Remus was feeling the pain in his bones, the soreness in his muscles. But there was a new and odd feeling around him as he tried to open his eyes. His whole body was wet. He was face-down on what seemed to be mud.

      He tried blinking a few times, still not able to see properly. He could see trees, tilted to his sight. His vision was a blur. He tried to recall the events of last night, but his memory was failing him, nothing but a haze.

He made an effort to get up, placing his palms flat down on the muddy grown, using the little remaining strength his weak body to push himself up into a sitting position. He shut his eyes close, pinching his the bridge of his nose.

But then, he heard something moving; a rattling noise of the leaves, right behind him. Briskly and fear, he stumbled up to his feet and turned around in fear, but what he saw was much more horrifying than if he had seen Death Eater. What he saw was more horrifying than death itself.

"No... no, no, no!" Remus yelled, running forward.

A few feet over, there laid Diana, blood covering the sweater she was wearing.

"Diana! Diana!" Remus exclaimed, dropping to his knees beside his motionless body. His every limb had turned numb, his legs and hand shaking. "No, no, no!"

      Tears blurred his vision, but relief suddenly washed over him when she began moving her fingers, though not yet conscious. But the relief was short-lasting when Remus's attention was grabbed by the blood on her sweater.

There it was, a bite mark on her shoulder, he wound open, red blood all over.
    
Remus wanted to scream. Wanted to find a dagger and push it into his heart; even that would've felt less painful than what he was feeling now.

Despair. Pain. Torture.

"No..." his voice was shaking along with his body, tears streaming down his eyes. With his wand, he repaired his clothes and magically put them back on in a matter of seconds. And then, taking her body in his and picking her up, Remus Disapparated away to St. Mungo's.

***

"SOMEBODY! HELP ME! PLEASE!" Remus was yelling, tears gushing down his cheeks, Diana's unconscious body in his arms as he ran down the hospital's corridors.

     At the sound of his agonizing wails, Healers rushed forward. They took Diana from him, placing her over a white bed with wheels, moving forward to the closest empty room.

     Remus ran after them. He couldn't breathe. Hie lungs had ceased working.

      The witched looked down at the open wound over her shoulder, still bleeding. "Werewolf attack," she diagnosed briskly, asking another healer to bring a potion.

     "What — what will happen to her now!?" Remus asked desperately, his eyes wandering from one healer to another, all of them in a rush around the room, attending to the young girl. "Please — please tell me she won't — she won't be turning into — into—"

     He couldn't even finish that sentence. He couldn't bring himself to say that word.

     What was he to say?

     Turning into a werewolf? A monster? A beast, just like him?

     The healers weren't answering him. He was growing frustrated, beginning to yell. "Someone answer me! ANSWER ME!"

      "Sebastian, please assist the young gentleman out," the head Healer called the younger wizard, who grabbed Remus's arm, having to forcefully drag him out of the room.

     The last thing Remus saw was Diana lying on the bed, the Healers around her, attending to her in a rush, and that was when the door was closed in his face.

     "No... no, no, no..." his throat was burning. He leaned his back against the wall, slowly sinking down until he was sitting on the cold floor. His head laid back, he cried his heart out.

***

Remus didn't know how long he had been sitting there on the ground, hugging his legs to his chest, his forehead resting on his knees, eyes and throat dry, burning. That was when he heard footsteps approaching him.

     He looked up. It was the Healer.

     Remus jumped to his feet, so abruptly that he felt dizzy, nearly stumbling back down.

     "How is she?" He asked breathlessly.

     He hated the look on the Healer's face; it was filled with pity and empathy.

     "The werewolf bite was severe," said the Healer. "I am sorry... in these situations there is nothing we can do but to heal the open wound."

     "No — what do you mean there's nothing you can do — you can't possibly mean—"

     Remus knew exactly what the Healer meant. He knew it before even bringing Diana here. He knew when he had found her on the muddy ground in the middle of the woods. He just didn't want to believe it.

     "I am so sorry." The Healer put a hand on her shoulder. "Starting next full moon, she would have her first transformation."

     Remus shook his head frantically. He back away. "No. No."

     "It's best to break the news to her gently. There are books you can read. But it's best for creatures like her to be away from humans and civilization. They would bring more harm to others."

     Creatures like her.

     "But I'm sure until then you will be able to help her throughout the emotional process. It is a lot to take in. But there are potions that can be taken to reduce the pain —"

     Her words were cut off when the sound of a loud explosion came from the distance. People began screaming. Remus drew out his wand. He already knew what was coming.

     A moment later two Death Eaters came into sight from the end of the corridor, wands in hand, destroying the place as they went. But the moment they saw Remus, they began to attack. He was exactly what they were looking for.

     Remus began to fight back, heart hammering in his chest. There was no energy left in his numb body. All he could afford to do was to block the curses as he back away into Diana's room. And then, as quickly as he could, he grabbed her unconscious body and Disapparated away.

***

All she could feel was pain. Headache. Dizziness. And this unbearable burning over her shoulder. She began opening her eyes, blinking, and that was when she began to hear someone calling her name, the relief in his voice when she finally woke up.

     "Remus..." she muttered weakly. She could barely move. Her memories were faded; she could hardly remember anything.

     But when she finally managed to open her eyes and see his face, her heart sank. He looked to be in agony, tear stains all over his face, a new wound on his forehead, eyes red like two bowls of blood.

     Someone must have died. Nothing else could explain the tortured look in his eyes.

     "Remus..." she tried sitting up, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. She was on the bed, with him sitting at a chair beside it. "What... what happened?"

      "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

     "What is it!?" She asked more urgently, grabbing his hand.

     "Don't you remember?" He whispered, his voice trembling.

      Diana frowned. She tried to recall. The fireplace. Her and Remus. His lips on her.

     But then the rest of it came back to her. The full moon. Her running out. A monster chasing her into the woods. She stumbled down to the muddy ground. The beast's vicious face near her. Sharp teeth digging into her shoulder.

      Diana sucked in a breath, shaking her head. "No... I can't be..."

     She was a werewolf.