"Oi, Lupin! Where ya goin, mate?" Sirius called out from behind me as I tried to rush out of the castle.
"Oh, I, erm.. I have to.. go, er.. grab my quill from Herbology.. Yeh! That's it!" I blurted out as the sun was starting to go down. It was that time of the month for me and I had to go to where McGonagall had told me. A place called the Whomping Willow which leads to a shack of sorts.
"Well, why don't I-?"
"You can't be caught out here! Go back to the dormitory Now, Sirius!" I snarled, though surprised at my attitude by this time, didn't care. Sirius tried to object but then ran off back to the castle, seeing a look in my eyes.
Good riddance! I thought, he's bound to get himself into trouble one day, snooping about. Blast! I gotta get..
I howled just then before clamping my mouth shut and sprinting off towards the tree.
...
I heard a howl from outside, shortly after Remus had left. Are there werewolves out there? I gotta go get James.. hope Pettigrew doesn't tag along...
...
I found the tree and pressed the knob with the long branch as McGonagall had told me and dived into the tunnels, knowing I had left a trail of shredded clothing behind as I transformed. Why now? It's just the first week of school.. why now! I thought as I began to howl in pain as I felt more of my bones cracking and extending. Fur shooting through my skin, causing it to bleed.
...
"Guys, I heard a howl after I left Remus!" I cried out once I got to the boys' dormintory, where the four of us, now narrowed to three, were all staying together.
"So?" James snapped, "The real issue here is how I can get Evans to-"
"Just shut your trap for a moment, James and think of others!"
"Wow, take it easy.. Pettigrew is sleeping, just dozed off. Why didn't you go-"
"James, we need to do this. We need to perform our-"
"You mean-" Pettigrew stirred about in his sleep at that moment. We froze.
"So, you mean the trick your Dad taught us?" James hushed.
"That's the one.."
...
I begin tearing down drapes, clawing at walls and nearly taking the door off it's hinges in my rage.Why me? Why did I have to save those idiots! I turn over a chair and pause. Did I just hear... no, probably just some loose rock or something of the sort. I punch through a sheet of drywall, getting a hole through it and as I drew my... paw... hand... away, I swore I saw a bit of black flitter past the hole.
Impossible.. probably just some sort of bat or something passing by..
Just then, a big, black dog walked through the door. I began to snarl, my sharp teeth showing as my hackles rose. Growling and going on all fours, I approached the dog, the dog looked like it was waiting for something, guarded.
I lunged at it only to face a deer, my claws digging into the creature and I howled again. The dog was now on my back, biting into my neck. I spun around and around, trying to shake it off as the buck attacked me with its antlers.
I tossed the dog across the room and turned towards the buck, I now on my hind legs and about to make the attack before some light began shining into my canine eyes. I whirled around and saw the sun rising, letting loose one last howl before beginning the transformation back to human.
Whimpering, shouting and crying out in pain as the bones began to crack and shrink back. Fur was retracting into my skin and my jaw was going back to its normal state. Shouting out profanities until I was crouched onto the floor, vomiting.
"Remus?"
I tried to say something to the stranger, but I couldn't talk through my vomit. My vision was still blurry from the change back and I was unable to see the intruder.
...
I was injured from being thrown through the wall, but looking down at Remus was horrifying. Watching him change from a WEREWOLF, a bloody WEREWOLF, back into Remus. Remus, my friend, is a Werewolf. That was unbelievable!
"Padfoot, you alright?" James hushed into my ear.
"Yeh, lil' bruised up.. shaken too, but I'm fine. H'bout you, Prongs?"
"Ya, did y'know he was a Werewolf?"
"No! Did you?" James shook his head in response.
So, neither of us knew Remus was a... what he was. Why would he keep a secret?
As the stench of vomit wafted through the shack, I walked over to him.
"Remus?" God, I hope he's okay..
...
I woke up in the Hospital Wing and immediately shot upwards.
"Pomfrey! He's awake!" McGonagall chirped from my left, causing a slight jump from me as I flopped my head back down onto the pillow. A stout woman came hustling through to my bed with some goblets and bottles on a trolley.
"Remus Lupin, this is Madam Pomfrey. She's the nurse here at Hogwarts and she will be taking care of you. She knows of your condition and will take care of you," she leaned in closer to my ear and whispered, "I wouldn't sit up too far, Mr Lupin, as there are women in the room."
"What?" I lifted up my covers slightly and immediately dropped them again, embarrassed.
"Not to worry, not to worry dear boy! I'll fix you up right! And no need to worry about that, I have your friends getting some of your clothes. Sit up and let me take a look at your shoulder!" I sat up and realized McGonagall had disappeared, "Drink this as I mend it up, will you? Don't worry, it just helps deal with the pain! Go on, go on!" I take the goblet from her hand and take a sniff before downing it and making a face.
...
When I walked in with Remus' clothes, we had all decided on giving him the nickname 'Moony', because he turns into his.. other form at night. He never was able to become an Animagus correctly, now I know why.
I come in to see Remus, aka Moony, being stitched up.
"Come on over, dear! I'm almost done mending him! One more second and.. done! You can dress him now!" the nurse called me over.
I'm supposed to dress him? Well, this will certainly be interesting.. I groaned at the thought as I walked over to Remus and closed the curtain around the bed, enclosing myself along with him
...
Once Sirius shut the curtains around us, he immediately muttered "Muffliato" and turned to me. I expected the worst.
"Let me explain, Padfoot, I wanted to tell you! I really wanted to tell all of you! But.. I didn't know how to explain it to you.." I stammered at Sirius, taking some of my brown hair out of my eye.
"It's alright, Moony. I know why you didn't tell us. You were afraid we'd make fun of you and you'd have to tell all of us your story, but please tell me what happened to make you... that!" Sirius politely demanded, setting my neatly-folded clothes onto the bedside table and sitting at the foot of my bed.
"Okay, well... wait, Moony?" Sirius grinned at me, "That my new nickname? Moony? Clever. Anyway, it started when I was a kid. I was walking home one day from school when I heard a rustle from the bushes beside me...
'Hullo?' I hear a little whimper of a dog.
'It's okay, puppy, come out!' another growl, 'I have a treat!'
I take out a bit of bacon, 'Here boy! C'mon out!'
A big shadow rises from the bush and a big ball of fur flies towards me, something big and hairy landing on me as I scream and try to get it off me.
A shot of pain runs through my neck as it digs its teeth into my neck.
Someone comes along and shoots spells at the creature and picks me up as my vision blacks out...
And that is how it happened." I concluded.
"So.. this is your first change?" he asked and I nodded in response, "Why? You were, what, nine years old when you were bitten? Why's now your first change?"
"Well, I'm hitting puberty and had to tell McGonagall about my condition so she would be aware. She told me the signs and so.. that's when I told you I had to grab my quill from Herbology.." Sirius nodded in understanding.
"James knows. We were there with you. I as the big black dog you threw through a wall and James the buck that attacked you with its antlers. It's alright, no one else will know... And, when it's time, we will be there for you. Got it?" I nodded in response.
"I should probably get my clothes on.. but we all set for the plan for tomorrow?"
"Yep. Lunch in the Great Hall?"
"Ya, see you there.." I smirked as Sirius left me to dress.
This plan will work.. Tomorrow it will begin..
Tomorrow.