I was in the library the other day, when I noticed a whole shelf of those books that you get for children who are going through a difficult experience. 'I Have Leukaemia', 'When Grandma Died', 'My Parents Got Divorced', 'My Brother Is Blind' – that sort of thing. (I also noticed the titles 'My Sister Takes Drugs', 'I Live With Mum and her Girlfriend' and 'My Dad's In Prison' which suggests to me that gritty realism has got a bit grittier since my childhood.) And I started to wonder – would wizarding children have books like that? This story is also inspired by a Doctor Cornelius story. Please read to the end – that's the good bit!
DISCLAIMER: As ever, it's JK Rowling's world. I just like to play in it.
A WEREWOLF IN THE FAMILY
Hello! My name's Clara Pulin. This is my mum, and this is my dad. And this is my little brother Merus.
Merus is a very special brother. He is a werewolf.
When Merus was very little, we went for a walk in the woods. He ran away while we were having a picnic, and a werewolf bit him.
We all went to St Mungo's Hospital. We had to sit in the waiting room, and Dad read comics to me.
Mum and Dad thought that Merus was going to die. Then the doctor came and talked to us. She said that Merus was going to live, but he would always be a werewolf.
We were all very sad. Mum cried, and Dad told me that I had to be a very big, grown-up girl now, and help Mum with Merus.
When we got home, Dad made a big cage in the living-room out of wood and chicken wire. This is where Merus goes when he is ill.
For most of the time, Merus is just like other little boys. He likes it when I read my comics to him – Martin Miggs the Mad Muggle is his favourite. But I don't let him touch my comics in case he tears them or scribbles all over them. We play Gobstones and Exploding Snap together. Sometimes I let him win because he is younger than me. Sometimes we fight, especially when he rides my broomstick. He's only allowed a toy broomstick because he is younger. He shouldn't ride mine.
Once a month, Merus gets ill. Mum has a moon chart in the kitchen, which tells her when Merus is going to turn into a werewolf. He is always very cross the day before. He cries, and eats a lot of chocolate. Sometimes Mum shouts at him.
In the evening, it's time to put him in his cage. Sometimes he is good about going in, but usually he kicks and screams. Then Mum has to put a spell on him with her wand, and he can't move. I help Mum by putting food in Merus's cage. We give him chicken and sausages, and a bowl of water to drink. His favourite food is pork chops when he's a werewolf.
When Merus turns into a werewolf, it hurts him. He bites his hands and scratches his legs a lot. He screams and cries. Grey fur starts to grow all over him, and his hands curl up and turn into paws with claws on. His nose gets longer and his teeth get bigger. Before long, his eyes are yellow, and then he is a real werewolf!
When Merus is a werewolf he can't talk, and he can't play with me. All he can do is walk about in his cage and eat raw meat. Sometimes he snarls and growls at me. It's scary when he does that! I am not allowed to go near the cage in case he bites me, but I can sit on the other side of the room.
I always stay with Merus when he turns into a werewolf, but Mum sits in her bedroom and is very sad. Dad says that I shouldn't bother her when she is sad, so I talk to Merus instead. I tell him 'It's all right, Merus, soon you'll be better and then we can play together again,' but Mum and Dad say that he can't understand me when he is a werewolf.
When the full moon has gone away, Merus turns back into a little boy again. He is tired when he has just been a werewolf, and doesn't feel very well. Mum cooks him his favourite dinner, and everyone is happy. The next day he is better, and we play together.
I am not allowed to tell my friends about Merus. Mum and Dad say that nobody would want to play with me if they knew my brother was a werewolf. A lot of witches and wizards don't like werewolves. They would say that Merus is a monster. But that's silly, because he's only dangerous when the moon is full. Usually, he's just like anybody else.
One night, I was in bed when I heard shouting. There were witches and wizards outside our house. They all had wands and burning torches, and they were shouting horrible things about Merus, and Mum and Dad. I was so scared that I started to cry, but Merus didn't even wake up. Mum held me, and Dad tried to make the bad witches and wizards go away. The next day, we moved away to a new house in another town. It's smaller than our other house, but we can go to the park every day now. I asked Dad if those horrible witches and wizards would be punished, but he shook his head and said no. Some things aren't fair for werewolves.
Sometimes Merus is sad, because he isn't allowed to play with other children or go to school. When I am eleven, I will go to Hogwarts to learn how to be a proper witch. Poor Merus will never be allowed to go to school. Mum and Dad are very sad about this, but there is nothing we can do about it. Maybe some day there will be a potion to make Merus better.
It's a shame that Merus is a werewolf, but it doesn't stop him enjoying life just like anyone else. He is my special little brother, and I love him very much.
THE END
'Mummy, can I go and see Merus and Clara?'
'No, lovey. They aren't real you know, they're just people in a story-book.'
'But werewolves are real, aren't they?'
'Yes, lovey. They are.'
'Do we know any werewolves?'
'Well, you remember Mr Quacey, who lived on the corner? He was a werewolf.'
'What happened to Mr Quacey?'
'There was a fire. His house burnt down, and he died.'
'Poor Mr Quacey.'
'Yes, it was very sad.'
'I wish I knew some werewolves.'
'Well, you'll learn all about them when you go to Hogwarts.'
'Will there be werewolves at Hogwarts?'
'No, lovey. It's like it says in your book – werewolves aren't allowed to go to school in case they bite anybody.'
'But if it was a nice werewolf? Like a big friendly dog?'
'No, lovey. Lots of werewolves are very nice when they're people, but at the full moon all werewolves are dangerous.'
'Do werewolves bite dogs?'
'No. They only bite people. A dog would be a sort of cousin to a werewolf.'
'I wish I had a big dog.'
'I know. So you tell us every day.'
'If you turned into a dog, could you be friends with a werewolf?'
'I suppose so. I've never really thought about it. But it's hard to turn into an animal, lovey. Only very clever wizards can do it.'
'Am I clever, Mummy?'
'You're a very clever boy.'
'Some day, I'm going to go to Hogwarts, and learn to be a wizard. And then I'll turn into a dog, and make friends with werewolves, and…' (the little boy yawns)
'I think it's time for you to go to sleep. Night-night, lovey.'
'Night, Mummy. Can you leave the light on?'
'OK. Sweet dreams, Sirius.'
(A.N. No prizes for guessing how Mr Quacey's house caught fire.)