Every wolf needs a moon
By Talia-Rose
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter so don't sue me. This story is set during the Marauders time at Hogwarts.
Chapter Five: Padfoot.
"Need help with your essay? I know how much you hate charms." Remus came to a halt beside Sonya, smiling at her faintly.
She returned the smile, rubbing at her arm intently. "That would be great! I need help on my charms essay and there's something else Remus…. No, it doesn't matter. I can manage it on my own."
"You're not talking about charms any more, are you?"
"No… there's something else. Help for charms would be great! I really need it since I'm struggling to maintain a pass. But, I need to get out of the castle tonight. It's important."
Remus lifted his head and looked around, making sure that no one would hear what they were saying. "You didn't come out with me on the last full moon. Is that the problem?"
Her eyes narrowed and she kept rubbing the spot on her arm, wishing that the agonizing itchiness that was engulfing her would go away. "Oh yes, that is exactly the problem. I'm going crazy, I swear. This has got to be the longest I have ever gone without changing and for an experiment, I think it sucks. Why you suggested it, I don't know but if we weren't at school, I'd kill you."
Chuckling, he inclined his head towards the Gryffindor tower, "Come on. But you realize that I'll have to talk to James and see if I can borrow his invisibility cloak? We won't be able to sneak out without it. Fitch has been prowling the halls even more than before since Sirius and James played their last prank on him."
"That's what I was worried about! Because it's winter, all the windows are being kept shut and I can't fly out of one, even if it was safe for me to do so. This is the season I hate the most, it's so restricting." Her voice was low and rumbling, like she wanted to growl.
Taking her arm, Remus led her over to the Fat Lady and spoke the password. Tilting her head to the side, Sonya wondered what it would be like to be a painting like that.
"How have your dreams been?" The boy inquired gently, meeting her eyes with honest concern reflected deeply in his gaze.
She was about to reply when suddenly, upon catching the sight of Sirius and James seated on one of the couches with their groupie girls hanging around, Remus instantaneously stiffened and let go of Sonya's arm.
"Hey Moony!" Sirius called. "What are you doing with Delcot? Helping her with her homework again?"
James laughed, "Come off it Sirius, anyone would think that you were jealous that Remus has the girl you want. She's out of your league mate."
"Remus, don't worry about it. I'll go to the library for a while. Maybe I'll be able to slip out of the castle before dark without anyone noticing." She murmured quietly in his ear so that no one else could hear.
Turning dark eyes to his best friend, Sirius Black sneered, "She's not out of my league, I'm out of hers. Besides, what would I have to be jealous of Remus for?"
"Besides the fact that he's much more of gentleman – like than you are Sirius Black?" Sonya snapped, walking over to him with her blue eyes narrowed.
He grinned at her, "Oh he's a gentleman is he Wolfie? Just like your beloved Nathan from Saint Luthors?"
What he said struck a chord in her and she lashed out with her hand to slap Sirius, "How dare you! Nathan has got nothing to do with this."
"Really Wolfie? So Remus isn't just a replacement for Nathan?"
James groaned softly, "Good way to go about getting the girl Padfoot. She's going to love you after this."
Standing there, Remus stared at Sonya like he had just opened his eyes and seen her. He knew that she was close to this Nathan, it was easy to tell from the way she spoke about him but he had never thought that she was just being friendly to him because she thought he could replace her close companion. Sonya blinked at Sirius for a moment before turning around to look at Remus.
"Remus, he doesn't know what he's talking about." She said, her eyes pleading with him to believe her. "He doesn't know anything."
"No Sonya, what he says does have a touch of truth in it. You're always saying how much this Nathan and I have in common. I should have seen it before but I guess I was just trying to ignore the possibility." He replied, turning his back on her and heading back out of the common room.
Watching him go with tears in her eyes, Sonya turned back to Sirius and slapped him again, "How dare you? What gives you the right to do that? He is your friend and you don't know anything about me or about Nathan."
"Explain it to us then? What is between you and Nathan?" Sirius snapped at her. "I don't want to see my friend hurt by you."
She snorted, "You sure do show that well Black. Nathan is a Delcot, Sirius, a Delcot. He's my second cousin on my fathers' side. My cousin, Sirius Black and nothing more than my best friend. Next time you should get your facts right before you start babbling things around like that."
"He's your cousin?" Potter asked incredulously.
"Yes, my cousin. Do either of you have any idea of what you've done?" Her voice rose in pitch though the volume seemed to remain the same.
Sirius looked blank and he pushed himself up out of the couch, "Oh crap. James, we'd better go and find Remus and explain."
Lily came down the stairs in time to see Sonya grab James' wrist and whisper something in his ear. "SONYA!" She cried out. "What are you doing with James Potter?"
Stealing a look at Lily, James chased off after Sirius, hoping that they would catch up with Remus. Turning to smile at her friend, Sonya waited for a lecture – something that everyone seemed to know was to come.
"I wasn't doing anything at all. Well… I was telling James that he'd better make sure Sirius doesn't upset Remus anymore than he already has. You missed an interesting argument."
"Don't tell me that Sirius is being moody again and trying to annoy every one? God he is so pathetic sometimes that it's not funny." She rolled her eyes and went over to a couch.
The common room returned to its normal buzz and everyone tried to forget what had just happened – Lily along with the rest of them. Sonya stood around for a moment before walking up the stairs to change into some warmer clothes before she went to the library to try and think of a way to sneak out. Trudging back down the stairs, she managed to slip out of the Gryffindor tower without Lily or Janie noticing her – something that made her wonder about how long it would be before they realized that she had gone.
"Well hopefully I will be able to get out and have a run before dinner time. If not, I'll make up some excuse about being in the library working on my homework." Murmuring that to herself, Sonya looked around and tried to think of where she would find Remus.
The Shrieking Shack – he would be there because that would be the only place he could get total privacy from prying eyes.
Making her way out side, Sonya was careful not to draw attention to herself as she crossed over to the Whomping Willow and dove into the tunnel. Following it to the end, she was aware of voices arguing about something at the other end and when she stepped out into the Shack, a pair of wands confronted Sonya.
Holding up her hands, she cringed. "Please don't shoot!"
"What?" James snorted at her, lowering his wand. "What do you mean please don't shoot?"
"I always wanted to say that. I saw it in a Muggle movie last year and thought it was amusing." Sonya replied, looking around for Remus and finding him with his back towards her.
Sirius glared at her, also lowering his wand. "How did you know how to get here Delcot? And why are you here?"
About to answer his questions, cut her off as he turned around. "I showed her how to get here Sirius and no doubt she's also come to apologize to me… among other things. But while we're all making apologies, you owe her one Sirius."
"Remus, I wanted to tell you how sorry I am and to explain about Nathan." She burst out; glaring at Sirius as if she felt it was his entire fault that she was having to explain herself.
"Don't worry about it Sonya, James told me that Nathan is your cousin. Sirius should have known better but he's not all there." The werewolf nodded towards his friend. "I have to apologize for over reacting but I was scared that you were being my friend only because you miss your friends back at Saint Luthors."
She bowed her head and glanced towards a window. The itchy feeling that was covering her skin was growing even more intense than before. "Yes, it's probably because all dogs are idiots… even large black ones."
James laughed at the look on Sirius' face and turned to Sonya, "You'd best run really fast Wolfie. Sirius hates being called an idiot."
"I was going to apologize for getting everything wrong about your friend Nathan but now I'm not. And I'm sorry Remus, but she's an insufferable, conceited girl who needs to get her head checked." Sirius spat, glaring at Sonya.
"Sonya?" Remus noticed how pale she was. "Are you alright?"
She was scratching at her arms vigorously again, "No. I'm not all right. The itching is getting worse."
The other two boys looked confused and Remus grabbed Sonya, pulling her towards the only door to the outside. Following them, James and Sirius didn't know what was going on but they were sure that they were about to find out. When they got outside, Remus was standing alone, watching a pale streak running into the forest.
Turning to James and Sirius, he asked. "Could one of you follow her and make sure she doesn't get hurt? She's pretty desperate for the change… I guess I shouldn't have asked her to see how long she could go without it."
"What's happening to her? What's the change?" James looked towards the forest.
"Sonya isn't a normal Animagus, James. She doesn't have a choice about it. But you'll have to ask her to explain it to you. Please, can you find her and make sure she's alright?"
Sirius shook his head and changed into his Animagus form – a large black dog. Racing off into the forest, he followed Sonya's trail, knowing that she was running. When he burst out into a clearing, he was amazed to see her in her wolf form, frolicking around in the snow, the white making her seem even more pale than she had when he last saw her. Upon catching his scent, she froze with her tail down and her nose close to the ground while her yellow eyes stared unblinkingly at him.
Walking forward slowly, the large black dog kept eye contact with her, worried that she would disappear in a second if he looked away. Sonya blended in well with the snow – her coat was a light fawn color with splashes of darker grey – and it allowed her the ability to hide if she needed to. Coming to a halt in front of her, Sirius stretched out his nose to hers, wondering if she would lash out at him.
Growling, she turned her head away and moved to bound off into the forest but Sirius leapt in front of her again, trying to get her to head back the way they had come. Baring his fangs at her, he lowered his head and stood ready to divert her again. Sonya seemed to take that as a challenge and started to walk off in a different direction, daring him to stop her.
Leaping after her, Sirius barked a warning, hoping that that would stop her from doing anything rash. All she did was turn around, growing as she lashed out at him with her front paw. Her claws came into contact with his neck, leaving several gashes. He returned the growl, launching himself at her.
"Where are they James?" Remus paced back and forth in side the Shack, watching out of a window for any sign of the black dog and the pale wolf.
James shrugged, "Maybe they're running around in the forest doing what ever dogs and wolves do. Or maybe… nah, she's got better taste than that."
He grabbed something and threw it at his friend, "You're right about her having better taste than that. She picked me over him, isn't that a clear display of her better taste?"
"I think she's attracted to your more wolfish side Remus. But careful or she'll…. Wait, what's that?" Leaping up out of his chair, James rushed out side with Remus close on his heels.
Coming out of the forest were the large black dog and the pale wolf. However, they both seemed to be limping and were covered in cuts and gashes. Remus exchanged looks with James and they were both surprised when the two canines ignored them and pushed into the Shack.
"What happened?" Remus asked them while James shut the door.
Sirius changed back into his human form and moaned, "Someone decided to play a little rough."
"You fought!" Both of them exclaimed in horror, staring at Sonya.
She had a large cut on her face and scratches on her arms. "He started it."
"Did not."
"Did to!"
"I did not!"
"You most certainly did! You were the one who got in my way when all I needed was a nice run."
Remus cringed. How were they going to explain this to the nurse when they took Sirius and Sonya in to be healed? "Come on, we'd better get you two to the hospital ward so Madam Pomfrey can have a look. She can heal your injuries and she won't ask to many questions."
"Are there any serious ones?" James asked as they went into the tunnel that lead back to the Whomping Willow on the school grounds.
"None besides the bites on my arm." Sonya muttered. "I still can't believe you bit me Black. I'd better not get rabies from you."
He grinned at her, "Well I do think you look scrumptious enough to eat. Wouldn't you agree Moony?"
Falling silent, she ignored him for the rest of the trip to the hospital wing. Luckily, no one noticed them but when they reached the wing, Professor Dumbledore was there with Madam Pomfrey.
"I see that the two of you had a little disagreement?" He studied Sonya over the top of his glasses while Madam Pomfrey looked after Sirius' injuries.
Madam Pomfrey clicked her tongue at Sirius and Sonya, "By the grace of Merlin, how did you two get these? They look like wounds you would receive in a dog attack."
Grinning at each other, James and Remus tried to hide where Madam Pomfrey couldn't see them while she waited to find out what had happened. Professor Dumbledore chuckled at the look on Sonya's face.
"He's the dog." She pointed a finger at Sirius. "Wolves are not dogs."
"I think, Madam Pomfrey, that the truth about this isn't something you want to know. Could you please excuse us for a moment while I speak to these four about what has happened?" The Headmaster gave the nurse a look and she left them without arguing.
"Professor, I can explain everything." Remus stepped forward. "What happened was –."
He nodded towards Sonya and Sirius before turning to Remus. "I think they can explain what happened. What lead up to it, I don't need to know… well, it would be useful to know."
"Sirius is jealous of how close Remus has gotten to Sonya and he tried to cause trouble by making Remus think that Sonya is using him as a replacement for her friend Nathan. What none of us knew is that Nathan is her cousin. Remus ran off, Sirius and I followed him to the Shrieking Shack and then Sonya turned up." James explained in a rush.
"Yes, I was aware of that. However, what I can't work out is why Master Black and Miss Delcot are covered in dog bites and scratches." Professor Dumbledore chuckled.
Remus looked at his feet, "You're aware of Sonya's… gift… aren't you Professor? Well, I asked her to see how long she could go without changing and she lasted for just over a month. But today she started to itch and she was desperate for a change. Well, while we were at the Shack, the itching started to get painful and she bolted. I asked Sirius and James if one of them could follow her to make sure she didn't get hurt and Sirius agreed."
Studying Sonya, Professor Dumbledore shook his head. "You know better than to try and resist your gift, Sonya. It's dangerous and you could loose control. I'm going to assume that your aggressive behavior was a side effect of your experiment."
She blushed and looked away. "When he tried to stop me from going in the direction that I wanted to, I was angry with him. Really angry and all I could think of was destroying what stood in my way. It's happened before but last time it was Nathan who was in my way."
"Last time, had you tried to deny that side of you?" Sirius queried quietly.
"I had though I hadn't lasted as long as this time. I had caved in when the itching started… and at the time, I was very angry with someone. Since then, I've tried not to deny it but when Remus asked, I couldn't say no." Her bottom lip quivered and she stared at her hands, which were folded, in her lap.
Professor Dumbledore sat down beside her and put an arm around her shoulders, "Now Sonya, you know that your talent is very, very rare. In fact, it is something that has been passed down in your family. However, you must understand that trying to deny it is like trying to ignore hunger. You can't even try without doing yourself and the people around you great harm. It is important that you never forget this because if you do, you will turn and you won't be able to come back."
Sonya blinked at him, "Sometimes Professor, it is almost impossible for me to turn back... especially when I don't want to. It's like an escape and when things start getting hard for me, it's an escape that I turn to."
"I think Sonya, you need to surround yourself with people who understand it. Friendship is one of the greatest cures for things like this. You have always been the calming one for Nathan and the twins Andre and Andrea but you have neglected yourself. Learn to trust those like you and I think that you'll be surprised by the effects it will have on you."
The three boys exchanged smiles as the Professor stood up and bowed to them as he walked out, letting Madam Pomfrey finish seeing to Sonya and Sirius' wounds.
"Well how about it Wolfie?" Sirius grinned at her. "No hard feelings?"
"No hard feelings Padfoot." She smiled back.
Suedadieotan: The dreams are a bit like Harry's in OotP but they're not about Voldemort. You'll just have to wait and find out. As for the bits you said about Remus, re-read the chapter – I kind of made some changes.
Nicky Black: You should know that Remus wouldn't betray his friends! And the dinner party will just have to keep haunting you because you'll be waiting a little while longer to find out what happened. I'll just tell you that it was fundamental in helping Sirius realize what Sonya was.