Ariana was thankful to of finally reached the fresh air of the Hogwarts ground, instead of being inside of the dusty, stuffy shack. She breathed deeply, hauling her injured body out of the hole at the bottom of the Whomping Willow, which had once again been immobilised.
Lupin was already outside, standing with his wand inches from Pettigrew's cowering body. Ron had been left down at the mouth of the tunnel, waiting to be pulled up by the two guys acting as his crutches.
As they lowered Ron to the ground, Sirius wandered off. Ariana knew it must of been amazing to finally have people, one of which was his best friend and the other being his godson, know the truth. Both she and Hermione told Harry they would remain with Ron, telling the boy to join his godfather. After protesting a few times, Harry finally caved and left to be with Sirius.
"I reckon they might have to chop it off," said Ron, pointing to his bandaged leg.
"I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will have it mended in a heartbeat," Hermione reassured, her words soft; kind.
Ariana smiled and sat beside Ron on a large rock. She listened to Peter whimper in the background, but she truly didn't care. The pale light of the moon caught her hair and skin, making it look as if she was glowing.
The witch shot to her feet as Hermione got to hers, worry all over the brunette's face. "Harry!" she shouted, her finger extended.
Ariana's piercing eyes followed the invisible line that was projected from Hermione's finger, and they landed on the full moon emerging from behind a large mountain. She stood frozen for a moment, watching as Lupin's attention was drawn to the moon above them.
The man's body began to tremble, his wand seconds away from falling to the grass. His eyes dilated, looking like black saucers, and his skin turned a sickly shade of grey. Ariana acted on what seemed to be instinct and ran for Lupin, pressing her palms into his heaving chest as she pushed him backwards.
"We have to back here, just a little," she said, her voice strained.
In her attempt to get him away from her friends, she managed to walk a few steps, but the transformation began to overtake Lupin. He bellowed in agony, his body arching over Ariana's, leaving her pressed to his chest.
"Please," she begged, "you know who you really are. You are not this."
Ariana had no option but to remain held to his chest, feeling his skin boil under his shirt. Lupin panted, shouting as his body cracked and morphed. The witch grimaced as she too panted, listening to his bones snap and crack in a sickening manner.
Sirius reached them and freed Ariana from Lupin's grip, taking her place in order to hold him up. "Remus, my old friend. Have you taken your potion tonight?" Strangled, pained yells left Lupin's mouth as his back arched, leaving Sirius to struggle against him. "You know the man you truly are, Remus! This heart is where you truly lie! This heart here! This flesh is only flesh!"
Ariana watched in horror as their Professor shouted in agony, his body twisting, bones cracking, as he morphed into a werewolf. She made it back to her friends, having released from Lupin's arms.
While Hermione pulled Ron up, Ariana noticed Pettigrew grab Lupin's wand, making an attempt to commit suicide. Harry was too fast, countering his actions before he had the chance to kill himself. "Expelliarmus!" he shouted.
Lupin's wand went soaring into the long grass behind Pettigrew. Foiled, the man turned to plan b. He waved a meaty paw and shrunk down to his animagus form, running away into the long grass. The only evidence that he was ever there was a foul suit lying on the ground.
Enraged that he was getting away, Harry attempted to run after him, but his two female friends pulled him back. Hermione and Harry supported Ron, and Ariana.
Lupin's screams of pain echoed around them. Ariana hated every second of his pain, her eyes transfixed on him. She couldn't explain it, but it was a deep connection that could not seem to be stopped.
Sirius desperately clung to Lupin, shouting him name. Unfortunately, his attempts were all in vain. Remus's fingers had swollen and grown sharp claws and he had grown about two foot taller. His back arched, bones cracking violently, and burst through his suit.
"Run!" Sirius yelled. "RUN!"
The four Gryffindors began to walk backwards, but their eyes were still pinned on the scene. Ariana was huddled with her friends, she and Hermione at either end. Harry's arm was wound around her shoulders in a protective manner, pulling her into his side.
Lupin was no longer himself. His clothes lay shredded on the floor, and in his place stood a tall, skinny, but powerful, werewolf. The creature tossed Sirius away as if he was a sack, sending him over the rise. Instead of tearing all of the students to shreds, since werewolves actively hunt humans, he hunched over, whining like a lost puppy.
Ariana wanted to approach him, but that would been a suicide mission. Since Lupin had not taken a Wolfsbane Potion, a solution which allowed werewolves to retain their human minds while transformed, she probably would be killed... or worse.
Harry began to pull hus friends away, trying to keep them out of danger. Hermione, however, tugged free of Ron's grip.
"Wait! Wait," she said firmly, approaching the werewolf with caution. "Professor? Professor Lupin?"
The werewolf quickly straightened up, a loud howl erupting from his elongated muzzle, his face tiled up at the moon.
"Hermione!" Ariana yelled, reaching forward to pull her friend back. "He hasn't touched a drop of Wolfsbane Potion tonight."
The werewolf advanced on them, licking its lips. It hovered over them as it stalked closer, eyeing them as if they were meat on a plate, which they might as well of been. The four students were all pressed up against each other, gripping on for dear life. They all backed up as the creature approached, terror-stricken.
Ariana reached across and held Hermione's arm, her own stretching across her family. She attempted to reach her wand, her right hand clawing at her left side, trying to grab it.
"Nice doggie. Nice doggie," Ron whimpered, sandwiched in between Harry and Hermione. Ariana could feel his hand gripping her shoulder, and it was a comfort to her.
As they backed away, Snape emerged from the Whomping Willow, oblivious to the bloodthirsty creature behind him. "There you are, Potter."
Upon seeing the new arrival, the werewolf let out a sinister growl. Snape spun around faster than Ariana had ever seen him move before, a small gasp bubbling up his throat.
The Professor spread his arms in an effort to protect the four Gryffindor students. One of his hands wound around Ariana's arm, pulling her behind him with the others.
With a savage growl, the werewolf swiped at them. Hermione screamed as they all fell, each one landing flat on the ground. Ariana watched with wide, scared eyes, her heart hammering against her ribcage at 50 miles per hour.
Before the werewolf could attack again, a large black dog appeared, growling. Sirius threw the werewolf backwards, taking a defensive stance in front of the humans. They took the opportunity to raise themselves from the ground, remaining behind Snape, not that they had an option.
Ariana refrained from wincing every time the werewolf was hit by Sirius; she knew it wasn't Lupin, but he would remember everything in the morning.
With Black playing defense, the two animals engaged in a battle. Sharp fangs and lethal claws flashed in a fierce tangle. Sirius managed to repeatedly hit the werewolf back, but he was overpowered.
With a howl of pain, the dog was sent soaring backwards into the tall grass. With no one to stop him, the werewolf lashed out, his long fangs on full display as he attempted to bite Harry.
"NO!" Ariana screamed, leaping in front of Harry, managing to push Snape's arm to the side.
Its jaw clamped around her upper right arm with a vice-like grip, tossing her to the other side of the small clearing.
A blood-curdling scream tore from Ariana's throat as she landed on the ground, agonising amounts of pain radiating across her body. She vaguely saw Harry, Ron and Hermione struggling to run to her aid, but Snape proved to be a determined, and successful, blockade.
Ariana's body was taut, convulsing with the shock of the trauma. With a fuzzy vision, she made out a growling figure approaching.
Amid the pain, she tried to reach for her wand, which was lying on the grass. Her hand desperately clawed across the ground, but it was no use. All she was able to do was groan violently in intense pain with her eyes screwed shut, waiting for the inevitable end of her life.
~~~~~
Question:
Which one of these wizards have NOT been infected with Lycanthropy?
A: Silias Crump
B: Mafalda Hopkirk
C: Fenrir Greyback
Congratulations to Blackstars36 for answering the previous question correctly.