Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin

Chapter 47: Redux (pt 3)

Somewhere, somewhen ...

The little boy had been lost in the woods for longer than he could remember, and as the night got colder, he'd ended up huddled under a tree sobbing quietly and shivering both from the cold and from fear. For he knew that there was a monster after him, a great and terrible monster that would devour him whole if it caught him. Then, the boy gasped in terror as a demonic howl erupted from farther into the woods. It was some distance away, but closer than the last time he'd heard it just a few minutes before. The boy began to weep piteously. He was alone and cold, and the monster would be here soon. Then, as that thought rippled through his terrified mind, the boy heard another sound much closer. He turned and saw that the bushes just a few feet away were rustling as some thing pushed its way through them. And the distant howl that had so frightened the boy was now replaced by a different animal sound. A low, hungry growl.

The bushes parted ...

... and Harry Potter staggered into the clearing looking disheveled and very confused. Instantly, he whirled about with wand in hand, looking for whatever psychic defenses the werewolf might have to use against him. Considering Professor Snape's thoughts on the sheer idiocy of Legilimizing a transformed werewolf, Harry was quite surprised to see no immediate dangers at all.

He examined the scene more carefully, but it was simply an open clearing in the middle of some woods. High above, the night sky was clear, and a full moon shone down upon him. Despite the apparent peacefulness of the scene, Harry grew increasingly tense. Time functioned differently when inside someone else's head via Legilimency, but it didn't stop completely. And he had no idea how long he could afford to dally in these woods before his mental journey ended with the sensation of werewolf claws ripping him apart in the physical world.

Finally, in his frustration, he thrust his arms out and yelled up at the night sky. "Okay! I'm here! Now what?!"

To his surprise, the only response was a soft whimper from behind a nearby tree. Harry cautiously made his way over to it and discovered that he was not alone in this mindscape. For behind the tree, there was a small boy, aged four or so. The child was dirty, terrified, and shivering in the cold, and when Harry reached for him, the boy recoiled in fear.

"Shhh!" Harry said while putting on his most winning smile. "It's okay, kid. I'm not going to hurt you." Then, the Slytherin noticed that the boy seemed strangely familiar. "Hey, you're Remus, aren't you? Little Remus Lupin."

The child nodded nervously. "Wh-who are you?"

"My name's Harry. Harry Potter. Does ... does that name seem familiar to you?"

Remus quickly shook his head.

"It's okay. I'm a friend, Remus. I'm here to help if I can. What are you doing out in these woods?"

The child shrugged. "I dunno. I just ... I just woke up here. And then, I had t'hide from d'Monster!"

"The ... Monster?" Harry asked. He assumed "the Monster" was a werewolf. But was this a memory of Fenrir Greyback? Or was the child afraid of the werewolf that he himself became every month.

And then, Harry heard the howl. It was definitely a werewolf – Harry would never forget that sound now that he'd heard it at close range. But this howl came from some distance away.

"Okay, Remus. The Monster's not here now. But it's probably coming. Is there some safe place near here?"

Remus shook his head miserably. Then, from the far side of the clearing, there was a rustle in the underbrush, and the child whimpered at the sound of it. Instantly, Harry whirled around, wand in hand. But he couldn't see anyone or anything.