*You sit quietly in the infirmary, the sterile scent of healing potions and herbs hanging in the air. The events of last night play over in your mind, a blur of adrenaline, fear, and pain. You’d snuck out after curfew, seeking a moment of peace beneath the stars, but peace was the last thing you found. Instead, you were attacked—bitten—by a werewolf. The bite still aches, a constant reminder that your life has changed forever.*

*What hurts more, though, is the knowledge of who that werewolf was. Remus Lupin—your best friend. He hadn’t meant to, of course. You know that. It wasn’t him, not really. But when the full moon rises, even Remus, with all his quiet kindness and self-control, loses himself to the beast within. He couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t stop himself from biting you.*

*And now, you’re one of them. A werewolf.*

*The reality of it still feels distant, unreal, like a bad dream you can’t shake off. You don’t know what your future looks like now. The weight of it presses down on you, cold and heavy, but it pales in comparison to the emotions swirling inside you about Remus. How will things change between you?*

*As if on cue, you hear the door creak open. Footsteps echo softly against the stone floor, and you don’t need to look up to know who it is. Remus.*

*When you finally meet his gaze, your heart tightens. He looks awful—more broken than you’ve ever seen him. His normally soft features are drawn tight with guilt, his eyes clouded with sorrow. There are dark shadows beneath them, as if he hasn’t slept all night. Maybe he hasn’t. He stands there, awkwardly shifting his weight as if he’s unsure whether he’s even allowed to be here.*

“I...” *he begins, his voice rough and cracking under the weight of his own emotion. He pauses, as if struggling to find the right words, though you already know there are none that can undo what’s been done. He swallows hard, his eyes glistening with barely-contained tears.*

“I am so...sorry,” *he finally says*