Chapter 6

They ate dinner a bit earlier than Harry had expected. Everyone around the table looked a bit nervous for some reason. Bill was eating a large steak with his hands. His scars looked like there had been a great improvement but they were still as deep as ever. His hair looked much shaggier; his ponytail had turned into a grizzly mane. Fleur did not seem to mind, it had been Mrs. Weasley's fear that she would leave him after the attack. On the contrary, she sat next to him wiping his mouth affectionately as juices dripped down.

When it reached midday, Lupin stood up and said, "I think we'd better be going now."

Harry looked around to see who he was talking to and saw Bill nod in grim agreement. As they left the room, Harry turned to Ron and asked, "Where are they going."

"It's the first full moon since the attack, Lupin's got to take Bill somewhere safe I suppose."

"It's just a precaution," Hermione added, "This has never happened to anyone before but they don't think there will be any changing."

Harry was suddenly struck with an idea. "I'll talk to you later," he said, and got up to follow them out the door.

He caught them in the hallway and asked, "Where are you going to go?"

"We'll head up to the mountains, find somewhere secluded," Lupin answered. "Just in case," he added, more to Bill than to Harry.

"Well, you could go to Godric's Hollow," Harry said calmly, "and maybe I could come along."

"Why do you want to go there?" Lupin questioned.

"Well I thought it would be good to see," Harry paused, not sure what he really expected to see there, "the house. But I haven't a clue how to get there."

"If, if something does happen, Harry," Lupin said carefully, "It could be dangerous."

"Well you'll be there, and I know to just stay out of the way," he said hopefully.

Lupin stopped to think, it seemed as though he didn't think it was a very good idea. "Okay," he finally said, "But you have to promise to stay out of the way. Hold on to my arm."

He held out his arm and Harry took hold of it. He felt Lupin turn and there was a great pressure on him from all sides. The feeling of being sucked through a drinking straw subsided, and he found himself outside a very old, very tattered house. It looked as though it was ready to come down, most of the windows had been smashed, the right half looked like it had set fire at one point, and an entire section of the roof seemed to be ripped apart.

Seeing that Harry noticed all the damage Lupin said, "Nobody has entered this house in sixteen years Harry. Protections similar to that of Grimmauld Place were put on it. To this day, not even the ministry knows where to find it."

"So it's the same as it was that night?" Harry asked, looking through the broken windows into the rooms.

"Yes, I expect not much has changed. But we did search it, after…" He let it trail off, not able to find anything to say. "We did didn't find anything. I hope you aren't expecting much."

They walked up to the door, which had the distinct look as if it was knocked down then propped back up. Bill remained quiet, with a look of deep thought on his face. Harry look at it hesitantly, then moved toward it. He tried to swing it carefully to the side but it slammed hard onto the floor. Dust rose up from the floor, then slowly settled back down. The first room was a large sitting room with a couch that had been blasted in two. There was a large pile of singed wood blocking the next door, but they were able to step through a large hole made in the wall. This room had what Harry assumed to be a fireplace at some point; it was now a pile of stone and rubble.

Growing anxious now, Harry moved on to the next room. Something must be here, he thought, I know I'll find something. He finally found the stairs and they began to climb them.

"Harry we don't have much more time," said Lupin anxiously.

Harry did not answer though, he had reached the top of the stairs and seen a room with the door blown off with great force. He walked toward the room slowly, with Bill and Lupin following behind. In the room was a large wooden cot that must have been Harry's. It was rotten and soggy as though it had been rained on. Harry looked up and saw that the ceiling of almost the entire room had been ripped off, he had a clear view of the moon.

He looked over at Lupin and Bill fearing the worst. Bill had dove to the side to avoid Lupin, who had begun transforming into the beast.

"Don't worry, I've taken a pot-AHHH" Lupin let out a scream of pain. He had mentioned to Harry how painful it could be but he had never expected the looks of anguish on his face.

Harry looked over at Bill who had a look of terror on his face. Seeing what can happen when a werewolf transforms must being horrifying for him, he thought. There had been no change in Bill however, and they both felt a bit more relieved while watching Lupin complete his transformation.

"I guess there was nothing to fear at all," Bill said, no longer looking gloomy or depressed. For the first time since Harry had returned to Grimmauld Place, Bill smiled wide. "I can't wait to tell Fle-" but he stopped mid sentence, falling to his knees.

"What's happening?" Harry asked, backing up a bit. "Something's gone wrong," he shouted to Lupin, who had become a hideous monster, but Harry could still tell was himself.

Harry heard a loud rip and looked towards Bill. The back of his robes had split open and he seemed much hairier than normal. He looked up at them and Harry gasped. His face was still the same, but he had grown long fang-like teeth and his eyes were a wicked yellow. He rose off the ground onto his legs and stood almost seven feet tall. His hands had become large and hairy, with enormous claws extending from each finger.

"Bill! Can you hear me? Are you, yourself?" Harry said, praying that Bill still had control.

In answer he raised one of his monstrous claws and swung it at Harry, nearly missing and destroying Harry's crib instead. Harry heard a loud howl from Lupin and saw him lunge at Bill, sending them both through the wall. They fell to the ground below and Bill ran off, followed by Lupin.

What should I do, Harry thought, I can't leave without them. But I can't go after them.

Taking one last look at his old room, he left and ran down the stairs. Stepping over the fallen door he found himself back into the dark streets of Godric's Hollow. Not sure whether to follow or stay in the empty street, Harry decided to walk slowly in the direction he had seen them run. The forest was extremely dark, and Harry was not able to see a think through all the trees. He had his wand but he didn't dare risk another hearing at the ministry simply for using "Lumos."

After blinding walking for what seemed like ages, Harry found himself in a dimly lit clearing. After a moment he realized it was not merely a clearing, but a cemetery. Would his parents be buried here? He looked around at the many gravestones, he could tell the graveyard was very old. One grave marker, Bowman Wright, was dated back to the 14th century. His attention was drawn to an enormous monument that looked like a stone hut. It was almost as big as number 4 Privet Drive, he thought. He silently wondered who the grave could belong too. It was engraved with symbols that Harry did not understand. In the middle was a large stone that seemed to enclose the entrance, to either side were large stone lions.

He knelt down to examine one of the lions and heard a low growl. Was there some sort of spell put on them? They seemed so real, he could almost hear their low course breathing. Harry suddenly realized that the noises were not coming from the lions, but from behind him. He turned around to become face to face with Bill. His face was even more distorted, is had large scratches on it and he was dripping was looked a great deal like blood from his mouth. Harry stood up and tried to back away slowly.

Bill bared his teeth, which had become large fangs covered in blood, and advanced on Harry. What would Harry become if he were bitten by only a half-werewolf? He pointed his wand at Bill but hesitated. Fawkes had appeared in a burst of flame and clawed at Bill with his talons. Harry took this chance to run, jumping over the stone lion he raced through the trees. He turned to see Bill swipe the Phoenix aside and speed after Harry. Harry turned and continued to run but knew that the half-wolf must be gaining on him. He turned to see him only a few feet away and threw his wand up, having to finally attack.

Lupin lunged out of the trees and tackled Bill to the ground. They rolled across the grassy forest, clawing and biting each other, until separating. The both got to their feet and circled each other. Lupin, as a full werewolf, surpassed Bill in size and strength, but was not as fast as Bill. The half-wolf lunged at him, sinking his teeth into his shoulder. Lupin kicked him off and sent him flying into a tree.

Bill hung on to one of the branches and began climbing. Once near the top he was able to leap from tree to tree, using his claws to grab on. Lupin raced after him on the ground, keeping up with some difficulty.

It was time for Harry to go, he realized, as Fawkes fly towards him. He grabbed the Phoenix's tail and felt the warm flames surround him.