The Beast of Knockturn Alley

Summer Surprises

Good surprises were a myth.

A good surprise would have been:

Hey, they've invented a cure to lycanthropy.

Or something like:

Guess what, there's no full moon this month. You're moon-free for the entire summer holiday.

"On Merlin's beard! That's a good surprise. Thank you!"

No. In real life, surprises were cruel and vindictive. Surprises were to be feared.

Remus glared at the heavy metal links in his hands and couldn't believe that after so many years of being careful, he allowed this to happen. He should've inspected his chains earlier.

But maybe he was wrong and the enchantments still held.

He wrapped the chain around a metal pole and pulled hard. After only some effort - human effort - one of the links broke, unravelling it all.

He let it fall to the ground through his numb fingers. This wasn't happening. He had only a few hours left until the full moon and could already feel its effect - it made his skin crawl from the inside, calling to him, enticing him with promises of reckless power. His wolf was itching to come out.

He put his face in his hands and lamented. Only few hours. What was he going to do?

But the solution was simple. He needed a new chain.

☾

Diagon Alley was quiet this evening. The shops were closing down, most shoppers had already gone home. Good. He shouldn't be around humans today.

Remus bent down and pretended to tie his shoe, but really, he was checking if he was being followed. No one paid him any attention, so he quietly slipped into the Knockturn Alley, throwing a hood over his head, feeling like a criminal. He was a beast today - that was close enough comparison.

A foul smell of the street vendor's cart wafted in his direction, and it reminded him of rotten food. He passed it in a rush, careful to not let his hood slip.

Some of the dark Alley's shops only now opened up for business, just in time for the dodgy nighttime patrons who started to apparate onto the cobblestone street, each draped in a black cloak. It was common to hide your face in the Alley, and today, he was one of them.

Remus quietly snuck into Mort's Hard-Were Shop, closed the door after himself and reluctantly lowered his hood, not wanting to be impolite.

The only person in the small cluttered shop was a short teenage girl who was looking at the wolf t-shirts on sale. He tried to not stare at her, though it was difficult to not notice her shaved head and multiple ear piercings glinting in the candlelight.

He walked up to the counter and searched for the shopkeeper, eager to get this over with.

The girl put the hanger back on the rod, walked up to him and craned her neck.

"Hi."

Remus smiled politely but didn't know what to say.

She put a hand on her hip and chewed her gum loudly while looking up at him. "What are you buying?"

"I like to keep my purchases private," he murmured, unsure of how he could get rid of her. He did not want witnesses. Where was the shopkeeper?

She picked up one of the mugs on the counter.

"My pack has my back mugs are so cheap now, it's like a steal. They're on sale for only six sickles."

"Not that."