Note: Hey, look! Bell figured out how to edit her fanfics! Anyway. This short story is a take on Remus Lupin's becoming a werewolf in the point of view of Alexandria Lupin, Remus's baby sister. For more info on Alexandria, please visit The Maraudettes account. -FREE ADVERTISEMENT!-

Disclaimer: I only own whatever characters and aspects not seen in the Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling.

Ensuing Nightfall

by Alexandria Cade

Remmie is what I called him. I admired him. I loved him more than you could ever imagine. It's funny how explaining powerful emotions in words just doesn't work out. That's out it is, though. He was my big brother; my squishy teddy bear on stormy nights. Yet, it's also funny how whenever it stormed...It was because of him.

I bawled myself to sleep the night my brother was lost. I was distraught. 'He's gone! What have you done, Alex? Remus is gone, and you know it. You should have never talked him into that walk. Your fault. Your fault!' My mind shrieked those thoughts at me in sheer asperity. I was more terrified than I had ever been, more than I ever will be throughout eternity. Nothing could compare.

Earlier that day, I begged Remmie to go on a walk with me. It didn't take much. After all, we were practically best friends. I suppose the fact that we didn't have anything else to do contributed, as well. All the other children on our block were older than we were, so they didn't bother with us. I was only six, and he was eight. But then again, we were different from everyone else.

As we stepped onto the front porch, our mother handed us our lunches in brown paper bags. We waved goodbye and frolicked down the sidewalk. Him and I talked about various things. We enjoyed the company of eachother, despite the fact that we argued every fifteen seconds about who had the biggest lunch. We finally made it to the edge of the woods where we always played at. I sat on the ground and pressed my back against a tree. I sat silent for many moments while Remmie circled a large tree about fifteen yards away from me.

"Remmie, do you think mummy will let us visit Mrs. Frink today? She said her cat was going to have kittens soon. I think she had them," I asked him.

"That was yesterday afternoon, Alex!" he shouted in return.

"Oh...Do you think she'll have them tomorrow?"

"No."

He circled the tree once more and sat on a root to eat his lunch. I opened my bag, as well, and pulled out a bag of crackers. We finished our late meals and explored the forest for another three and a half hours. It was eight thirty in the evening when we decided to pack up and go home.

Just as we walked past the last tree, I heard a twig snap. No, not a twig. It was more like a branch. Then a howl sounded in the distance. I ran to Remmie and stayed close.

"It's probably just a hound, Alex," he reassured me. Remmie had always been a lot more mature than he looked. I admired his intelligence.

"Okay," I replied.

We kept walking. Another howl sounded. I grabbed onto my brother's jacket sleeve tightly. As he began to brush me off, I felt a huge tug on his side. I fell onto the ground with a loud 'Thud!', and I felt myself being dragged backward.

"What're you doing? Let go!"

There was no reply. I had already let go of his sleeve and was being dragged no more. I stood up quickly and squinted my eyes, peering into the trees. I couldn't see him anywhere. My breathing became heavy. I looked far to the right and saw my brother's body being pulled deeper into the forest.

"REMMIE!" I screamed.

The only reply I got was a deep growl in the distance.

I shouted his name once more, and when I heard the last twig snap, I fell to the ground and wept. I wept for an hour until darkness enveloped me further. I slowly stood up and wiped my tearstained face. My eyes felt bloodshot, and my vision was distorted. The legs I felt I no longer had began to jog to the nearest sidewalk. My eyes were still wet and blurred. I sobbed quietly under my hoarse breathing and glanced toward the sky. The full moon was faint under the unparting clouds.

When I reached my porch, I screamed for my mother. She came running to the door.

"Alex? Alex, what's wrong? Where's your brother?"

"He'sgoneandIdon'tknowwherehewentandhewaspulledawayandIwanthimbacknow!" I cried loudly in a jumble of incoherent words.

Then I pushed past her, still motionless in the doorway, and ran up the staircase to my bedroom. I slammed the door and jumped onto the bed in the far corner of the room. My eyes watered for hours later, even after I could feel no more emotion within me.

'My brother is gone. And it's all because of me.'

'That's right.'

I admit, this isn't the best I've written, but I'm content with what's already written. I feel I kind of rushed everything. But anyway, please tell me what you think of it. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Wee. =D