"Absolutely not!" Mia took Remus's hand and the two passed by Sirius beneath the
tree. Up ahead, James had shifted back to human form in order to fit through the tight
passage on their way to the Shrieking Shack.
"How about Vixen?" Sirius called after them.
"How about I bite you again?" Mia threatened. "I hate nicknames."
"It's not a nickname, it's a Marauder name!" Sirius countered.
"I am not a Marauder."
He barked a laugh. "Then what the hell are you?"
"Mine." Remus grinned and walked into the Shrieking Shack with a smile on his
face for the first time in his life.
They allowed Remus his privacy to undress in the shack while they waited, listening
closely as he transformed on the other side of the large door.
Despite joking not ten minutes earlier, when they all heard the harsh sounds of
Remus screaming beyond the barrier that separated them from the wolf, Mia let out a quiet
sob, and Sirius pulled her into a tight, comforting hug.
"I didn't know," James mumbled, a frown etched on his face. "I didn't know it was
this bad. He sounds like... Merlin, it sounds like.. ."
"It sounds like someone's got him under a Cruciatus Curse," Sirius answered
knowingly.
Mia wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned to face the door as the screaming
stopped. "Come on. Padfoot goes in first, followed by me, then Prongs and Wormtail,"
she instructed carefully. James clearly did not like the order, but she insisted, and Sirius
took her side on the subject vehemently.
"We're both predators. Sorry, Prongsie, but you're prey. Mia's right; we need to be
careful with our approach here."
And they all shifted.
The little fox pawed her way into the room slowly behind Padfoot, looking
immediately for the wolf who—just as she remembered—was beautiful. The massive beast