Chapter Three
Remus snuck out of the castle after dinner. A comfortable silence hung in the air as his friends trailed behind him. The towers loomed behind them like a warning of impending doom. The sun was still setting, painting the sky a dull blue and purple watercolour. The four friends made their way across the damp grass, heading toward the large, drooping tree that was The Whomping Willow. When they reached their destination, Peter shrunk down into a rat and scurried towards the twisted trunk while the others kept their distance so as to not be hit by the wild branches. Wormtail was headed towards a hidden spot on the tree. Concealed by the grooves of the bark, there was a knot that when tapped with a wand, would cause the normally sentient tree that would attack anyone who dared get close enough, to be immobilised for half an hour. The temporary paralysis had never been a security problem or a worry, no one knew to look for a passage. At least, they thought no one knew to look. Had they noticed the shadowy figure following them, perhaps they would have turned to confront them.
The tree had been planted in Remus’ first year at Hogwarts, to hide the secret underground tunnel that led from the school grounds to The Shrieking Shack. Now it was this dank tunnel that Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter carefully made their way down. The tree’s roots snaked down from the low ceiling as if the tree were still desperate to ensnare an unknowing victim. When The Marauders reached the end of the passageway, they opened a creaky door and entered the old, mouldy shack. The four made their way up the rotting set of stairs and into the upstairs room. In the corners of the room there were mouse droppings festering and the ancient wallpaper was faded and peeling. The ceiling sagged in from water damage and the only decorations were a dusty, out of tune, broken piano in the centre of the space and a rusty bed with a filthy mattress that had been pushed into the corner.
Soon, the familiar sound of cracking bones filled the room. Remus’ joints were popping out of place and his bones were snapping as he started transforming into a wolf. His nose turned into a snout and his arms turned into front legs. Most notably however, Remus was letting out howls of pain. No matter how many times he transformed, the pain never seemed to get better. His limbs would be sore for a while afterwards and when he started feeling alright again, the full moon would return.