Cursed: The New Order of Merlin Book 2

9. Confidence

"And the ogre says, I was here first!" Flitwick finished and everyone at the staff table laughed. Well, everyone except for Snape.

Tonight, Snape was eyeing Remus a lot, and so did McGonagall, though with her it seemed involuntary. Remus' eyes automatically shifted up to the ceiling. The light of the floating candles got lost in the gloomy grayness of the cloudy sky reflected above them. Even though it wasn't visible, Remus knew exactly where the moon was.

He excused himself from the evening feast early, needing to get ready. Tonight was the night. But he was hopeful. For the past week, he had been taking the Wolfsbane Potion, grudgingly brewed by Snape, and could feel its effects immediately. Normally, the days before the transformation, he would always feel weak and sickly, but not today. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this well on the evening of the full moon. The Potion was working and he trusted it, but he would take precautions anyway.

As soon as he made it into his quarters, he heard a loud sound like the crack of a whip, followed by a high-pitched, "Master Lupin."

Remus turned to greet his visitor, wrinkle-skinned House-Elf dressed in a tea cozy that had a Hogwarts insignia on it. The small creature bowed low while holding out a plate in front of him.

"Great timing. Thank you."

"The instructions called for one generous portion of raw steak and a large bone. Did you mean uncooked steak, Master?"

Remus took the plate. "That's precisely what I need. Thank you."

"It was my pleasure." The Elf bowed deeply and with a crack, disapparated.

His quarters were connected to his office, which connected to his classroom. The elves had already cleaned the room, leaving behind a faint lemony scent. He hoped his wolf wouldn't find it irritating.

With a spell, Remus emptied everything out of his classroom storage cupboard until it was stripped to bare stone. He put the plate next to a red blanket he set down, feeling sorry for planning such a tight trap for his wolf, hoping the steak might console him. He really did not want to wake up to a destroyed room. Even if the Potion worked, his wolf might wreck the place out of boredom.

Remus secured the classroom door with his trusty enchanted chains as an absolute unbreakable barrier and added muting charms so no one would hear the wolf.

The familiar crawling under his skin warned him that the time was drawing near. He stripped out of his clothes and locked himself in the cupboard. The blanket provided him warmth for now. The wolf wouldn't need it in the same way, but he would appreciate not having to lay down on the bare stone.

It was dark in there, the only light coming through the crack under the door. He was contemplating what light source he could develop that the wolf wouldn't destroy, and it began. Instead of the usual bone-breaking agony, the transformation came over him smoothly, and in no time he was no longer in control.

The wolf opened his eyes, feeling strangely droopy. He shook his fur and stretched his legs while looking around the new surroundings. The dark space was cramped and smelled of musty stone and... The wolf sniffed around to locate the aroma that was making him salivate until he found the plate. He swallowed the meat chunk in one go. It wasn't as tasty as a fresh kill but it would do as a savory snack. There was also a bone there. Was this his human's version of a treat? He wished he could talk some sense into him. He wanted more meat, not bones!

He explored the small space some more, looking for a way out, tried the door again and again, but it wouldn't budge. Normally, he would have gotten angry at it, but for some reason, he just didn't feel like trying to take it apart. He sat down and whined. He would love some company. He howled to the moon he couldn't see, hoping other wolves heard him, but no one responded to his call, not even an echo.