The Plunnie Ate My Brain

Harry sighed, sinking blissfully into the thick velvet-covered armchair in front of the common room fire. He rubbed his eyes, thanking all his lucky stars singly and by name that he survived the OWLs. Nevermind Voldemort, those exams themselves would be enough to murder him.

Heavy, world-weary eyes stared into the merry, crackling flames, trying to forget what had happened only a few short months before. When the school was attacked…. When Voldemort nearly won…. When Ron-

'No, don't think about him,' he reprimanded himself sternly. 'It's no good thinking about what can't be undone.'

And yet, all he could do was think about. How could he not? His best friend of five years- his first friend- gone….

Ronald Weasley had turned to the dark side, right when Harry needed his support most. It had been such a shock to everyone, his family more so. And yet, it wasn't either. Ron had always wanted to show he was just as good as his brothers, just as good as Harry. He was so jealous of Harry's athletic skill, of his fame, and fortune. Ron knew Harry hated the attention shown to him, but that only made Ron more bitter.

But when it came right down to it, Ron was good, in his heart. After all the grief, after all the scathing comments, Ron just wasn't made out to be an evil wizard. He had died to prove it.

By saving Harry's life.

Hermione didn't take the news very well. She had gone into hysterics, before ending up in a shock-caused coma. Another of his friends, gone.

So many…. So many people he had known, talked with, played Quidditch with, celebrated with, laughed with, fought with, even those who had taught him…. Too many had died.

Ron, Sibyl Trelawney, Professor Sinistra, Madam Hooch, Denis Creevy, Cho Chang, Terry Boot, Lee Jordan, Susan Bones, Parvati Patil…

Too damn many.

He sighed. 'Enough.' He stood and ascended the stairs to his dorm, pausing to look in on Colin, one of the last fourth years in Gryffindor. All that remained besides him were Ginny Weasley, Amanda Jenkins, and Robert Dutero. Gryffindor was, of course, the first tower targeted. Colin gave him a small smile, and Harry nodded back, not attempting to force one, then continued to his dorm.

Besides Ron, Hermione, and Parvati, no other Fifth Year had died or, in Hermione's case, were sent to St. Mungos, which Harry found both surprising and relieving. Since the attack, though, everyone in Gryffindor had grown much closer, like one large family, as their losses were much larger than any other house.

Out of the three hundred students that were in Gryffindor, less than half remained, having either been killed or sent away by their parents. Meal times were empty and quiet, and most took to eating in the common room, now hung with black banners and curtains.

Trying to ignore the empty bed next to his, Harry sat down on his coverlet. He looked out the window at the dark, overcast clouds, heavy with rain yet to be released. He closed his eyes.

When he woke, the moon, full and bright, was peeking just over the mountains. He sat up, rubbing his sleep-filled eyes and yawned. He descended into the common room, empty for once. He decided that they had decided to eat in the Great Hall tonight, in celebration of ending the OWLs. He waved goodbye to the Fat Lady and made his way towards the hall himself.

As he was walking down a large, spiraling staircase, he ran into Dumbledore, coming up.

"Ah, Harry," he said, smiling lightly. "Just the person I was hoping to see. I was wondering if you would do me a favor, my boy." Harry nodded. "Ah, good. Sylvia seems to have buried herself into her work again. I was hoping you would go fetch her for me. She should be in Greenhouse six, I believe."

"Of course, sir." He said goodbye and continued down the stairs, going in the opposite direction of the Great Hall. He pulled his robes tighter around him to ward off the chilliness of the night as he stepped outside.

He made his way toward the greenhouses, counting them off as he went past. He stopped at six, cautiously opening the door. There weren't any lights on.

"Professor Sprout?" No one answered him. "Lumos," he muttered, raising his wand high. The greenhouse was empty of human life. Confused, he left, wondering if he had miscounted.

He turned to leave before he heard a strange rustling sound. He turned, raising his wand, lighting up a few feet in front of him.

"Hello?" He took a hesitant step closer. Before he knew it, he had passed through the boundary of the Forbidden Forest. The rustling had stopped for a moment, then continued farther ahead. Like a fool, Harry followed.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but suddenly he realized that he should turn back. He turned, but behind him, trees blocked the way he came. In the natural way of the forest, it had changed, covering up his path. He cursed himself softly.

The rustling had changed direction, now growing closer to him. Harry took a step back nervously. There was a growl and something pounced on him from behind. All he remembered was a searing pain in his side, then nothing as darkness mercifully swallowed him.

He heard voices. The sounded so very far away. He struggled to reach them, and slowly he began to understand them.

"…this just had to happen…."

"…first the attack, and now…."

"…it's too soon, this will break him…."

"…it's good thing you're here, I'm sure he'll appreciate it…."

"…yes, he'll need you two, now especially….."

Harry moaned, shifting, as a sudden pain burned in his side, almost pulsing. The voices hushed, and he felt someone take his hand and squeeze it lightly.

"Harry?" The soft voice was close to him, and familiar. "Come on Harry, wake up now…" Harry opened his eyes slowly, wincing at the brightness that assaulted them. A face hovered just out of his vision, then was brought sharply into focus. Sirius looked down at him, concerned.

"What… happened?" Harry asked hoarsely, his voice scratchy from disuse. Sirius gave him a small, sympathetic smile.

"You were… found in the Forbidden Forest, unconscious. You were out for nearly a week." Harry frowned, knowing Sirius was keeping something from him.

"What happened?" he asked more forcefully.

"First tell us what you remember, Harry," Dumbledore said gently from his other side. Harry blinked, thinking.

"I went to get Professor Sprout for you and I… heard something, and got curious. It was stupid, I know, but I followed it and… I was in the forest, then… growling, pain, darkness…." He shook his head helplessly. "I don't remember much more." He trailed off. He could feel and smell pity coming from both his godfather and headmaster.

Wait…. Smell? He suddenly realized he wasn't wearing glasses, but everything was in sharp focus, sharper than they had ever been. He sat up so fast it startled the both of them, eyes wide. He turned to his godfather.

"What happened?" he said urgently. Sirius shook his head grimly.

"Harry… I'm sorry…you were attacked by a… a werewolf…" Harry stared blindly at him, a hand moving unconsciously to touch his injured side. Almost reading his mind, Sirius nodded. "Yes, Harry. You were bitten."

Harry didn't say anything. Silently, he lay back down, staring without seeing at the white ceiling. He didn't register his godfather look at Dumbledore helplessly, nor Dumbledore shake his head and steer Sirius out of the room. Nor the room empty until it was only he and Remus.

"What did you do? After it happened?" Harry murmured, turning to look at Remus. Remus sighed.

"I didn't want to believe it. But after the… first transformation, I had no choice. I went into a sort of shock. Barely ate, barely slept. Then I accepted what happened, and attempted to move on.

"It was hard. Where we lived, there was a large fear of werewolves. I never had any friends, and I didn't try to make any. They were all scared of me. We had to move some time after. And then I was accepted at Hogwarts." He smiled softly, a faraway look in his eyes. "For the first time in my life, I had friends, great friends. They accepted me for who I was. You know what happened from then on." Harry didn't say anything.

"Harry, it won't be that bad. You were bitten by a natural werewolf, not an unnatural one. It's much different." Harry looked sharply at him.

"How?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"For one, you will not be a danger to anyone during the full moon. The wolf mind will take over, yes," he said before Harry could protest, "but it will not feel the need to- to kill." Harry looked slightly relieved. Remus reached into a robe pocket and pulled out a book. "Here. Everything you will want to know is in here." Harry took the book gingerly.

"Thank you." Remus smiled gently.

"Don't worry, Harry. I'll be with you during your transformations. And Sirius will join us." Harry nodded, but didn't say anything. Remus left. Once he was gone, Harry opened the book and began to read.

It was actually very interesting. He learned that the transformation wasn't very painful itself. It only felt as if you were an animagus. He could also transform into a wolf not only on a full moon, but anytime he wished. He would also change when he was under strong emotions, such as a hot anger, or extreme sadness.

And then there was the heightened senses. Sight, hearing, smell, taste. He could feel another's energy, their aura. He would feel if it was tainted, or if it was pure.

Something that surprised him was the ability to smell emotion. How could you smell emotion? Nevertheless, he realized it was true. How else could he have smelt Dumbledore and Sirius's pity?

Madam Pomfrey found him in that position, curled up with the book in his lap. Harry had his eyes turned in her direction, even before she had stepped into the room. Used to it after years of dealing with Remus, she calmly walked over to the windows, closing the (white) drapes.

"Madam Pomfrey?" She turned, looking back into the room from the doorway.

"Yes, Harry?"

"About the Wolfsbane Potion…" She smiled sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I'm afraid you won't be able to take it. It doesn't work for those bitten by natural werewolves, nor in the first six transformations after the bite. It would act like a poison, and you would most likely die mid-transformation if you took it, even in six months." He nodded.

"I was just wondering." She gave him another smile, and left.

Yawning, he put a place holder in the book and closed it, setting it on the side table. He lay back, ignoring the dreamless-sleep potion, and fell asleep.

Sometime during the night, he had transformed into his wolf form, startling Madam Pomfrey when she came to check on him. She paused, blinking at him. His wolf head raised, looking at her questioningly.

"Wow," she breathed.

He was pure black. His green eyes were mere slits surrounded by a bright gold, a single silver line running through the middle, running from the top to bottom. Covered by a fringe of dark black hair, sat a lightning bolt in silver fur.

"Harry… dear, please turn back so I may check you." He uncurled, stretching. He yawned, showing rows of sharp, silver teeth, before changing back. It was almost instantly, and it looked painful, though he gave no indication of whether he was in pain or not.

She gave him a full check up, mildly surprised that there was nothing wrong with him. (Other than his lyncathropy.)

"Well, Harry, you're free to go," she said, albeit reluctantly. "Be warned that you'll be a little hyper for a while, that's the side affect for those who are bitten while sixteen or younger." Before Harry could even leave the bed, Sirius and Remus entered the ward, looking anxious, concerned, and hesitant all at once.

"Morning!" Harry said cheerfully. Sirius raised an eyebrow at Remus, who only shook his head, smiling.

"Good morning, Harry," said Remus lightly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than ever!" Harry jumped off the bed, going to look out the windows, whose drapes were now open. His eyes lit up as they looked over the grounds, sparkling brightly for the first clear day in over a month. He turned to his Godfather and Remus eagerly. "Can we go outside?" he asked, puppy-dog eyes and all. Remus and Sirius looked over to Madam Pomfrey who nodded after a moment, sighing.

"Sure, Harry. Whatever you want," Sirius said, smiling. Harry smiled brightly, bounding out of the door. Chuckling, the two remaining Marauders followed.

Luckily, it was early enough that most of the students would be still sleeping, as it was Saturday. But just in case, Sirius changed into Padfoot/Snuffles, trotting at Remus's side. Harry had paused at the bottom of the stairs, foot tapping the floor impatiently.

His eyes rested briefly on Sirius, and a mischievous look crossed his face. Without warning, he tackled Sirius, turning into a wolf midway. Sirius yelped, startled, then tore after Harry, who had quickly ran away and out the doors onto the grounds. Remus rolled his eyes, smiling, then followed the two at a more leisurely pace.

Harry evaded Sirius again, changing direction and running toward the lake. Growling playfully, Sirius followed, only to fall in as Harry sharply turned without warning. When he surfaced, spluttering, Harry was sitting innocently at the side of a large, brown wolf, who was looking at him in amusement. Sirius glared at the two, getting out of the lake and looking like a drowned… well, dog. He shook himself dry, ignoring the yelps of the two werewolves as he sprayed them with water. Sharing a look, the two tackled him to the ground, starting a nice round of wrestling.

After a few hours, the giddiness that accompanied first-bite began to wear off, and Harry slowly began to become less playful.