When The Dog Bites

2. Infected

‘It's too late! It's too late!’ Remus’s internal panic made his head spin as he ran through the dark corridors of the Hogwarts castle. He needed to get out. He had to get out NOW! The moon would be overhead soon and he could already feel the wolf taking over. A sharp pain shot through his body like an electrical current causing his knees to buckle mid run. He collapsed to the ground with a hard CRACK as his knees hit the floor. He let out a sound that was reminiscent of a shrill cry that was very unlike the man. He struggled to get back to his feet as shudders racked his body, only succeeding when a soft hand grasped his arm, helping him to his feet. Through blurred vision he could only vaguely make out the silhouette of head girl Hermione Granger pulling him through the arched entryway and out into the castle grounds. 

“Her-Mi--Mi.. Mio--ne?” Remus struggled to speak. Another shudder ripped through his body and he pressed his lips together to hold back a scream. “I didn't--mmm- di-didn't get my- my potion.” 

“Shit” The girl whispered to herself. She dragged him along faster, making a beeline towards the whomping willow. He would have to power through the excruciating spasms raking through his body. They hadn't any time to waste. “Bare with me Remus, were almost there.” 

Her soothing voice did little to calm the man. He could barely hear her over the sound of his own blood rushing through his veins. The gushing sound made his stomach churn, but he didn't have any time to keel over and vomit. He gagged and whimpered and hissed and screamed all while his friend and student remained calm as she dragged him away to safety. 

His legs nearly quit working as they reached the tree. He stumbled forward taking her down with him. The force of the fall had them rolling forward in a ball of tangled limbs. Luckily they wound up in the tunnel leading towards the shrieking shack, else they might be beaten to shit by an angry tree. Hermione untangled herself from Remus just in time for the man to roll over and spill the contents from his stomach. He barely had time to finish before she pulled him back to his feet and rushed him through the tunnel. 

They were three paces from the shack when his face began to contort. His nose broke with a loud crack and his screams were ear piercing. She just managed to shove him through the door when his face had finally elongated into a snout. She couldn't get the door shut. He was in the way and she couldnt coerce him to move with words. She could barely hear herself through the sounds of his screaming cries and his bones breaking and resetting. She did the only thing she could think of. In the midst of his spine cracking and breaking she shoved him further into the room. She had no time to get herself out so she slammed the door shut and silently warded it as she bounded past the wolf, still mid-transformation, and up the stairs. She jumped slightly as an ear spitting howl emanated from the bottom of the stairs. She almost curled up in a ball out of fear, but when she heard the grumbling growl mere feet behind her, she quickened her pace. 

She didn't make it up the first flight of stairs. The wolf violently swiped at her ankles leaving deep gashes on her left calf. She cried out as she collapsed from the pain. It hurt so bad that she wasn't sure if she still had her lower leg. She managed to roll over onto her back, barely noticing the sharp corner of a step digging into her spine. Amber eyes stared down at her as the wolf stalked over her trembling body. Gray snout pulled back over sharp yellow teeth as he snarled at her. She knew she shouldn't speak. She knew she should keep silent. But the poor girl couldn't help but whimper in fear. The wolf grew manic at the sound, growling deep in his throat before pouncing. Hermione shrieked loudly as his teeth sank viciously into her skin under her left breast, breaking her ribs in the process. 

Hermione tried to scream but the searing pain in her chest made it impossible to breath. She gasped in short unsteady breaths as she writhed under the wolf who was thrusting back and forth on top of her, teeth still sunk deep into her flesh. She could barely comprehend what was happening to her, barely understand all of the things she was feeling at that moment. She knew her leg was still there because she could feel the blood trailing down her calf and clumping between her toes. She suspected the bite had punctured her lung because of how much it burned to breath… or maybe it burned for another reason entirely. In fact, she noticed now that it wasn't just her chest burning. It felt like her whole body was on fire. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to watch as the wolf ravaged her, but she found that she wasn't able to open them. She began to panic internally as the searing pain faded into numbness, and then her panic faded away as well and she fell unconscious. 

Hermione woke to the wolf sleeping soundly at her feet. The sight might have been cute if he hadn't sunk his teeth into her mere hours ago. Fear coursed through her, but she remained collected enough to silently drag herself to the top of the steps. She looked down to make sure the wolf was still asleep and dry heaved at the sight of her own blood coating the steps she had previously occupied. After her experience in the war, she associated blood with death and she couldn't stand the sight. She cast a silent scourgify, holding back a sigh of relief as the blood disappeared. She continued backing away from the beast until she was completely hidden behind a wall before whispering a healing charm to close up her wounds. She hissed in pain as her skin pulled and shifted until she was no longer bleeding. 

The sun would rise soon and the beast would one again be a man… would once again be her friend. She hoped he wouldn't remember. She hoped he would be too out of it from the transformation to notice she was ever there. He hated himself enough, he didn't need to know what he had done. He didn't need to know that he had infected her with his affliction. The poor man would never forgive himself. She would have to take care of this herself. She would spend all of her time researching her new ailment until the next full moon, and hopefully, she would be prepared.

His transformation was a painful one. He clawed his skin and screamed out in pain as his bones began to break and his body shifted back from wolf to man. His spine straightened and fused back together and his snout was once again a crooked nose. Amber eyes faded into blue. Sharp claws receded into jagged fingernails. He collapsed on the steps after the transformation was complete. His naked body shook violently and he couldn't tell if he was shivering from the cold, or shuddering with exhaustion. He laid there for a moment collecting himself before limping down the stairs and collapsing on an old rotting couch. He didn't even notice the sharp spring poking into his bare thigh. He refused to move.

Remus jumped when someone started pounding on the door trying to get through the wards. 

“Lupin! Open up!” A low voice boomed. Remus sighed in relief before pulling an old throw blanket over his lap and struggled to drop the wards. 

“You'll have to help me, Severus, I'm struggling with these wards.” He croaked back loudly. The two men were able to drop the wards together after a good twenty minutes of focused magic. 

Severus Snape traipsed into the room muttering something about a wizard being too dim witted to drop his own wards before scoffing at the sight before him.

“Merlin Lupin! Where on earth are your clothes?” His question was answered when the werewolf pointed to a pile of tattered fabrics by the door. Severus scowled as he shed his outer robes and threw them at the naked man and handed him a vial of pepper up and a pain relieving potion. 

After the potions kicked in, the two men slowly made their way back to the castle. They were halfway there before Remus stopped in his tracks. Panic was evident on his face and his heart was pounding in his chest. His labored breathing became obvious to Severus when he noticed the sandy haired man struggling to stay upright. 

“Bloody hell. What is wrong with you.” Severus seethed, hiding the worry in his voice. Black eyes met blue. 

“Those weren't my wards. I can't remember who set them but they weren't mine. They weren't mine and I taste blood. It's all on my teeth and it's not my blood Severus! It's not my blood.” He nearly whispered in his manic state. 

Severus ushered him quickly to the hospital ward feigning calmness before he ran at full speed back to the shack. He checked the whole building… but no one was there.