Remus pulled a book off the shelf and flipped through the pages. He had been on his way home to the cabin in the forest after work at Dervish and Banges when he decided to make a quick stop in Tomes and Scrolls, hoping to find anything on animagus training. The book he had found briefly discussed the process but was not detailed enough on the steps he needed to take. Putting it back, Remus scanned the shelves, walking down the aisle.

               Three books caught his attention – How to Become an Animagus, Finding Your Inner Spirit Animal, and Animagus Training Step by Step. The three books were side by side so Remus pulled all three down, wondering if they were meant to be read together. He took the books over to a table and skimmed through them.

               “Thinking about becoming an animagus?” a voice spoke to him.

               Remus lifted his head to see a wizard in a dark coat, staring down at the books he had opened on the table. The man adjusted his fedora, pulling it down to shade his eyes.

               “It’s just research,” Remus answered, looking back down at the books.

               “It takes months to become one,” the man continued.

               “Yes, yes,” Remus nodded. “I would be willing to take the time.”
               “You seem like someone looking for fast results.”

               “What makes you say that?”

               “Just an observation,” the man in the fedora sat in the chair across from Remus. “What makes you want to become one, if you don’t mind me asking.”

               “Well . . .” Remus frowned, wondering why this strange man was so interested. “Actually, it’s just an idea for something personal.”

               “Hmm,” the man looked off sideways. “Trying to get away from something?”

               “Or get to something,” Remus said, looking back down at his book, hoping if he ignored the man, he might take a hint and leave.

               “I think I know someone who could help you.”

               That caught Remus’s attention. He looked back up at the man, who was staring at him, though the fedora made it hard to see his eyes. “Help me how?”

               “His name is Draven Ruse,” the man continued. “He’s a shadow wizard.”

               “You mean he plays with the dark arts,” Remus glared.

               “It’s more like black magic.”

               “Same thing.”

               “In his mind, they are two different topics. And he’s called a shadow wizard because of his behavior, and the fact that he likes to play with shadows. He is quite skilled in what he does and knows ways of getting around the whole extensive training.”

               “Cheats,” Remus concluded.

               “Shortcuts. But essentially, yes, cheats. He could help you become an animagus in a day rather than waiting months to complete some foolish, complicated process.”

               “Is that what you did?” Remus couldn’t help but ask.

               The man gave a short chuckle, “Become some kind of mindless animal? No. Ruse gave me something far more useful. But be warned, the man does not come without his cunning brains, and I advise that you avoid signing a bad contract, no matter how tempting it may seem. Know your terms, look for blind spots, and never agree to anything that may involve blood. Otherwise, you shall find his magic quite propitious.”

               “Why should I trust you?” Remus asked.

               “I’ve been in your shoes before, wolf,” the man said, “and I’ve been on the receiving end of a bad deal as well.”

               Remus sucked in a breath and is eyes glanced sideways quickly to see if anyone had heard. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked back at the man – but the man in the fedora hat was gone. On the table in front of Remus was a business card that read: Draven Ruse; Shopkeeper of Ruses and Antiques; 13 Knockturn Alley; “Success comes with risk-taking, do not wait for opportunities – take them.”

               Remus looked around the shop for the strange man in the fedora. No one could move that quickly, and he had heightened senses. How had he missed the man leaving? All he did was look away for a second?

               Remus looked back down at the business card in his hand.

               Later, Remus found himself walking down the street of Knockturn Alley, a cloak wrapped around his shoulders with the hood up. He turned down a dark corner and came face to face with an old, rotted door with the number thirteen etched into. He looked up at the sign: Ruses and Antiques. Glancing over his shoulder, Remus raised a fist and knocked.

               The door opened on its own.

               Remus stepped in, looking around. It was a dark large room with shelves of knickknacks and potions, a large table in the center with a glowing crystal ball at one end. Books and books lined the far wall behind the table, and a counter was littered with strange jars of varying floating substances. Remus took a hesitant step back, but the door slammed shut behind him. The room lit up with several candles floating near the ceiling. A large explosion of black smoke blew in the center of the room. Remus coughed and waved his hand as it cleared to reveal a wizard in a tailcoat jacket.

               “A great salesman must know how to make an entrance, don’t you think, good sir?”

               “You definitely made an entrance,” Remus said. He cleared his throat.

               “Draven Rusbrook at your service,” The man said, adjusting his jacket and reaching out a hand to shake, “You can call me Ruse, everybody does.”

               Remus didn’t shake Ruse’s hand, instead, he made a point of putting his hands in his jean pockets as he said, “I hear you mess around with the dark arts.”

               “Ah, you mean black magic,” Ruse smiled, snapping his fingers. His shadow seemed to detach itself and moved away, seeming to come to life as it removed Remus’s cloak and hung it on a hatrack. Remus pulled away from the shadow, watching it warily as it reconnected itself to Ruse. “You see, what I do can only help people, change their lives. Dark magic is meant to destroy.”

               “I believe its dark magic regardless of how it is used,” Remus argued.

               “Dark?” Ruse raised his brows, “or advantageous?” Ruse waved Remus in, leading him to the shelves, “Look here, I can give you potions for luck or fame, hunger or thirst. This here will turn you invisible. This amulet will ward off diseases and this clock will help you slow time. I hear the crystal ball calling me, and with it, I can see into your future, or bring back a blast from your past if you prefer.”

               Remus jumped back as Ruse waved his fingers over an obituary, and a spirit-like essence rose from the paper.

               “I didn’t really come here for that kind of magic.”

               “Of course not, my friend,” Ruse smiled, wrapping an arm around Remus’s shoulder as he held out his hand and fanned out some cards. “The cards do not lie.”

               Remus’s eyes widened as he stared at the cards, each one showing a step in the process of werewolf transformation, a pained expression on the unfortunate man’s face. Ruse used his thumb to slide the cards back in a pile before fanning them out once more, revealing a new set that showed a happy man transforming into a wolf on a night of a half moon, tail wagging.

               “Unbelievable,” Remus muttered.

               “Trust me, it is believable,” Ruse flicked his wrist and the cards disappeared. He waved his hand as he said, “I see a bright future for you, one filled with acceptance in society, being soon for the good man you are, rather than the monster you become. You’ll get the chance to see your best friend’s son. Isn’t that what you came here for?”

               “How did you know?”

               Ruse apparated across the room, pulling down a book and allowing that book to flip open to the right page on his own.

               “You wish for a more social life in a world where werewolves are not allowed,” Ruse said, moving around and gathering various objects, including a candle and vials of potions, “You wish for a chance to be yourself without being frowned upon by the people on the other side, the normals and the judgers. Without being casted away first, of course. I can create the key to the cage you lock yourself in and set you free. You and I are not so different, so let an outcast like me help an outcast like you. I can cut you a deal. I can get you to the other side.”

               Remus watched as Ruse laid out his objects on the table, then waved his hand over the edge of the desk, cards appearing. This time, the cards spelled out: ANIMAGUS.

               “The shortcut to becoming one at least,” Ruse smirked, sitting in his chair, his fingers steepled.

               Remus swallowed, frowning at the objects on the table. There was a strange red candle, several vials of potions, long thread like material, and a necklace with a howling wolf pendant. Remus thought back to the man with the fedora and the warning the man gave him. He also thought about Harry. And what of his life? Closing his eyes, Remus found that he wasn’t exactly unhappy with where he was at right now. The New Year had barely begun, but he had stayed longer in the cabin in the woods than anywhere else, and the people at Hogsmeade seemed to have no clue about his condition and they liked him. He was earning his keep and soon, he might be able to find a new, real home, an actual house. He wasn’t unhappy right now. Why change that?

               “I think,” Remus began, taking a step back, “I might pass.”

               “Pass on such a wonderful opportunity?” Ruse gestured to the table. “This is your chance for some control in your life.”

               “I have control now, thank you,” Remus said, working his way over to his cloak on the hatrack. “I might be an outcast, but I am happy right now. And there’s nothing wrong with following protocols. I can learn to become an animagus. Besides, I’m working my way into a world of normals, as you called them, and they accept me. I’m not in a cage so there’s no reason for you to create a key. For an outcast, I think I’m doing just fine. I don’t need to get to the other side.”

               Remus swung his cloak over his shoulder, prepared to leave, but Ruse appeared leaning on the door.

               “People might accept you,” Ruse said, snapping his fingers. His shadow separated from himself once again. “But what of Moony?”

               The shadow morphed into a playful wolf, jumping around along the floor and wagging his tail.

               “Especially on nights of the full moon.”

               The shadow wolf’s playful manner disappeared, replaced by a snarling, bristle-furred wolf.

               “Listen here,” Ruse wrapped an arm around Remus’s shoulder, walking him back towards his desk. “There are two types of people – outcasts and normals. You and I, we’re outcasts, and no one wants an outcast in their life, especially one as dangerous as a werewolf. Think of why your so-called friend doesn’t want you near that child whose life you wish to be a part of. You can’t even show your face as a man to the boy without potentially exposing your secret. Tell me, is that the life you wish to live? Are you really happy with being a monster?”

               Remus pulled away from the man, glancing to the door, then back at the growling shadow wolf that attached itself to Ruse, becoming the man’s shadow again.

               “I can help you finally live a little, without the fear of ever being found out. If people saw a wolf on nights other than a full moon, what is there to suspect? You would benefit from my magic. You need to become an animagus sooner rather than later.”

               “I’ve started taking wolfsbane,” Remus said.

               “Which doesn’t cure your problem, nor does it hide the fact that you are a werewolf from the public. But this will.”

               Remus looked at the table in front of him once more. Everything he needed to become an animagus now was right in front of him, I would be so easy . . .

               And I can see Harry, Remus thought, closing his eyes and folding his arms across his chest. That was all he really wanted. A normal life, a place to live, and a chance to get to know Harry. That was all he wanted.

               And the opportunity to do that now was right in front of him.

               And success comes with risk-taking. He had to take this risk, he couldn’t wait for any more opportunities. He had to take the one in front of him.

               “Fine,” Remus said. “If this is the only way . . .”

               “The only fastest way,” Ruse smiled.

               “No nonsense involved with this?”

               “I just need your consent to do what I need to do.”

               Remus paused, a slight frown on his face as he tapped his fingers against his crossed arms.

               “All right,” he said, “I give you my consent.”

               “Brilliant,” Ruse snapped his fingers and a chair leaped over from a far corner, rushing up to Remus, and knocking into his legs, forcing him to take a seat. The long thread material thickened and lengthened as it jumped off the table and wrapped itself around Remus, securing him put in the chair. Remus struggled against it.

               “Wait,” he grunted, wriggling his arms to the best of his ability, but to no avail. “What is this . . .?”

               “And now,” Ruse said, waving his hands over the table, “to begin your animagus transformation.” The red candle lit to life, its spicy incense burning Remus’s nose and making his stomach nauseous. The several potion vials began mixing with each other, the empty vials floating away until one vial remained, a pinkish color.

Ruse’s shadow turned into a wolf once more, then leaped up to Remus and bit down on his hand. Remus bit back a cry, grunting through his teeth. His hand had four punctures that began to bleed.

Ruse ignored him, picking up the wolf pendant and holding it above the small candle, which burned faster as the pendant began to glow, the wolf’s eyes shining an amber color. The candle had little wax left when Ruse pulled the pendant away.

“Wolf’s blood, let it run through your veins,” Ruse chanted, pushing a small button in on the pendant. A reddish liquid squirted out. Wolf’s blood, Remus figured.

“Your blood,” Ruse said, moving around the table with the wolf pendant, “so you may keep your humanity.”

“My hu- . . . wait,” Remus struggled against the tightening ropes. Ruse held the pendant to his bleeding hand and the jewelry sucked up the body fluid, the eyes glowing amber once more. “What do you mean?”

“Humanity may often times be lost with such a rushed transformation,” Ruse said, holding the pendant above the vial, “let your blood keep you from permanently becoming one with the wolf.”

Ruse pressed the button once more, letting Remus’s blood fall into the vial. The vial shook itself to mix everything thoroughly.

“No, wait, you said nothing about that! You gave me no warnings!”

“You didn’t ask,” Ruse said, setting the wolf pendant aside, allowing the candle to die. Several other candles extinguished, darkening the room. A red circle began to glow on the floor, right around Remus’s chair.

“I take back my consent,” Remus said quickly, fighting the restraints. “No more of this.”

“You can’t take back your word once the magic has started,” Ruse said, picking up the vial and walking over to Remus, though he kept out of the circle. “Remember who you are doing this for. It’ll all be worth it.”

               “I won’t drink it,’ Remus said. He clamped his mouth shut.

               “Lucky for you, this isn’t something you drink.”

               Ruse handed the vial to his shadow, who glided across the floor to Remus, then dumped the vial’s contents on Remus’s wounded hand, the potion seeping into his blood. Remus hissed at the burning pain. It was like keeping his hand under hot water for too long. The shadow returned to its caster, who smiled at Remus.

               The red circle glowed brighter as the potion traveled through Remus’s veins, burning all the way. Remus quivered in his seat, grinding his teeth and clenching his fists. Remus growled in pain as it intensified, reaching his brain as his heart pulsed the potion through his entire body. Remus’s eyes slowly turned into the amber color of a wolf.

               The restraints released him, and Remus fell to the ground, fur spreading all over his body. His face elongated, and his hands turned into paws. He collapsed on the ground a wolf and panted.

               “A perfect result,” Ruse commented as the red circle disappeared. “The transformation is complete. The potion will keep you a wolf for the night, but after this, you will be able to transform at will. I hope you enjoy the other side, my friend. You are free from your miserable life as a monster.”

               Remus, now Moony, pulled himself to his feet slowly, lifting his head and growling at Ruse. The dark wizard had the common sense to step back warily.

               “Now, good friend,” Ruse said, holding up his hands. “I have given you exactly what you asked for. Some appreciation and gratitude would be nice. There will be no charge for your visit, of course. These types of rituals I perform for free.”

               Moony stepped towards Ruse, still snarling, his fur bristled, and ears flattened. He did not look like a normal wolf, but as his werewolf form instead, twice the size of a normal wolf with a tufted tail. He barked angrily as he leaped for the man. Ruse fell backwards and rolled away, pulling out his wand for the first time. He lifted his wand at the mad wolf turning to face him.

Moony jumped on the man, snapping his jaws at his face, centimeters from the man’s skin. Ruse managed to keep an arm under Moony’s neck to keep him from reaching his face. The man lifted his wand and cats a cutting hex at Moony, striking the wolf’s ear. Moony yelped and raised a paw to his ear, scratching Ruse across the face as he did so.

Ruse cried out in pain, clutching at his left cheek, blood dripping down his fingers. Moony leaped away from the man, picking up Remus’s wand in his jaws, and bolted for the door, using his strength to break it open. He ran down the streets of Knockturn Alley as fast as could, knowing he had to find somewhere out of sight for the night. The streets were dark save for a few lit lamps.

Turning a corner, Moony slid to a halt at the sight of a few wizards smoking outside a pub under s street lamp. They all looked at him.

“Wolf!” one wizard cried. A witch screamed, and another wizard fired a few spells at him.

Moony scrambled on his paws and turned away, tail tucked under, running the opposite direction. He had to skid to a halt as a door opened to another building. The witch startled, but quickly threw the garbage she was carrying at the wolf.

“Shoo! Get out of here!”

Moony jumped back to avoid the garbage and ran around the door, increasing his speed as he darted out of Knockturn Alley and into the dead of Diagon Alley. He continued to run until he found a small secluded space in the back of The Leaky Cauldron, a spot past the dumpsters. Panting, Moony set the wand down and sat down. He licked his paw and washed his face briefly.

A broken mirror reflected off the ground, catching Remus’s attention.

               A wolf stared back at him on a night of a sickle moon.

               What has he done to himself?