A Cry In The Night
The twilight fell through the trees of the forest making beautiful patterns as a young family set up camp. The father was a handsome young man, a happy fellow, the twilight bounced off his hair making it shine in like gold, he seemed at ease but his wife was less so. She looked gingerly around before poking the fire, which instantly burst into flames. She had poked it with her wand for she was witch. She was very pretty with long dark wavy hair. Close by them was a little boy of about two, he seemed fascinated by the wildlife and was avidly watching a cricket. The cricket took off and he went to follow it, but his mother stopped him.
"Remus no, you must stay were mummy and daddy can see you"
She hugged him and luckily a ladybird soon took his attention. She then turned to her husband.
"John are you sure its safe?"
"I don't see why not camping is a normal muggle past time, I always used to go away with my family"
"But I have told you there are creatures muggles don't know about or don't believe in"
"Well I've never heard about anything strange happening surely it would have been on the news"
"Not if it was kept quiet"
"Do your lot do that then?"
She nodded "If only we had come last week"
"Acacia, my dear we shall be perfectly fine. Look Remus is really enjoying it"
"All the same I am sleeping with my wand close"
At night the moon shone brightly down, the tent was filled with snores and snuffling. But little Remus was not asleep, he got up and made his way over to the door, as he did the zip opened and he climbed out into the fresh night air, he sat down next to the fire which was now extighised and started looking for nocturnal bugs. A rustling in the brushes drew his attention.
"Doggie"
A wolf had entered the clearing its eyes shone in the moonlight, it howled to the moon. Remus' mother was awoken immediately, she ran out of the tent but was too late. The wolf had bitten him, she frightened it away with balls of light from her wand. Remus' cries sounded through the forest, his father had quickly joined the two of them. The mother was now on the ground cradling her crying son and she too was crying.
"I knew something like this would happen," she said solemnly
"Thank goodness you managed to frighten it away"
"Its too late the damage is done"
Her husband looked puzzled.
"Do you know what that was?" She asked him.
"No"
"It was a werewolf and he's bitten our son, we need to get to St. Mungo's immediately.
She rushed back into the tent and came back out carrying a teacup.
"What the?"
"Grab hold" She said picking up her son "Its an emergency port key"
He joined her holding the teacup and before he knew it they were in St. Mungo's. Remus' screams immediately caught the attention of a passing healer.
"Oh dear I had a feeling we would get one this full moon, but someone so young" There appeared to be a slight tear in the healers eye "Come in here and I will get someone to come and see you immediately"
She took their name and showed them to a small room. The room was small and had very little in it but a few chairs, a desk and a row of potion bottles. A couple of minutes later an other healer arrived. A previously blank block on the desk now read 'Wendolyn Simmons Chief healer –Creature induced injuries'
"I hear we have a werewolf bite" She said looking intensely at Remus' bite.
"Is there anything you can do?" Asked Mrs Lupin
"We can cure the bite immediately"
Mrs Lupin looked relieved.
"But" The healer continued "I am afraid we have no cure for the damage it has done"
"What do you mean?" Asked Mr Lupin
"Mr Lupin I am afraid your son is now a werewolf"
She sprinkled some potion on Remus' it healed the bite and he cheered up a great deal, but both his parents were looking deadly pale.
"How will it affect him?" Asked his mother
"Every full moon he will turn into a wolf, it will be very painful and will take a lot out of him. Not only that when he is a wolf he doesn't have his own mind so even you need to be careful. It shouldn't be too bad at first he will only be a cub but, as he grows older so too will his wolf"
"Is there no cure?" Asked Mr Lupin
"None at all I am afraid. But there is always hope that one will be found. But we must be honest with ourselves that Remus may well have this all his life, however if managed correctly there is no reason why he cannot lead a perfectly ordinary life. "
With this sad new the Lupin's took Remus home. His parents put him to bed and he soon fell into a deep sleep, his mother kissed him and a tear fell from her eye.
As Remus' first full moon approached, his parents were breaking their hearts they had cleared his room of everything he could hurt himself on. His mother squeezed him extra tight before they locked him in. They heard him change and could hear his now wolf cub form racing around and tearing up the room howling. His mother sobbed heavily and clutched his teddy bear (which he would have ripped apart) his father comforted her.
Once Remus was back to normal he was very weak and he stayed in bed a lot of time, his mother read him stories and talked to him. He was too young to know what was really happening to him.
Time went by and the Lupin family went on as best they could dealing with little Remus' condition as well as they were able, they tried everything they could. Mrs Lupin subscribed to the healers monthly journal 'The Potion Bottle' and poured over it reading every article in the hope that someone was close to a cure, but the condition was hardly ever even mentioned. It was as if most people even in the healing community were trying to pretend it didn't exist. Most of the time Remus was a very happy child he was still very inquisitive and a very bright for his age.
Soon he came to school age and his future came into question, his parents wanted him to have as normal as childhood as possible. Mr Lupin had always wanted Remus to go to muggle primary school and they hoped that when he was old enough he could go to a Wizard school but they were worried that his condition would stand in his way, there were not many head teachers willing to take on a werewolf. But his primary education was there first concern.
Remus went off to Muggle School, his mother was concerned but knew it was for the best. He seemed to enjoy it but didn't seem to make friends very easily, a lot of the children knew he was different even though they didn't know why. Remus did well but had to have a lot of time off sick. The school sent his parents letters of concern about this and suggested taking him to the doctors, but there was no point as they knew what was wrong (although a muggle doctor wouldn't). It all came to a head one day when Mr and Mrs Lupin were called to the school. When they arrived they were taken into a room, with the head teacher and a lady from muggle social services. They told the Lupins how they were worried about Remus how he always had bruises and scratched, Mr Lupin said he was a clumsy child (that was a lie, but slightly more believable than the truth). However they didn't seem convinced, they didn't say it in so many words but they implied that Mr and Mrs Lupin might have been mistreating him. Mr Lupin got very angry and Mrs Lupin was seriously considering turning them into something.
"How dare you accuse us, we love our son with all our hearts and would do anything for him" Bellowed Mr Lupin "and if you really must know, he is like that because he is a werewolf" He snapped.
"John!" Cried Mrs Lupin
"No Acacia my dear, I'm not sitting here listening to this, I would rather die than hurt our son"
The head master ventured to speak "Mr Lupin that is the strangest excuse I have ever heard in all my years. Are we really supposed to believe your son is a werewolf?"
"Believe what you like its the truth"
"John" Whispered Mrs Lupin "We really shouldn't be telling the muggles this"
"Well I am not standing for this" Mr Lupin seethed
"I really think we should be going now" said Mrs Lupin looking at her husband "You go John I will follow you in a minute"
"With pleasure" said Mr Lupin storming out.
As he went Mrs Lupin got out her wand and the people in front of her started to look rather frightened.
"I am very sorry about this" She said "Obliviate" and with his she modified their minds and left.
The Lupins were sitting at home considering what they should do next.
"Every Muggle school will be the same" Said Mr Lupin Sadly "and we need to be careful the muggle social services don't get involved again"
"So what are we going to do?" asked Mrs Lupin.
"Well I have been thinking it over. If I gave up work I could teach Remus myself. Why should I teach other children and let my son suffer?"
"But if you give up your teaching how will we manage?"
"I have worked it all out, your galleons will cover the basics, but I don't by any means envisage it being easy but we could manage it"
"I'm for it, if you are sure"
Mr Lupin Looks at Remus merrily playing in the corner "I am sure"
Mr Lupin was sitting at a table with Remus with a book open in front of them. There was a pop and Mrs Lupin appeared
"How was work dear" Asked Mr Lupin
"Oh the usual, selling the odd incense stick and crystal to muggles. How's it been going here?"
"Really well, luckily our son is a very intelligent boy" He beamed at his son and he smiled back.
Just then an owl flew in the window, landing on Mrs Lupins shoulder. She took the letter it had in its beak and it flew off again. She opened the letter and frowned.
"What's the matter?" Asked Mr Lupin.
"Its from one of the wizarding schools I wrote to" She read the letter;
"Dear Mrs Lupin
We are sorry but due to the safety of our students it is not our policy accept children with known lycanthorpy. We hope that your son will find a suitable placement at an alternative school.
Yours etc etc."
"That's the last school, they all say the same. What are we going to do?"
"Well he still has a few years left something may change"
"Well a cure is unlikely and so is a change in people's attitudes. I suppose we may have to swap, you can go back to work and I can teach him, although it's not a very good alternative. I'm not very good at teaching and I am only good at a few areas of magic, I got bad O.W.L marks for some of my subjects, but if it's the best we can do."
Some years later, the Lupins were having breakfast a now 11 year old Remus was enthralled in a book whilst easting his cornflakes. A post owl swooped in and dropped a letter in front of Remus. With surprised he picked it up and checked it was for him. As he examined it his mother-who had been watching- gasped.
"John" she called,
As Mr Lupin looked up he dropped his toast.
"I don't believe it!" said a shocked Remus "I've been accepted to Hogwarts"
"But how can that be?" asked Mrs Lupin,
She had not noticed the owl had not left. It had an other letter which it delivered to her before leaving.
"Oh I've got one too" she said surprised
"I thought you had already been" joked Mr Lupin
She laughed "Actually its addressed to both of us.
Dear Mr & Mrs Lupin
By now Remus will have received his invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I would be most grateful if you would come and see me so that we may discuss the special requirements your son will need. If you would be kind enough to send an owl with an appropriate time and date, I would be most appreciative.
Yours sincerely
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
"Oh that's wonderful, Dumbledore is Headmaster, he's brilliant, he taught me transfiguration when I was there"
There was great jubilation in the Lupin household that day.
Dumbledore was waiting for the Lupins when they entered his office. They took the three arm chairs as he indicated (which Dumbledore had produced them from the air only moments earlier).
"Thank you for coming and welcome to Hogwarts Remus. I must say it is lovely to see you again Acacia"
"It is so lovely to be back. We really must thank you, we didn't think Remus would be accepted. I was so happy to see you were headmaster."
"No need to thank me my dear. I simply believe everyone deserves a good education regardless of their problems and differences. I hear that Remus ia a very intelligent young man"
Remus went pink.
"Now to the matter in hand" Dumbledore continued "I have devised a plan where Remus will be safe and the other students need not know. I am having a house built in Hogsmead specifically for Remus' transformations. There will be a tunnel that leads there from the school grounds. I will see to it that there is no other exit from the. However, this entrance also needs to be secure, so that Remus can enter but no one else. I have been discussing the matter with our herbology professor and we have decided that placing a whomping willow at the entrance will do just that"
"A whomping what?" Questioned Mr Lupin
"A whomping willow, Mr Lupin is an extremely vicious tree that will not let anyone one close enough to find the tunnel"
"But how will Remus get in?" asked a worried Mrs Lupin
"There is a way but it will remain a closely guarded secret, but do not worry Remus will be able to enter the tunnel without any danger"
Mr Lupin was sitting there open mouthed "Mr Dumbledore, is this not too much inconvenience?"
"Certainly not" Smiled Dumbledore "As I have said already Mr Lupin, I think it is extremely important that Remus is allowed a chance at a good education, and there is no reason why he shouldn't be as long as we take these precautions." He paused then continued "And I am sure Remus will find it most enjoyable and I dare say make a friend or two" He smiled at Remus.
This thought made Remus very happy, he had never had any friends before. However Mr Lupin still looked confused.
"Mr Lupin, you look rather perplexed" Said Dumbledore
"Its just a lot to take in"
Dumbledore smiled "Well let me go through it again. When a full moon is due Remus will be taken out of the school without anyone seeing and our nurse, Madam Pomfrey will take him down the passage to the house in Hogsmead where she will leave him to change. Once Remus is back to normal she will come and get him and give him anything she can to help his recovery. Remus is safe and no one else is any the wiser"
This seemed to sink in, Mr Lupin smiled and looked at his wife who was also smiling.
"So, I will look forward to Remus' arrival on the 1st September" Said Dumbledore smiling and his eyes shining.
It was one of Mr and Mrs Lupins happiest days the day they waved their son off on the Hogwarts Express. They were pleased he was off to a new happy life and he would be treated like any normal child his age.
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