The Incredibly Futile Escape From A Werewolf

Narcissa followed Lupin outside with her eyes, wondering where he would be going this late--at this hour, no less. Quietly, she tiptoed after him. The air outside had a faint breeze about it, and was chilling her by the second.

She looked for someone he should be meeting, or a reason he would be outdoors on this particular October night. To the right was the lake. Nothing. Straight ahead was the gates and Forbidden Forest. Nothing. To the left, where he had gone, was the lake and Whomping Willow. Nothing there, either. Except...

"Who's that with him?" she asked herself aloud, sneaking around the side of the castle, watching in the pale light of the full moon through the dark clouds.

She tiptoed closer, wondering who the second figure was, walking just ahead of him. The person, whoever they were, was round, short, had long hair, assuring her it was not Pettigrew. Careful to stay in the shadows, she crept along after Lupin and the mysterious person. Her heart swelled with pride: she was doing something against the rules. At night. She had done things against the rules, but, not wanting to lower her status to that of Sirius and his clique, she kept pillaging to a minimum.

"Looking for something, cousin?" came a voice from behind her.

Her heart felt like it had jumped to the ground. "Sirius Black!" she screeched breathlessly, her chest pounding wildly. "What are you doing here?" she said bossily.

"Well, Narcissa, you know that I'm alone, so d'you think we could--" Sirius started, smirking.

She glowered at him. "No. No, no, no. Go away, you prat!"

"Why? So you can follow Remus some more?" Sirius laughed.

"Why are you out here?" she asked, not wanting to answer her cousin's question.

"That," he said sharply, now looking her sternly in the eye, "is none of your business. Get back in before you're in trouble."

Narcissa injected no more queries in their conversation. Instead, she turned on heel and stocked off, discounting Sirius's grin of feat.

Narcissa returned to Slytherin common room, surprisingly unnoticed by anyone. She did not want to go to bed, not this early, not with so much on her mind. So she plopped down in one of the poufs in the corner, away from all the other Slytherins.

"Alone, Miss Black?" said a silky voice behind her seat.

"Leave me alone, Lucius," she mumbled, turning away.

"Whatever for, my dear? I know you didn't come straight from Potions to the common room. You went outside." A smirk crept onto his naturally pallid face, his dark black eyes glinting with something of malice.

"I wasn't feeling well," she shot back. "I needed fresh air."

Lucius raised his blonde eyebrows. "Right, then," he said, turning and walking back to Charles Nott and Heath Crabbe.

Narcissa frowned at his retreating back. He knew she had followed Lupin, and he wanted her. He would blackmail her into dating him, if she was not careful. Lucius Malfoy would go to any lengths to get what he wanted. She could not let him have her. Would not. She would tell Sirius that she was following his friend before Lucius could get the chance to.

She got up to leave, to go to bed, to think, to do something. But, for the third time that night, someone impeded her.

"I saw you with Remus today," said Laken Poff, stepping in front of her.

"Uh--oh," she said, her palms already beginning to sweat as she balled them up into fists.

"Why were you with him?" Laken persisted, giving her a disdainful look.

"I--uh--I dunno," she said truthfully. "I just--uh--bumped into him."

"Can't you see where you're going?" he inquired, still glowering at her.

"Uh--yeah." She was getting more and more nervous with each syllable Laken uttered.

"He doesn't need you bumping into him, you know, his mother's ill. He's just gone to see her. The least you could do is move out of his way!"

Narcissa knew that Laken and Lupin were friends to a certain extent, but she did not understand why he cared so much that she had knocked him over. But she was not about to tell him just why she had not been able to see where she was going.

"Um--sorry..." she muttered timidly.

Laken gave her a look that clearly said "you'd better be," and stormed off. Narcissa stared after him, wondering what, exactly, she saw in someone like him.

Frowning, Narcissa was now positive bed was the best place to be. Especially after a night like this.

Waking in the middle of the night to see Severus Snape standing over you is not the most relaxing way to come around. At all.

"Hello, Narcissa."

"Wha'? Wha' tha bloody hell are you doin' here?" Narcissa slurred sleepily. "How didja git here?"

"Well, there are certain charms one can place to open the girl's dormitory, you know," said Severus, holding his wand out and looking at it.

"Right," she replied, pulling the covers up around her so that all that was exposed of her was her chin up.

Severus raised his eyebrows at Narcissa. "Are you not getting out of bed?"

"Not with you hovering over me, I'm not!" Narcissa retorted in a loud whisper, now fully awake.

"Oh? And why is that? I am not going to hex you..."

"Really?" she growled irritably.

"Yes. If you were close to Black--Sirius--I would have no problem hexing you, though, rest assured. However, your beloved, Lucius Malfoy, bears a closer relationship with me than your cousin..."

"Lucius Malfoy is not my beloved," she hissed, giving Severus a death glare.

"All in good time," he muttered, looking towards the door. "Are you coming?"

"Where? What the bloody hell are you talking about? Where are we going?"

"Just get out of bed, and we'll see."