No Control // Wolfstar

Thirty Three

"Ms. Evans."

Lily's back is pressed firmly against the chair; her eyes are bloodshot and puffy, and drips of mascara stain her tinted cheeks. All the screaming earlier had left her voice hoarse and brittle. In front of her Professor Dumbledore stands, his knuckles pressed into his desk as he leans forward with an intense gaze. Behind him Professor McGonagall stands with her hands folded in front.

"Can you tell us in detail what happened tonight?" Professor Dumbledore asks.

Images of blood stained snow flashes in her mind. Sounds of screaming and gasping echo in her ear.

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she nods. Her fingers squeeze the armrest tightly as she recalls the memories of the night. "I went to follow Remus Lupin...

2 hours earlier

Stoney grey clouds roll overhead, blocking the full moon completely. Lily waits patiently on her bed, a pillow tucked under her arms as she watches the clock tick by. Eleven o'clock, she had decided. She was going to see if her hunches were right about Remus Lupin. As the last stroke of ten passed, Lily quietly crept out of her dorm with a heavy winter cloak draped over her shoulder. The dorm was still, so quiet you could hear a pin drop which was a blessing considering Abigail tended to snore most nights.

Two months ago she had seen James and Peter running across the grounds to where she assumed Remus went every full moon: the Whomping Willow. Now she was going to see for herself.

A brisk wind whips her face the second she steps out into the open. She huddles her cloak closer, bearing the harsh conditions and trudging through the foot of unplowed snow. Up ahead the Whomping Willow stood seemingly frozen, nothing but the faint glow of the moon, hidden by the translucent clouds, to illuminate the darkness. Puffs of cold air circulate around Lily's face with every breath as her cheeks become numb from the polar temperatures.

A shadowy figure halts Lily immediately, and she ducks for safety behind a couple of bushes. The figure turns around suddenly, waving a bright tipped wand around in search of the noise. Crouching in the snow with her wand gripped tightly, she peers around to get a better view. It was Sirius Black. Lily leans closer, digging her hand into the frozen ground to balance herself.

"Black!" a voice shouts.

Both Sirius and Lily turn to face the caller. Some girl with brown hair Lily had never seen in her life was quickly jogging down the hill with her wand pointed at Sirius. She's still in her school robes, but the house embroidery is too small for Lily to see clearly.

"Fuck off Ward," Sirius shouts.

"Don't even try and pull your wand," Lisa Ward warns. "This will be sweet payback."

"Ward!" another voice shouts. Lily claps a hand over her mouth to keep her cover secret when Severus Snape comes rushing to the scene. His slick black hair blows around in the wind, pushing over his eyes haphazardly. "Don't do it! Leave her out of it!"

"I'm slightly offended," Sirius says with a hint of a smirk. "Of all the things to call me, a girl?"

"Go away Snape," Lisa mutters, twisting her wand. "I can handle it on my own."

Snape draws his wand. The clouds shift overhead, revealing the brilliant full moon. Lily stares up in awe of the sky when a howl slits the air. Sirius holds his wand high, slowly backing from the Whomping Willow. The three stand in a line with Lisa in the middle, all wands drawn.

"You have to go," Sirius says, all humor stripped from his voice. "Now."

"Scared?" Lisa taunts.