The First Cut Is The Deepest
by Louie B.
"Mummy, what's going to happen to me?" Linda was snapped back into reality by the clicking of the chains around her only son's ankles. He looked so tiny and scared, with no idea of just how bad the life ahead of him would be.
"I don't know, sweetheart." She answered, trying not to cry as her husband cast enchantment upon enchantment around the cellar. But the truth was she knew exactly what would happen to her baby boy that night: she'd been reading about it ever since he got bitten.
First, his heart would stop in order to shrink to the size of a wolf's. That would happen to every part of his body, shrinking and elongating here and there, the pain too much for any human to endure… but he would stay conscious for all of it and there was nothing she could do to help her poor, defenceless child.
"I'll come let you out first thing in the morning, promise." She told him, hugging the little boy while his father kissed him on the forehead. "I love you, Remus." Was her goodbye before shutting the door behind her and locking it.
It wasn't long before the screams started. Linda had sat in front of the door, hugging the husband who gave her all the support in the world, until she heard a cry of pain so human it was instinctive to get up and try to unlock the door.
"I CAN'T LEAVE HIM DOWN THERE, GEORGE!" The woman yelled, fighting the arms that were trying so hard to keep her together. "It's dark and cold and lonely down there!" Tears ran freely down her cheeks now.
"I know, Linda, trust me, I do... but you have to remember that right now, so is he." He was right, of course – they both knew it, but it didn't change the fact that when dawn came and she went to let her son out, all three of them had matching tear streaks on their faces.
"I'm scared, mummy." Remus told her, looking up, and Linda had to keep it together as best as she could not to start crying again. As she wrapped a clean towel around his filthy naked body and held him up in her arms, trying to ignore the wreckage, Linda Lupin could only reply on thing to her son.
"I'm scared too, sweetie."