Miserable Without You (Harry Potter: Remus LupinXOC)

Chapter 16

It had been four days. Four days since Remus had been seen. Allison was asking all the time. The Marauders were even confused. The staff, completely aware of his condition, were also searching for him in the Forbidden Forest, Shrieking Shack, and the woods on the outskirts of Hogsmede.

After four days, they finally found him. He laid in a bed in the hospital wing cut, bruised, and tired. On the full moon, the Marauders accompanied him as usual. The only thing that they didn't expect was another werewolf. It was the same one that they'd occasionally see, but never bothered them. This night was different.

A howl sounded throughout the air, penetrating the thin walls of the Shrieking Shack. All the creatures within the walls perked up their heads. The thin, lanky werewolf stood up on all fours, moving to the doorway. It scratched and pawed at the door, before it broke it down, the rat on the back of a black dog flitching at the loud noise.

The werewolf raced down the stairs, the stag and dog in hot pursuit, the rat clutching the dog's fur. It was a cold night and a shock to all their systems when they stepped outside. The followed the werewolf and the werewolf followed the call of one of his own kind.

Soon, deep in the woods, they found the other werewolf. This one was much more muscular, had more hair, and was devouring a human. The stag, dog, and rat were motified, however the lanky werewolf was intrigued by the smell and approached it's brother. The stronger of the two lashed out to protect it's dinner.

Deep claw marks stretched from his shoulder, across his chest, to right below his rib cage. The injured creature whimpered in pain before he snarled at the other. The strong werewolf took it as a challenge and stood to his full height, a good foot taller than the injured one.

The Animagi were unsure of what to do. The dog barked at the two monsters, however this did not distract them from one another. Instead, it seemed to spur the fight. The werewolves met in a clash of claws and fangs, tearing each others flesh, ripping off skin, digging into muscle, and biting at exposed flesh.

The stag jumped into action, ramming the two with his horns. He knocked the bigger of the two off balance and the smaller fell to the ground, growling at the hooved animal. The stag darted off into the woods, the bigger wolf giving chase, while the smaller collected himself. He was about to follow when the dog nipped at his ankle.

The werewolf let out a deafening roar before he reeled a paw back, claws gleaming in the moonlight. He swung his hand down toward the dog, but the dog was too quick for him and ran off in the opposite direction of the stag and larger werewolf.

The Marauders had gone to the headmaster, who was aware of their other forms, and told them of what they saw. The man in the woods was recovered and was now buried. The headmaster had promised to look into the other werewolf.

But today, their attention was on Remus. He laid in bed asleep. The nurse would come by every few hours to check the work she did on his chest and limbs. They would scar terribly. The boys all sat around their friends bedside. They all agreed that this was the worst he had ever looked. They found him deep in the woods, his wounds festering and he had a high fever. With the help of the nurse and her magical remedies, he was recovering nicely.

Allison had just heard that he was in the hospital wing and rushed their, Lily accompanying her. When she entered the doorway, James rose out of his seat to meet her.

"Allison, you shouldn't be here." He said.

"What do you mean? He's been missing for four days! Let me through." She demanded moving to pass him.

"Allison, you don't want to see him." James tried to reason.

"Why?" Lily spoke for her friend.

"Remus is resting and..." James couldn't think of an excuse. Allison brushed past him and gasped when she saw him. She had never seen anyone as badly beat up as this.

"What happened to him?" Allison asks, looking to the boys.

"He got lost in the Forbidden Forest and was attacked by some creature." Sirius said. It wasn't completely a lie.

"Why was he in the forest?" She questioned.

"We don't know." Peter answered.

Allison nodded and sat down at his bedside, pulling out a bag of chocolates, setting them down on his night stand.

Remus could smell the sweets and citrus. He knew that Allison was there, he could hear her voice, but he couldn't open his eyes. He couldn't face her now anyway. Remus was ashamed of what he was. The others believed that he should just tell her. Allison was trustworthy and kind, but Remus didn't want her to run away from him. What would happen if he told her?