(A/N): Hey Guys! I've only got like, fifteen minutes left before lunch, so I'll start this next chapter now...

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

Remus

The full moon. I had spent the whole day in the Hospital Wing, having had to be taken me there in the morning by Leo because I was so weak. Of course, I was used to being weak- but it had still been an embarrassing shock when Leo had commented on me taking too long to walk there with him merely supporting me, and decided to just scoop me up in his arms and run there. It had only been for a few seconds, but I was still cherry red when we had arrived- the rest of my face sallow and pale, dark purple smudges under my sunken eyes, my lips cracked and my tongue dry.

It had been boring in the Hospital Wing after Leo had left for classes, but I spent most of my time sleeping. At seven o'clock that evening, madam Pomfrey lead me down through the grounds to the Womping Willow tree, and guided me through the enclosed tunnel into the Shrieking Shack. She made sure I was comfortable- or, well, as comfortable as I could be- before she left, scurrying back through the tunnel in a tizzy, her footsteps fading fast. And then, a few minutes later, the change started.

My whole body shook, my breath coming out in wild pants before my skin tore, my nails growing too fast for my hands to catch up. Bones shattered and reshaped themselves, everything moving and shifting in a deeply unsettling way- my knees popped out backwards, causing me to fall on to all fours. My teeth grew inside my mouth, leaving me unable to close it as my ears moved up the side of my hear and grew, followed by the fur starting to erupt from my flesh. It was itchy and it stung a little, pulling at the skin and tearing it in some places as it grew too fast. And then, the wolf mind came in.

Hunt. Kill. Eat. I fought with it, grappling against it, but it was like trying to climb a smooth, wet wall.

'Remus...?' A familiar voice chimed, but I was too caught up in my internal battle to notice. 'Remus.' It was Leo, I saw as the beast turned my head. He was in his cheetah form.

Attack, the wolf inside me said, and launched me toward him- but I only crashed against the wall, Leo having moved already. A throaty growl echoed through the room as I tried to gain control, the wolf charging at Leo again- this time it didn't miss him, but he swiped out at me with his sharp claws in return, not really having much of a choice in matter. The wolf howled in pain and fury, leveling him with an animalistic glare.

'Remus! Get control of yourself!' The voice rang clear in my head like a bell, and the wolf slammed against my mind before moving to charge at him once more. He darted out the way again, then rammed his own body into my side, sending me sprawling to the ground before he pounced on top of me. The wolf's legs were too long to do any further damage to him as he pinned me to the ground, halting its movement as his jaws met my throat.

The familiar yet alien mind receded, crawling into a corner to lick it's wounds, and my mind resurfaced. 'Leo...?'

He let me go, jumping up into the mostly shredded arm chair and curling into a ball of spotted fur, his bright blue eyes blinking in the darkness, appraising me. 'Took you long enough.'

I scowled, which involved a mostly involuntary low growl now that I was in wolf form. 'It's not like you have to deal with something like this!' One of the cheetah's furry eyebrows raised, and I regretted speaking. Thinking...?

'It's with me all the time Moony, don't forget that.'

The mood was tense for a minute before a flash of animalistic rage coursed through my veins, and I struck out at the wall of the shack, sending chips of wood flying. I expected Leo to flinch, but he didn't. 'What if this happens when Elaine completes the change Leo? What if I attack her?' That made him flinch. 'And you heard the boys, what about them?'

Leo stared at the ground for a second before rising to his feet, jumping down from the chair to stand before me. 'I'll make sure nothing happens to them.'

It sounded vaguely like a threat but I smiled, which was really just baring my teeth- hopefully it didn't read as another attempt by the wolf to intimidate him. 'But who's going to make sure nothing happens to you?'

(A/N): Sorry for the wait guys, I've been home for a few hours and I only just got around to finishing this...

This chapter has had minor edits made to it on 30/12/22

This chapter has had edits made to it on 23/2/24 - formatting, and reconfiguring of sentences so they make more sense. I changed the animagi thought speak so it wasn't all separate lines, even those by the same person right after each other- hopefully it's still easy enough to understand (or easier).