As the evening grew, the lights of Hogsmeade slowly began to blink on. The warm fall weather was friendly, and even the Shrieking Shack seemed a bit less bleak.
But maybe this change of mood was due to the return of former residents of the shack. A young man paced back and forth, his yellow eyes occasionally darting to the boarded up windows as if to make sure they were still secure. His companion, a handsome fellow of the same age, sat in one of the dilapidated chairs, his hands clasped behind his shaggy black hair, his posture the picture of ease.
The seated man kept his eyes closed as he sighed loudly. "I wish you would stop that infernal pacing, Remus." He opened his eyes to look at the other, who had stopped to stare at him. "It won't change anything."
"There's no reason that Severus couldn't… shouldn't…." Remus growled, slamming his fist on a table that creaked and threatened to cave. He gazed down at the gnawed leg of the table and shuddered, seeming dangerously close to tears.
The black-haired man stood up fluidly and put his hands on his friend's shoulders. "Remus. You knew that he probably wouldn't. Severus hates us. Do you really think he'd help you?"
Remus put his hands to his face and moved in towards his friend. The man wrapped his arms around him, resting his head on Remus's shoulder. The two stayed like that a moment, until Remus pulled away, looking wildly towards the window again.
"Sirius…" he muttered towards his friend, suddenly looking ill. Sirius nodded, and the next moment there was a large black dog in his place.
Remus looked at the dog apologetically as he moved backwards into a doorway. Shivers racked his body as he grasped desperately at the frame. His fingers elongated and turned into long claws. His spine seemed to curve unnaturally, and he fell to the floor. As his legs contorted and turned into powerful animal legs, fur began to sprout all over his body. Sirius, safe in dog form, watched as his dearest friend underwent the painful transformation that he had had to endure for so long. As his facial features finally rearranged into something much more feral and canine, Remus threw back his head and howled.
His yellow eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Sirius, who cocked his head sideways. The dog ventured over to the werewolf, obviously prepared to defend himself if need be. A growl escaped Remus, but he did not attack his friend. Sirius came closer, and brought his eyes to meet the wolf's. A long moment passed between the two, and then the dog licked the wolf on the face. With a playful snarl, the wolf pounced on him, and the two play-fought for the remainder of the night.