Fifteen minutes later the four boys, hidden nicely under James's Invisibility Cloak, crept down the lawn in silence. When they reached the perimeter of the Whomping Willow, four boys became three boys and a rat. A slink of the grass, a moment's silence, and the thrashing tree stood still. The sun was disappearing over the hills at last. They didn't have much time.

Down in the tunnel, the three boys were left to their own thoughts as they ran towards the Shrieking Shack. The tunnel walls were damp and dripping, and made plopping sounds as drops of dew hit the ground.

Halfway down the passageway, Remus gave a grunt. His pace slowed, and he ran sideways into the wall. This is too early!

"Here it comes, Prongs..." Sirius muttered, getting his wand out.

"Get...away...from me!" Remus growled, fighting the change. I can't change here! I'll kill them!

James and Sirius didn't move.

"What's wrong with you, go!" Remus's eyes had already changed from amber brown to brilliant yellow, his jaw lengthening and muddling his speech. He could feel tiny hairs popping out and growing longer on every spot of his body. He hunched over and felt his teeth lengthen and sharpen, as did his fingernails, which he dug into the fabric if his robes.

"We're staying, Rem" he heard Sirius state flatly. Remus cursed under his breath. Did Sirius not understand how vulnerable he was right now? He could rip the both of them to pieces in a minute like this...and they hadn't reached the shack yet...

Remus's knees buckled. He fell to the ground as his bones began to mold themselves together and he heard a crack as his knee bent in the opposite direction. Sirius and James ran to his side, but he shook them off. Peter had already scrambled off down the passageway. But Sirius and James... they just wouldn't leave! Suddenly the Change was complete, and the wolf's brain took over. The world went reeling into darkness.

Sirius's eyes went wide as his friend's mind was replaced with that of a beast. Snarling and spitting, he no longer recognized either of the humans in front of him. He felt excited goosebumps spring up on his arms and legs. This was where the fun started. He morphed to his dog form and bared his teeth, glancing at James, who still had his wand out. Remus fixed his wolf eyes on Sirius, growling low and flattening his ears. Sirius mirrored his movements, and growled back.

Suddenly, Remus reared up and howled. The sound echoed off the walls and made Sirius's ears pound. James took this as a clue, and shifted to the form of a stag.

Remus lunged. Sirius bolted to the side, narrowly missing the werewolf's jaws. In the second it took Sirius to turn around, Remus had slipped past him, knocking James to the wall with a loud thump, and took off towards the Shrieking Shack.

Sirius made to follow but James called out.

"Padfoot, don't!" He was still on the floor from the blow, breathing hard, his stag body rising and falling rapidly. He stared at Sirius with sternness in his eyes. Dammit…he knows…

Sirius looked away with some difficulty, and turned away. His fur was standing on end. "Tch…" he kicked into a run.

"Sirius!"

"Wormtail's still up there, you idiot!" he called as he took off down the tunnel. He didn't hear James's retort, or even if he had given one, as he barrelled his way down the channel.

He reached the trapdoor to find it shattered and in pieces on the floor. I see he's been redecorating…

His nose was full of the scent of wolf, and a few traces of rat. He skidded to a halt at he doorway of the Shack's dining room, where he found Remus snarling at a shivering spot on the floor that turned out to be Peter. He would have thought the wholle thing very funny if the situation wasn't so serious. The look on Peter's face!

Sirius barked loudly, diverting the werewolf's attention from the rat. Remus turned full circle, baring his teeth at the dog. His ears flattened once more, and his tail bristled. Sirius clenched his jaw and waited in a crouch.

Then theycharged. Wolf and dog were now a flurry of fur, growls, and teeth. They rolled on the floor, separated, and charged again. Once more they let go and stood growling, circling each other. Remus's eye was bleeding, and Sirius was nursing a scratched paw. Then remus's eyes narrowed and they lunged again. Peter scuttled away down the passage once more.

Sirius gave a yelp and a grunt as Remus sent him flying and he hit the wall with a loud crack. The fell to the floor but rolled it off and pounced headlong into Remus's chest, his jaws clamping down on a matted mess of flesh and fur. THe werewolf howled in pain and swiped at him, sending both of them hurtling onto the floor where they rolled and thrashed violently. Specks of blood were scattered on the splintering floor and walls. Pawmarks streaked through it, leaving a slippery mess under them. Fur was floating in the air and mixing with the blood on the floor.

Suddenly Sirius heard a deafening crack, and pain swept through his right paw and left him shuddering. He let out a whine and swiped at Remus, who pounded him viciously and he felt the world swing out of focus…