Prompt 24 - Skeleton
@wolfstarmicrofic October 24, word count 487
“Can’t we do something to clean this place up a bit? I swear I can feel the dust clinging to me,” Sirius said, pulling a face in disgust at the almost derelict shack. “I mean, come on, there’s a rat skeleton over there, for Merlin’s sake.” He pointed at the corner of the room.
“Shut up, Sirius!” Peter squeaked at him, a visible shiver running through him at the mention of the dead rat.
“We can’t, Pads. If we do, Pomfrey and McGonagall will know something’s up. We have to leave the shack exactly as we found it.” James told him, resting a hand on his shoulder.
A foot scuffing on the tunnel floor alerted them to Remus’s arrival. Quickly, they all hid under James’s invisibility cloak as Madam Pomfrey led Remus into the shack.
“I’ll be back at sunrise, dear. Do try not to scratch yourself too badly,” She said softly, her hand cupping Remus’s cheek for a second before she turned to leave. Her eyes were full of pity when she looked back at the lanky boy she was leaving to transform into a fearsome werewolf.
As soon as she was gone, they threw the cloak off. Sirius raced forward and wrapped his arms around Remus’s waist.
“You ready, Moony?” He asked, gazing up at the tall boy. It was going to be their first moon together as they’d only just figured out how to become animagi. Tonight would be their first test to see if the wolf would be a danger to them in their animal forms.
“No, but I never am,” Remus smiled at him, but it turned into a pained expression as a shooting pain shot through him. “You need to change,” He told them hurriedly, his eyes more golden than Sirius had ever seen them. Sirius, James and Peter transformed just as Remus dropped heavily to the floor.
He writhed in pain, rolling and shrieking across the dust-clogged rug. Padfoot whined, unable to help his friend. The dog winced every time one of Remus’s bones snapped as his entire body reshaped itself to release the wild animal within.
Eventually, the room went silent, and where Remus had been was now a gleaming silver wolf. It growled low in its chest as it became aware of its surroundings. Padfoot walked towards the wolf. Prongs snorted and pawed the ground, trying to get his attention, but Padfoot ignored it. The wolf, Moony, was still growling at him, hackles raised and teeth bared.
Sirius flopped down onto the rug in front of Moony, a cloud of dust rising into the already dusty air, and rolled onto his back. Moony stopped growling and sniffed the dog. He must have liked what he smelled as, within seconds, the wolf and the dog were chasing each other around the room playfully. That night was the first night that Moony didn’t hurt himself, much to Madam Pomfrey’s delight.
