Engraved Love | J. POTTER

14 | transformations and affirmations

O P H E L I A L O V E G O O D

Ophelia was certain that she had never felt this awful in her entire life. Every part of her body ached and she wanted to curl up in a ball, fall asleep and never wake up. But if she fell asleep, she would wake up and she would hurt someone.

So instead, she forced herself to pick up the blanket and carry it from her room as quietly as she could. Remus suggested she bring one because the clothes didn't normally make it through the transition.

She was terrified. Remus told her to meet him outside the passageway to the Shrieking Shack where he had led her and Reggie to Hogsmeade the one time they snuck out. There was a pang in her chest at the memory but she forced herself to calm down.

Remus waited patiently, leaning against the wall and staring off at nothing. He looked exhausted beyond measure but she was certain she looked just as bad, if not worse.

He looked up upon hearing her footsteps and sent her sad frown. The heightened hearing was definitely one of the worst parts of it all. She overheard things she would have preferred to go a lifetime without hearing.

He nodded his head in the direction of the tunnel, not saying a word as she followed him. Remus stopped outside a door within the shack, "You don't have to go through this alone."

She shook her head, "Yes, I do."

He frowned but nodded nevertheless, "The moon doesn't reach its peak for a few hours. It'll probably take longer for the effects to hit you, I'm not entirely sure." He turned to leave but stopped and glanced back at her, "If you decide you want company, you know where to find me."

She smiled tightly and nodded. She wouldn't go find him but knowing he was nearby certainly provided her with a little bit of comfort, as minimal as it was.

As the night went on, she couldn't determine if it was just her nerves making her feel the way she did or if it was all a part of the process. There were scrap piece of metal that scattered the floor which she later realized were from the disassembled bed that was across the room.

She let out a frustrated groan as she chucked the piece of rusted bed frame at the wall. Ophelia froze as the object clattered to the ground with a bang. Up until this point she had completely forgotten that she was supposed to be as quiet as she could.

J A M E S P O T T E R

All four of the boy's heads perked up as they heard the clattering sound. "I'll go see what that was," James announced and Remus's head shot up.

"No!" he exclaimed and the three boys turned to look at him in confusion. "I mean, uh," he shook his head, a blush creeping up his neck. "It's probably nothing."

"Even so, it's better to be safe than sorry," James pointed out, eyeing the boy curiously. "I'll be back."

"No you won't," he muttered and James grew confused but left the room anyway. He morphed into a stag as he made his way through the Shrieking Shack and listened for any noise.

He stopped outside a door and changed back into human form. He wasn't entirely sure what was on the other side but it certainly wasn't an animal.

James raised his hand to open the door but it was stuck. He could hear a shuffling from inside and he knocked. "Is somebody in there?" he asked. He half expected no response but there was a shuffling noise before someone spoke up.

"No, why would someone be in here?"

He was taken aback, "Ophelia?"

"No, not Ophelia," she replied, making her voice deeper than it actually was. "I'm...Gertrude."