27.
The wolf was being uncharacteristically stealthy, it didn't want to be seen and caught before it found its prey, and tonight it wasn't particularly interested in any other human. It didn't have all that much time in which to find the human and actually catch him, the sun would be up soon and when it did, the wolf would once again be imprisoned. The wolf didn't want to encounter a human that wasn't its prey, for that would mean that the time taken to dispatch of said human, would be time taken away from the catching of its intended target. The wolf was pleased that the human wasn't in the tower and instead was near the main floor, that made him a much easier target and the wolf would have a more likely chance of not encountering another human.
The wolf kept to the shadows, sniffing everything it came across and moving as stealthily and quickly as it could towards a dark opening, which the strong scent of its prey was emanating from. If it had been possible for the wolf to grin, then it would have. As it was, the wolf stalked down the hallway and disappeared into the darkness of the room beyond; the human was alone. Alone and in the dark, it was as though this stupid human was inviting the wolf to find and catch him, this human was not expecting an attack, yet he would get one just the same.
The wolf growled low in its throat, as it crouched and slunk forward…inching towards the human until it was mere inches from its prey, then it struck. Its claws raked over the human's leg, tearing four deep gouges in the boy's leg from mid-thigh to his ankle. The wolf's attack elicited a scream from the human as he fell to the floor. Only then did the human see what had attacked it—a wolf with long fangs were perfect for tearing into flesh, eyes so malevolent that they seemed to ooze evil intent from them, leaving the human no doubt about what his fate would be. In that instant the boy was more terrified than he had ever been in his life, he was staring death in the face…a face which would haunt his nightmares for years to come.
The wolf snarled at the human, the human who had caused it pain, had tormented it and had nearly driven it mad. The human who still wanted to hurt it. With fangs bared, it circled the human, watching him cower on the floor, with malice in its eyes. The wolf lunged at the human, jaws apart and ready to clamp down on the human's arm; the wolf never made it to its target, for someone had just walked by and heard the screams from the human and that someone was a teacher. The teacher stunned the wolf, bound its legs, then levitated the boy out of the room, up the stairs and into the infirmary. Another teacher took the wolf back to the shrieking shack, mended the hole in the wall and left, just as the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon. The wolf turned slowly back into a boy, a boy with no memory of the night before, a boy who felt more alone than anyone had a right to feel. A boy who was a monster…no one could deny that now.
Remus woke late that morning, tucked into one of the hospital beds and with surprisingly few aches. After a quick glance at himself, he realized that the only thing that really hurt was his shoulder; Remus frowned slightly and wondered what had kept the wolf occupied through the night. He didn't move his shoulder—he could feel it was shattered and didn't want to cause any more damage by moving it, and attempted to turn and look around without moving it too much.
There was another bed occupied, the curtains were drawn around it and he could hear whimpering coming from whoever was behind them. Madam Pomfrey was nowhere in sight, though he could hear her moving bottles around somewhere else in the room. Remus could smell blood, it wasn't his blood though, so it had to be the other person's; he hoped that whatever had happened to the person, wasn't serious.
Throughout the day, Remus was given pain potions and the matron healed his shoulder, he still hadn't seen the other occupant and by evening, he was ready to leave the hospital wing. It must have been his shortest stay ever, and he had no idea what had kept the wolf occupied through the night, he briefly wondered if it was something that could be repeated. The matron had been unusually tight lipped whenever Remus would ask a question, he tried not to think too much about it, yet he had to wonder if even she was changing her mind and now thought him a monster.
As he left the infirmary he stole a quick glance at the person who lay in the bed, through a gap in the curtains he could see brown hair and the familiar face of Peter, staring at the ceiling and looking utterly bored. Remus gulped and hurried out of the infirmary, hoping that Peter wouldn't try to get back at him for whatever had happened. As he climbed the stairs to Gryiffindor tower, he wondered what Sirius had done to Peter that would land him in the hospital wing; he probably wouldn't find out though, for that would mean breaking his promise to avoid the others.
Remus clambered through the portrait hole, turned and walked up the stairs to the dorm. Upon opening the door he saw James and Sirius talking to each other, they stopped the moment that Remus opened the door and entered the room. He walked over to his bed, trying to ignore the uncomfortable silence as he felt the other boy's eyes on him, watching him as they would watch something dangerous. James was the one who spoke, his voice accusing, and his expression dark.
"How could you attack Peter? I know what he did last year was horrible, and there is no doubt that he deserved something to happen to him. How could you, Remus."
Remus was frozen in place; his bag dropped from his hand its contents spilling over the floor at his feet, his eyes wide and full of horror. He, Remus Lupin, had attacked someone. Somehow he had broken out, made it to the castle and actually attacked someone, he would have to leave school, he would have to. There wasn't another way, the others had to be kept safe from him…safe from the monster who had dwelt for far too long in their midst.
Thank you for reading, this latest chapter. Please review, and I hope that this story will continue to be at least interesting. Thanks again and you are all awesome!