It wasn't as difficult as Narcissa thought to magic herself out of the castle. Nobody was around – it was the weekend after Christmas, and everyone would be lazing about, not paying any attention to her if they could help it. Even so, she was careful to dodge in tight corners whenever she saw the shadow of someone coming down the hall. If she wasn't quick, she couldn't be back from Hogsmeade until dark, and the castle would be locked. She'd have to be back as soon as possible.

"I'll just sneak up to the Shack, check to see if Remus is okay, and run back before they lock the doors," she told herself.

She wasn't reassured. Hogsmeade, while not a long walk, wasn't exactly a two-minute stroll. And Severus had hinted that Remus was in trouble – perhaps big trouble. Trouble she couldn't get him out of within a few moments. And the Shrieking Shack – she'd heard terrible stories about what went on in there. Everyone said it was haunted.

"Why would Remus be there?" she asked herself as she crossed the snow-covered grounds. A chill skated up her spine. Why would anyone be there, unless they were forced to be?

There was no sun to sink into the western sky, but Narcissa knew that it would be dark within the hour as she painstakingly climbed over the wire fence that surrounded the Shack. The hem of her pants caught and tore. Cursing, she leapt to the other side and examined it. She pulled out her wand and murmured, "Reparo." The seam mended itself flawlessly. Despite her concern, Narcissa smiled. Perhaps she was learning something after all, with all of Lily's tutoring sessions.

The door to the Shack was shut tight, as she had expected it to be. But there were no sounds coming from within. She raised her hand to tap lightly on the door, then thought better of it. If Remus was in danger, he might not be able to open the door himself. She grasped the latch firmly and pulled it. To her surprise, the door was not locked. It swung open effortlessly, without even creaking.

It was dark inside, so dark that Narcissa could not see. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She could hear breathing.

"Who is there?" came a raspy voice.

She stopped in her tracks, "Remus?"

Silence. A split second.

"Narcissa, I hope to God that isn't you," the voice came back.

"Remus!" Narcissa could barely make out his form, sitting huddled in the corner of the room, next to a bed with filthy torn blankets. She was shocked to see that he was dressed inadequately for the cold winter evening, in ragged garments that looked too big for him. "Remus, what are you doing here?" she asked him.

He jumped to his feet and pressed himself against the wall. "How did you - you have to get out, Narcissa!"

"What's wrong? What's happened to you?"

"There's no time to explain. How did you get here? Who told you I was here?" He shook his head, "It doesn't matter. Get out, Narcissa, get out!"

"No! I won't leave you!" she replied desperately, "I won't leave you!"

Remus let out a cry, almost inhuman and animal, and sunk into a huddled pile on the floor. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his face. Narcissa ran to him and fell on the floor beside him, hugging him close to her.

"No, you can't," Remus whispered, "Narcissa, you must listen to me – it's too dangerous."

"I can't leave you here like this," she replied, "I can't." Her eyes sought his, "Please – we have to get you out of here. You're shaking, you're so cold."

"I'm shaking, but it's not because of the cold," Remus replied. His teeth were clenched, as if in pain, "Narcissa, you have to go! Go now!"

And he pushed her away from him so hard that Narcissa was thrown against the opposite wall. She crumpled to the floor in pain, cradling her left elbow, which throbbed with pain. Remus had struck her. Remus had hurt her. She tried to make sense of everything. Remus would never hurt me, she thought. So –

But then Remus began screaming. He screamed a scream of desperation, of pain, of terror, of anger. His body was writhing on the floor of the Shack, his fingers clawing at the torn wood, grasping for something, for anything. Someone else was screaming too – her voice high and thin. Narcissa could not even recognize her own voice. Until now she had never known such terror.

He didn't look like Remus anymore. His skin was getting darker and darker – and was that hair? His fingers were growing long and bony, and his fingernails grew longer and yellow and cracked – his nose was unrecognizable, and his voice – that voice was far too deep, too animal-like, to belong to Remus –

And then Remus wasn't there anymore.

A wolf was lying on the floor where Remus had been. He was wearing his torn and faded clothing. He was pushing himself to his feet, and his yellow eyes searched the Shack, searching for – for what?

The yellow eyes looked deep into Narcissa's own blue ones. He opened his mouth and displayed his yellow teeth, licked his chops. Then he began to growl.

"Remus," Narcissa managed, "Remus – you're – no, no, please – "

But the wolf – Remus – did not seem to hear her. He started towards her, growling even lower in his chest.

Narcissa tried to back against the wall, but there was nowhere else for her to go. Her fingers sought the pendant on its chain. The pendant! Of course! Remus was a werewolf. Silver and moonstone – two properties that could kill a werewolf. If she could only touch him with the silver, the werewolf would drop dead, and Narcissa would be safe.

The wolf was closer now, moving even closer. He seemed to relish her fear, drink it in, like cool water.

Narcissa was shaking.

"Do it," a voice in her head said, "Throw the necklace at him. Then you can get away. You'll be safe."

But, she thought – it's Remus. It's Remus under there. This is where he went. He gave me this necklace in case I ever found out, in case he ever attacked me – by accident.

He loves me enough to protect me. And I couldn't even love him enough to let him keep his secret to himself.

I can't kill him. I can't.

She let go of the chain and closed her eyes, waiting for the wolf to spring.

BAM! Her eyes flew open. The door of the Shack was flung open, and a huge black form was flying through the air, landing on the wolf. A large black dog had run in and was locked in a death struggle with the wolf. Narcissa shrieked. The two animals began to tussle and growl at each other, rolling in shapeless forms on the floor. The wolf yelped in pain.

"No!" Narcissa cried, "Don't hurt him!"

The dog let go of the wolf and backed up a few feet. The wolf lay panting on the floor, his eyes on Narcissa, this time without hunger. When it had regained its breath, the wolf ran for the back door and out into the dark fog.

The dog pushed Narcissa with its snout towards the door she had come in. She looked towards the back door one last time, and then ran outside.

As she ran off towards the castle, she thought she saw the outlines of two other animals, one large, one almost too small to be seen, running off towards the Forbidden Forest. But she didn't stop to look. She ran towards the castle as fast as her feet would carry her. The doors were locked when she arrived, so she crouched into the entryway and wrapped her cloak around her. It was too cold to sleep, and she was too afraid. So she sat up in the entryway to wait for morning, and morning did not come for a lifetime.