Small rolling hills dotted the landscape in the countryside town that Remus Lupin called home. Within a small, but cozy home, up the stairs and four doors down to your left on a bed lay a tattered and tired seventeen year old teenage boy composing a letter.

The summer, by Remus's account had been to short for liking. He had been invited to study magic in ancient Greece during the summer. Remus felt that it was a very enlightening and fun experience. He felt only a little pang of despair when no one had asked for his address and that they made fun of him for refusing to touch the silver currency. But at seventeen he had dealt with the same feeling of despair and longing to give it no more than a moment's thought.

This experience had only reaffirmed the Remus's complete love of his three friends. In fact that was to whom he was composing his letter. Peter had met up with Sirius and James and they were making plans to spend a couple days in London.

Remus had been invited to their last pre-school escapade in Diagon Alley, but he was forced to decline.

"Remus dear, I packed your traveling cloak, some cheese and crackers for when you leave tonight. They're on the table," Remus's mother had stuck her head into the room. She had a sweet round face and smudges of dirt from weeding in the garden.

"Thanks mum. I'll be leaving shortly." His mother nodded and left. Remus started down at the parchment with apprehension. Drops of black ink pooled over his paper below where he held his idle quill. Then a wave of pain passed over him. It felt like there was something solid underneath his skin. He could feel it pressing against his face. The mass expanding within his rid cage, making it hard to breath. His brown eyes shifted towards the ceiling as he gasped for air. He could feel it within him. After a few agonizing moments the pain subsided and Remus looked at the letter again.

Remus would have loved to go to London and planned a joke or two or submerse himself in Florish and Blotts, but he was busy with something else this night.

Tonight was the full moon.

After he had received the bite, his family had purchased a small desolate barn for Remus to transform in. The villagers had often chided the family for buying land where the soil had lost its fertility. The family would offer back that it must have been the view of the steep valleys that enticed them before quickly changing the subject.

As the sun began to melt into the horizon projecting orange and yellow hues across the land, Remus quickly picked himself up and walked to the door fastening the small bronze buttons and receiving a peck from his mother before setting out.

The walk to the barn was a good half hour trek. Only his feet sticking to the back roads wore the path. He stuck to walking behind houses and through dense forests so no one would see him and try and follow him.

Theses deserted walks were the only time Remus was really able to think. While he loved his friends they had some very noisy tendencies. He thought briefly of what would be waiting him outside of Hogwarts. What kind of jobs a person of his, disability could obtain. He began to think of his N.E.W.T. tests and what kind of pranks and mischief that would unfold in the Marauder's final year.

Before he knew it he had reached the barn. The red chipped paint looked almost black in the fading light. Remus pulled open a door on a rusty hinge and lit a lantern once inside, making sure that he had latched the door behind him. Once in the hayloft he fretfully waited until the moon had risen, bussing himself with the food his mother packed for him.

In Remus's mind, this was the worst part of the transformation. The waiting. He had to come into contact with the moons venomous beams to transform. If not the same pains that had attacked him whilst writing the letter would occur harsher and swifter. Once when he was eight, he had refused to open the skylight. He tried to leave home the next day but the pain was clawing him, rendering him unable to put one foot in front of another. When his father came to see what had become of him Remus explained his reasoning.

"I don't want to become a werewolf. It hurts." These words broke his father's heart. He had to wait all day for the moon to hit him so he could release the beast within.

Just as Remus had brushed off the remaining cracker crumbs, BEEP BEEP BEEP, his muggle alarm watch went off. Remus swallowed and walked over to a trap door in the barns rotting roof. With a definitive nature he quickly pulled the latch.

Silvery-white night sky pored into the barn, lighting up the corners where spiders had made their home.

All at once he could feel himself losing it. Something leapt out of him. Fur bursting from his arms and backs tearing his skin. His ears contort into wolf ears. His face turn into a wolf's face. His mind turning into a wolf's mind.

The werewolf leapt down off the loft to the dirt floor.

'Where is the food? The smell of blood was calling to me'

He tore at the wood walls, scratching, searching for food. He ran towards the door standing on his two back legs trying to paw open the locked door.

'There must be meat out there. If only it would open. WHY WON'T IT OPEN!'

The werewolf began to pace in a tight circle on the dirt floor trying to find a way out.

'Oh what I would give for just one bite. One juicy, innocent bite.'

He let out a howl. A howl filled with hunger, isolation, anger and pain. The soul-shaking howl echoed across the small community and raised hair on the back of the bravest men.

The rest of the night was a blur. The nights pacing, clawing, and knowing all melting into one painful memory. Eventually, as the night fell back below the horizon Remus began to take control again. He climbed the rickety latter back up into the loft and fell into a fit full sleep. By the time the sun had risen properly, Remus was in human form again.

All in all this transformation wasn't all that terrible. Yes, he had the customary battle wounds, but in Remus's mind and transformation that he didn't hurt some one was a war won.

Before he left Remus tried to tidy up the place. He swept up the shards of broken glass from what had been the lantern. His already tattered cloak needed new patches.

He opened the barn doors to find his school trunk with a note left on top weighted down with a smooth rock.

Dear Remus,

I hope last night went as well as possible. Remember the Hogwarts Express leaves today at 11:00 am sharp. I've arranged for a taxi to pick you up and bring you to King's Cross Station. Hope you have a wonderful year. Write soon.

Hugs and Kisses

Mum

Remus smiled softly, folding the note into his pocket. And so he walked to the next town pulling his trunk in tow, walking very gingerly.