Werewolf

Chapter Two

Remus' Point of View

I knew what would happen to her after I was sent out. I had been to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, in a last attempt to change their minds, but they had already decided. It was only what I had expected, but when they threw me out, I felt terrible, knowing what I was leaving her to face.

I soon realised, in horror, that it was the full moon. Why does everything bad always happen at the same time? I had to find somewhere to go, away from people. I decided to spend the night in a room at the Leaky Cauldron. I managed to fit all of the furniture (there wasn't much of it) into the bathroom, which I locked, except the bed. I placed silencing charms on the door, window, and all over the walls. Hopefully I would be able to repair all the damage in the morning.

Finally it was time. As always, I remembered very little, and I'm glad of it. After a lifetime of this, it still frightens me when I see the state of my room, and my self-inflicted bites and scratches. All I remember is seeing fur growing on my arms, before Remus Lupin disappeared, and the wolf took control.

In the morning, I slowly walked down the stairs, feeling terrible. I was completely exhausted, and in pain from the particularly deep bites and scratches on my arms. It had been a bad one. I went to the counter to pay for my room, and realised straight away that there was something wrong. Tom, the barman and owner of the Cauldron, wouldn't speak to me, or even meet my eye. He just wrote out the bill, and gave it to me. I paid him in Galleons and Knuts, then left. The silencing charm obviously hadn't been completely successful. Well, I couldn't be bothered to deal with other people's prejudices that morning, with my grief and anger about Harriet, and it being the day after the full moon.

Half of me wanted to return to the Committee, to find out whether they had killed Harriet yet, but I was afraid. I had terrible mental images of opening the door, to be suddenly faced with her headless body. But I needed to know what had happened.

"Excuse me?" I asked the receptionist, in my politest 'I'm-such-a-nice-man-I-couldn't-possibly-be-a-werewolf' tones. "Did you see a young girl here last night?" She shook her head. "Not a twelve year old, with long black hair? She's called Harriet."

"Oh... the werewolf!" she replied, in gossipy tones "Yes, I saw her. Quite scary really, it was. The werewolf was supposed to be executed last night, see, but she escaped. It was the full moon last night you know. Macnair and a couple of the others were hurt, but none bitten, thank goodness. Now why did you want to know?" I heard her ask, as I rushed out of the door. Harriet had escaped!

I saw some scratches on the doorframe, which I instantly recognised as having been made by a werewolf. Using a fairly simple charm, I found out which direction Harriet had gone in, and started looking. I apparated a little way at a time, stopping to check that I was still heading in the right direction. Wizarding London was a lot smaller than muggle London, so it didn't take long to get out of the city. Eventually I found Harriet, trying to wash the blood off of her hands.

"Harriet," I said quietly, and she looked up. "You're alive! I can't believe you escaped like that!" She looked away from me, and continued trying to remove dried blood out of her fingernails.

"I felt glad last night, at having this power and strength. How could I? How could I feel happy because I could kill?" she asked. I didn't think she expected an answer. "Please tell me I didn't kill anyone. Not another."

"As far as I know, no you didn't. Macnair and a couple of others at the Committee were injured, but not bitten."

"Well they deserve it!" she snapped, then looked horrified at herself. "To be hurt, I mean." She added. "Not to be bitten."

I decided that it would be a good idea to go to 12 Grimmauld Place, and see Sirius. If Dumbledore had got away, then that was bound to be one of the first places he'd go to. And God knows, Sirius needed the company,

"I think we ought to go to my friend's house." I told her. "He has plenty of spare room where we can stay, if necessary." I paused, then decided I should explain to her, else she would panic when she first saw him. "Erm... my friend is Sirius Black." She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Yes, the escaped mass-murderer. I know it's hard to believe, but he didn't do it. He's innocent." I expected questions and confrontation about this, but Harriet accepted it, just like that. I suppose after the way the Ministry has treated her, she can't trust them to ever get anything right.

I thought it would be safe enough to use public transport. Afterall, it was the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures we were hiding from, not one of the major departments. And she had only escaped last night, so the news probably wouldn't have got round yet. I went to the side of the nearest road, and held out my left hand. Immediately the Knight Bus appeared, purple and gleaming.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, transport for any stranded witch or wizard, where would you like to go?" reeled off the conductor, as we stepped aboard.

"Grimmauld Place, London, please." I said quietly. I didn't want to attract any attention to Harriet or myself, whatsoever. I had been doing it for years. Of course, in the end, all my plans had never worked out too well.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 26 years previously * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Er...Remus, we've been, ah... wondering, where you keep disappearing too each month."

"I'm sure it isn't every month." I said defensively. "Last month I was ill - I told you. And whenever I was last off before, it was my Great-Aunt's funeral." I hated having to make these excuses, and lie to my friends, but I didn't see what other alternative there was. They would see me as a monster, and hate me, if I told them the truth. But I felt like I was betraying them by not telling them my only secret.

"Right..." said James, "It's just that we noticed that you're always away at the same time of the month."

" - the full moon." Interjected Sirius.

"And so we just wanted to ask you... Peter-you can say it."

"No!" protested Peter. "It was all your idea." James and Peter glared at each other.

"OK... OK... areyouawerewolfRemus?" gabbled Sirius.

"What?" I asked, playing for time.

"Are. You. A. Werewolf. Remus?" James repeated slowly. I looked down at my feet, and said nothing at all. "It was a crazy idea - sorry! I hope we didn't offend you," he apologised quickly, though I could hear in his tone that he was now certain I was a werewolf.

"No. No, you're right." I admitted, bracing myself for some kind of a response. "I have been a werewolf for six years." I finally forced myself to look up, to see (to my great surprise) that Sirius and James had identical grins on their faces. "Didn't you hear me?" I asked. "Why are you smiling? I said you're right! I'm a werewolf."

"Yeah, I know." Said Sirius. "What kind of friends do you think we are? It doesn't matter, Remus!"

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When the Knight Bus stopped in Grimmauld Place, I said goodbye to Stan and Ernie, and climbed off the bus. I had to explain to Harriet that Sirius' house was magically protected, and that I could see it, although to her it looked as if there was nothing there.

I knocked on the silver doorknocker carefully with my wand, making sure I didn't touch the silver. The door opened, and I was met by my old friend Sirius.

"Great to see you Moony! This house is really doing my head in, especially that damned elf!" Kreacher, Sirius' unwanted house elf, walked past at that moment, muttering:

"It's the werewolf again... my mistress would have never..."

"Oh, who's this?" asked Padfoot, noticing Harriet, who was very bewildered at being inside a house she couldn't see.

"My name is Harriet," She replied. "Mr Lupin is helping me hide. And I know who you are - you're Sirius Black, the escaped murderer."

"Yeah, well, it's a long story, but I promise not to kill you!" He grinned. I glared at him in warning. "Er... did you just say you were in hiding too?" He added on a more serious note.

"Padfoot!" I interrupted. "I'll tell you everything soon. Is there anywhere Harriet can go while we talk? Are Harry and the Weasleys here?"

"Yeah, Arthur's at work, and Molly's gone shopping, but all of the kids are here. Do you want to go and talk to them for a bit Harriet?" Harriet just shrugged.

"I'll show her up." I said, realising that she wouldn't be able to get up stairs that were invisible to her. I opened the door to the room I could hear their voices coming from, and gently nudged Harriet through it.