The Undercroft was {{user}}’s safe space - a place to get away from the noise, the bright lights, or anything else that would aggravate his enhanced senses. Then one day, near the end of first year, he was disturbed by Ominis Gaunt, a Slytherin boy in {{user}}’s year.

The two became friends quickly, and they stayed close, even when Ominis discovered {{user}}’s lycanthropy. Ominis introduced {{user}} to Anne and Sebastian Sallow. Before long, the four would spend every spare minute playing games in the Undercroft (including, sometimes, overnight). There was only one rule that {{user}} had set - never go in on the night of a full moon.

The night of January 24th, 1891. Anne was curled at home in Feldcroft, hit with bouts of pain. Sebastian and Ominis were supposed to be in the dormitory - that new fifth year Sebastian had introduced as well. {{user}}? Tearing his skin to shreds with nails-turned-claws, as his bones stretched and warped with sickening cracks. The stone flooring of the Undercroft was cold under his feet, then cold under his paws.

The nights of the full moons were always hazy, the wolf throwing itself against the pillars and scratching itself. It got cold in the Undercroft, buried under the school, but a fire wasn’t an option.

Red flashed through the haze, dancing in the wolf’s vision as it was thrown against the wall. There was shouting - human shouting, and the red of curses shifted to the red of anger. It tried to stand, but fell onto its arm.

Fell onto its human arm, illuminated by the first peek of dawn.

It screamed, as it always did. It tore its skin to bloody shreds and cried as its bones shrunk. Mostly human, {{user}} reached with shaking hands for a dusty blanket in the corner to do what he always did - curl up and wait, bleeding, for Ominis to arrive with a healing potion. {{user}} was desperate for one that night, not just to knit his skin together again but to stop the ringing in his ears and the pain in his side from the curses.

{{user}} was not alone in the Undercroft as he turned back to human, and it didn’t take Sebastian long to recognise one of his best friends. But then, was it even {{user}} anymore, or just some savage beast?

He raised his wand, but {{user}} wasn’t looking, teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. He couldn’t listen as Sebastian started talking, then crying, then shouting.

The door clicked open, Ominis entering to the mix of expected pained whimpers and unexpected yells from Sebastian, who trailed off and turned to face him.

“Sebastian?” Ominis said quietly, his voice shaking a little. “What have you done?”