Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx- Saturday, April 27th, 1968

Remus Lupin pushed open the door and walked into the cold night air. His parents were fighting again, he could hear the shouts, sobs, threats, and occasional slams as his mother was once again hit. He didn't like when his parents fought, he didn't understand it. None of his friend's parents fought, they hugged and kissed like normal mommy and daddies did.

Remus sighed and walked into the forest surrounding their house.

There had been a time when his parents got along, but then It happened.

Remus stepped over a log.

His father had been fired from his high-paying ministry job.

Remus clambered over the rocks.

Remus had only been five when it happened. His father had tried to work through it, he would go out job-hunting and sometimes mow lawns for money. Their family was still happy.

But it hadn't been enough.

Their house was put up for foreclosure. The only reason they weren't out on the streets was because of his grandmother who had let them have the second bedroom. They lived there for awhile until they were able to get back up on their feet.

Eventually, his father did get a job, a cashier at the local liquor store. With only his small salary, they managed to afford a beaten up farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. It was good, better than nothing, but apparently not enough for his father. He had taken up drinking, drugs, and would sometimes hit him or his mother in his drunken stupor. Somehow his mother still loved the man for reasons unknown to Remus. She wouldn't comment when he would come home smelling of cheap perfume and prostitutes, she just had a hot dinner at his place at the table.

But his mother still had pictures of when their family was normal. When they were a perfect family. Remus could hear her crying on nights his father didn't come home.

By now Remus was at the edge of the forest, staring at the long expanse of the green field ahead of him.

He could remember the first time he had stepped foot in these fields. He had decided to run away at six and only made it as far as the river before his father caught him.

Remus took a small step back.

He could still remember the beating he received afterward, it left him sobbing in his mother's arms upstairs while his father downed his second bottle of Fire Whiskey that night.

But that was two years ago, Remus was eight now and no longer afraid of his father. Well, sort of.

But he sucked in his breath and walked into the field, giggling as the grass tickled his legs. A stream bubbled nearby, giving off an aura of calm, a calm Remus hadn't experienced since before It.

Abandoning all fears, Remus leaped and hollered through the field, all traces of worry and sadness gone. He ran until he collapsed at the edge of a bubbling river.

Remus looked up, his face smudged with dirt, a figure seemed to be sleeping behind the tall grass on the other side of the stream, it looked a bit like a dog. Remus liked dogs but he was never allowed near them due to his father's allergies.

But his father wasn't here Remus reminded himself, he could pet the dog if he wanted to.

So he rolled up his pajama pants and put one foot in. The water was cold and pieces of plucked grass brushed up against his ankles as they floated past.

He put in another foot and started to wade across the shallow river towards the dog. It appeared to be sleeping with its eyes closed, mouth slightly open, revealing a fat pink tongue and two sets of sharp teeth.

It didn't look like any dog Remus had seen before, it was larger than most and gave off a feeling of unease.

Feeling slightly scared, he stepped back but slipped on the mud at the edge, sending him into the water with a splash.

At the unexpected sound, the dog's eyes snapped open and a menacing growl tore through its throat.

Remus scrambled up quickly but the dog was faster, it leapt up, pushing Remus back into the water with the force of its paws. Sharp teeth ripped at his clothes and bit down on his side, hard.

Remus was aware that someone was screaming, it was him. The dog raked its claws down his stomach and legs, leaving long scratches that were sure to scar. He could feel the sticky liquid running down his face from where the dog had scratched him. Golden eyes stared down at him, these weren't the eyes of a dog, these were the eyes of a monster.

Eventually after another bite and more scratches a red beam of light hit the wolf, making it run back to the safety of the trees.

Sobs and screams tore through the air as hands flittered across Remus' face and the rest of his body checking for more injuries. His mother's face was staring down at him, her eyes filled with tears and fear, something Remus was quite used to now.

He could barely hear her as she cradled her baby to her chest and begged her husband to help him. But Remus didn't want help, it hurt too much, he wanted to die, for it to be over with already.

But his father reluctantly bent down next to Remus and began to cast the necessary healing spells on him, fixing the smaller cuts and replenishing his blood.

It did very little, Remus was slipping into unconsciousness. His head lolled against his mother's chest and he felt her tears stinging his cheeks as his father apparated them away to St. Mungo's where someone could help him.

Unfortunately for Remus, the apparition pushed him over the edge as his head rolled back and his eyes shut.

His last conscious thought was: 'Bad things must always happen in that field, I at least hope the doggy's okay. He probably didn't mean to hurt me. He was just playing.'

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Author's Note: Oh my god, I almost broke my own heart writing this.

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