how truly sorry I am. And . . . I wish I could tell you about me, but I just can't. Don't you understand? I can't!" she cried, as though the wolf were arguing with her. It jumped at her severity, but when she reached a hand out towards him, he didn't flinch. She put her hand on his neck and scratched it gently. A look of pure pleasure came over his face.
She sat back down with her legs folded, and she motioned for him to come over and sit with her. He obeyed, and gently leaned his head on her lap. In the process, however, he brushed against the scar on her chest.
"Ow!" she exclaimed, wincing in pain. The wolf looked up at her.
"A constant reminder of what you did," she murmured, smiling slightly. She slowly reached up to her top and pulled it down just enough so that he could see about half of the scratch. He seemed to frown and look to the ground.
"It's alright," she muttered, resuming scratching him. He pawed at her hand, however, and she stopped. He reached out his paw and gently touched where he had scratched her. When he pulled his hand away, he left a small paw print over the scratch, covering up the scar.
Lina looked into the wolf's eyes, and she realized that the wolf was staring at her with the same pleading stare that Remus had given her numerous times before.
It was Remus inside.
