Remus lay on his bed, gazing up at the ceiling. With one, idle hand he pushed back his tawny coloured hair, inwardly musing as to how many hours there were left until the full moon rose. How many hours there were left of his sanity, his human mind.
Weakly, he pushed himself up, feeling his muscles tremble under his weight. A very ill placed, full length mirror was directly opposite him, and with darkened eyes he gazed into it.
A sickly pale boy stared back, spiky brown hair sticking to sweating, chalk white cheeks. Even from here he could see the faint gold glimmer to his normally blue eyes, or was that just his mind acting up? It often did a few hours before…before…
Remus shuddered, lifting up a hand to inspect before his eyes. It was the waiting that was the worst. The constant heavy, unbearable waiting. It was like knowing you were going to throw up, and the sweat was lining up at your forehead, and the horrible truth was lurking in the back of your mind: any minute you were going to hurl. He winced at the thought, checking the nails weren't going to burst into razor sharp claws, patting his nose to stop it lengthening into a furry grey muzzle…like he was some kind of dog…
But that's what I will be Remus thought, his eyes trailing back to the ceiling, Soon. I will be a monster, out of my mind, a vicious, snarling, drooling monster…Unexpectedly, he felt his eyes sting with tears. Hastily, he blinked them away.
"Pull yourself together, man." he hissed. Or should I say, beast…
Angrily, he thumped his pillow, rolling away from the mirror, but he could still see it as clear as day. He saw his reflection up close, the white faced, gasping little boy, the screams of pain issuing from his mouth, the fangs suddenly ripping from his gums, the lurching and twisting as all his internal organs switched places as though in some sick dance…
Remus snapped his eyes open. There were voices outside the door, footsteps drawing closer. Well, he said outside the door, but he could tell they were a good few metres away. And even from here he could pick out their voices…those loud, hyper voices he knew so well…
"Oh, fuck!" he whispered. That was Sirius, surely, and that – that voice had to be James, arguing companionably as though he were with his sibling. Remus' breath caught in his chest, everything was growing dim, black clouds were creeping round his vision, they would come in, they would see him, they would suss everything out…
One hand thrust out, scrabbling frantically on his bedside table. Where was his wand! Shaking fingers flew over the scratched surface like spiders, God, they were getting closer, any minute they would see him, a sweating, shivering wreck…
Finally, his fingers closed over the familiar wood of his wand. Mustering any last energy he had, he pointed it at the curtains whilst muttering an incantation. Reluctantly, as though they were as exhausted as he, the drapes drew wearily across, blocking him from view.
Just in time.
"Madam Pomfrey!"
James' loud, demanding voice burst over him like a drum. Remus's eyes widened as he saw James's outline move just beyond his curtain, and beyond that he saw a second shape fling itself happily onto a bed.
"Madam Pomfreeeeeeeeeey!"
"Careful James, or you'll damage that arm of yours even more." Sirius's voice snickered, and Remus tried to draw deep, steadying breaths, but it was like someone had clamped a pillow over his lungs. "Calm down now," he thought, "They can't see you. Calm down."
"Sirius, shut it! MADAM POMFREEEEEEY!"
"What on earth do you think you're playing at!"
Like some obscure bird of prey, Madam Pomfrey swooped down on the gangling figure of James, who instinctively ducked. Remus watched, clutching his chest as a familiar spasm of pain shot through it, signalling that within the hour he would transform.
"Madam Pomfrey, my arms broken-"
"Yelling your head off like the end of world is here, I've never heard anything like it-"
"James, you naughty boy!"
"Sirius, shut up!"
Remus let it all wash over him. His lips were tingling, his throat felt numb, the room was spinning before his eyes. What was happening? He shouldn't be transforming yet, it was too soon, no this couldn't be happening to him…
"Stop squeaking at me, the pair of you! Right, Potter, you come here, Black you can go back to your common room. Goodness knows how you managed to break your arm at this hour, how on earth did you do it Potter?"
Remus pressed his face to the pillow, trying to muffle the scream as another bolt of pain smashed into him with the force of a small tank. James was talking, saying something, and the sound of his voice only caused his body to convulse even more tightly. Oh god, this couldn't be happening to him, he had to get out of here, he had to get to the shack before it was too late…
"Mr Lupin?"
Madam Pomfrey's white, anxious face stared at him in horror. Gurgling sounds were rising from his throat, and unable to prevent himself he gave a scream as his guts started writhing and twisting within him. James, where was James? Had he gone? There was no time to ask, no time for her to reply as Madam Pomfrey disappeared and came back within the second clutching an old, tattered newspaper.
Bravely, she grabbed his hand and forced him to hold it, then with a sudden jerk like a massive hook had ripped into his navel he was gone.
Remus crashed into hard, wooden floorboards and at once he knew he was in the Shack. Some small part of his mind which was still human sang with relief, but this was torn away as claws started sproting out of his grey haired hands, he was being forced onto all fours, the screams turning rapidly into howls…
Then it was over. "It's over," he had time to think, before his human mind shut down to let the wolf dominate once more.
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Hmm. Well that was unexpected. Please review!