I solemnly swear that I am up to no good | Professor Remus Lupin

Chapter 69 - Blood

Trigger Warning: blood and wounds

My hands were shaking and I let the flames disappear again, when I gave up and realized I could never use them against him. I had sunken onto my knees and was looking down at my hands, I was helpless... my only way was to get away, I couldn't fight him...

Remus circled around me, like I was his prey. I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. „I don't want to hurt you..." I breathed out, my voice cracked and was filled with hopelessness. He positioned himself for an attack and I lifted myself up to stand on my shaking legs. I sucked in my breath, before he quickly closed the distance between us and I was able to dodge away, causing him to crash into the tree behind me. I turned around and a tear escaped my eye, but before I could even process him crushing into that tree, he went in for another attack.

This time I wasn't fast enough to react in time and he tackled me down to the ground. My face meet the dirt and I let out another whine in pain. I was laying on my stomach and felt the hot breath of the werewolf on my neck. My eyes widened in shock and I began to panic, I tried to get away from him and got on my fours.

I let out a cry of pain when he hit me in the side, so hard that I landed a few feet away on my back. I hold onto my hurt side and my eyes got blurry because of the pain. I closed my eyes and sucked in my breath.

I flinched when I felt the werewolf's breath on my face. He was hovering above my curled up body. I felt his claw being placed on the top of my head, almost gently. I dared myself to open my eyes and blinked the tears away.

And in this moment, with his claw just resting on my hair and our eyes locked, I saw Remus in the werewolf's eyes. Only Remus.

„I love you" I breathed out with a broken voice.

His breathing got faster, aggressive. His eyes seemed to change and back was the animal, Remus couldn't fight. And I couldn't either. The werewolf lowered his claw onto the left side of my face, until I felt the cold and sharp claws slowly digging into the skin of my forehead.

I knew there was no Remus in there anymore, just the werewolf. And strangely I wasn't afraid of dying, at least not of the death itself. But my mind rushed to the Lovegood, the golden trio, Fred, George and Grace, Sirius and landed on Remus. I couldn't die, I thought to myself. I can't do that to them...not to him. He would never forgive himself...

But I got thrown out of my thoughts, when I felt the claw being tugged into my skin deeply. I immediately flinched and closed my eyes at the violent pain.

With a quick movement the werewolf dragged his claw right over my face's left side. I cried out in pain and it blurred my whole vision. The pain struck through my whole body and with every heart beat another struck of pain ran through my whole body.

I needed to get away. I couldn't let him kill me...

The thought of him having to live with that and even though I knew it wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault at all, he would blame himself.

I collected the strength I had and got ready for my escape plan before the werewolf could make his final strike. I opened my eyes - or to be exact only the right one - and looked at him before I spoke.

„I forgive you" I said to the werewolf with blood streaming down the whole left side of my face. And before he would be able to hit me again I transformed into a falcon and rushed away towards the dark night sky.