A kiss from the moon

Answer

Sofia had never really felt like her lycanthropy had affected her much. Sure she was often tired and her body temperature often switched between being incredibly cold or sweating profusely, but other then that she was often fine. Even the day after her transition often went by with just a fever or nausea. It was alright really.

The only thing that had made her realize that this was a serious thing that had happened to her was her mother's behavior. Her mum had never been loving or the most affectionate parent but she had been an alright parent. She had read to her, told her stories about the world and sometimes she had even slept in Sofia's bed when she was having nightmares in the middle of the night. But after Sofia got bitten most of that changed. Her mother grew distant, keeping to herself and letting the house elf take care of Sofia most of the time. Sofia had been quite confused by this behavior at first, she had even made some attempts to talk to her mum about this but there had never been any concrete answers to her questions.

"I've had a lot to do at work"

Was what Sofia had heard the most. So after a while she quietly gave up and started keeping her distance from her mum the way she seemed to like it. The year before Sofia started Hogwarts turned out to be one of the longest and loneliest of her life thanks to this. She wrote with her cousin and once or twice she had been allowed to visit the neighboring family, which thankfully were the Smith family. They had been a warming presence in Sofia's life the few days she had spent there. Zacharias was epitome of a child that had grown up in a household full with love. He was funny, sometimes a bit to careless and he loved loudly. He told his parents and his sisters that he loved them all the time, something Sofia found herself to be a bit jealous of.

Joseph and Celosia Smith were two very warm and loving parents to their three children and they had made Sofia feel very welcome in their little family of five when she was there. Joseph was a muggleborn wizard who had spent his adult life working in the magical creatures department at the ministry. He was a bit of an eccentric man who liked to paint and bake in his free time, Sofia could understand when he told her he had been sorted in to Hufflepuff. She had been more surprised to find out that his wife and Zacharias mom was a Slytherin. But that chock didn't last long, when Sofia met Celosia for the first time she found out that woman was equally as warm and loving as her husband.

The days Sofia had spent with Zacharias family had been great, but when she came home the memories of them only successfully made her feel even more lonely then she had before she visited them. Because now she knew what she was missing and boy was it dreadful to sit in her empty and cold her house when she knew how it could be.

But all in all none of this seemed all that horrible when she looked in to professor Lupins weary eyes. She felt so incredible small when he opened the door to his office and she had seen the scars on his face clearly. Her pain must be nothing compared to what he had gone through in his life. So as she sat in one of the old armchairs in Lupins office while he himself was making tea, she didn't know what to say really. She was just staring her hands and feeling a bit awkward. After a few minutes the tea was ready and Lupin broke the silence between as he sat down.

"I was surprised when I saw you for the first time actually" said Lupin and put a blue teacup in front of Sofia. "I thought you'd look more like your mum."

Sofia was just about to take a sip from her cup but stopped, confused.

"You knew my mum professor?"

Asked Sofia and the man nodded.

"Oh yes! She was head girl the year I started Hogwarts actually!" Lupin sipped his cup thoughtfully. "Your dad was a year below her though"

"My dad? Sir? You knew him?" Sofia had almost spit out her tea. Her mum never spoke about her dad and the things Lupin were saying were a part of the very little info Sofia knew about her father.

"Knew is a strong word really. He was a sixth year Ravenclaw when I started first year and the most we talked was when I asked him for directions" Said Lupin. "You look like him though, same hair color and eyes."

Same hair??? Same eyes??? All of this was brand new information to Sofia. She had always thought that her strange grey hair color was a strange reaction to her lycanthropy. But apparently her dad had the same color.

"You okay? I'm sorry if this was a sensitive subject for you, I did hear about his passing a few years ago." Said Lupin a little regretfully.

"No it's fine Professor. I was very young when he passed.. it's just a bit strange to hear you speak about him since I don't know much about him myself" said Sofia quietly. She was still very much processing all of this. "I only found out his name because I saw it on an old wedding photography one time"

"Oh". Replied professor Lupin and scratched his head. "Well I don't really know much about him myself I must say. I do remember though that he had a heavy french accent which I thought was funny sounding when I was young."

So her dad had been French? That was news to Sofia. As was really everything that Lupin was saying right now.

"Oh and whenever I saw him in the corridors he always with your mum. You never really saw one without the other" Said Lupin with a smile of what looked like pity.

Sofia gulped. She couldn't really bring herself to reply with anything and Lupins smile was annoying her a bit. She didn't like to be pitied.

"We should let go of the subject for now though." Said Lupin and pulled up two purple vials from a drawer next to him. "It's almost time".

Sofia nodded and took the vial. She unscrewed the cork and started breathing through her mouth to avoid the horrid smell. In two gulps she had swallowed the awful potion that had left it's burning trace in her throat. Even Lupin was frowning after swallowing it.

"I'll never get use to that" He said and got up from his seat. "Come with me and I'll show you the place."

Both of them got up from their seats and Lupin showed Sofia in to a little side room. The room was empty except for a few patterned carpets and the wooden floors and some blankets in a corner. It was also completely dark except for the starlight that was shining in from the one window in the room. Despite that this room was a definite upgrade from the cell she usually changed in.

"Any type of fire would be a bit dangerous I recon." Said Lupin as he saw that Sofia was looking around the room. "I think we'll manage without it though"

Lupin grinned at Sofia and she grinned back. Some of tension that she had felt from the previous conversation lifted.

"So, I don't think we are going to have any problems with this. Seeing as we both drink the potion we'll keep our minds and we won't want to hurt each other!" Said Lupin and Sofia nodded. She didn't have it in her to answer since the moon was starting to get to her but she guessed that Lupin was feeling the same really.

Her bones felt itchy and Sofia now couldn't really stand still. It didn't hurt really but she felt incredibly uncomfortable, like her body was being rugged and pulled in different directions. After a while she sat down on the floor and looked at Lupin who was a pale and looked resolute. Despite the potion he seemed to be in pain.

But Sofia couldn't think about that for long because now she started to feel her bones crackling. She fell down to the floor, her head bouncing on the floor as the moon forced her body through the change that made a large dark wolf stand were Sofia had just laid.

Lupins wolf was considerably larger as they stood facing each other. Sofia looked straight in to the wolfs ember eyes and instantly a part of her said "alpha". It was pure instinct that made her out her canine head down and stare on the floor. She did that until the bigger wolf affectionately puffed her with his head. "Pack" said that same voice in Sofia's head and she puffed the other wolf back.

They did that for a little while, getting familiar with one another and making sure that they were both cool with one another. After a little while the bigger laid down on the floor, curling up in a ball and Sofia felt a need to do the same. She made herself comfortable and laid down a bit from the grey wolf. And so they spent the night, a big away from each other but still in the company of one another. Even as wolf Sofia felt that this was an enormous improvement from previous full moons.