A/N: This is a birthday present for SkyeElf Happy birthday! Co-authered and edited by muentiger. :D
The Wolf's Story
Remus Lupin sat in his home shortly after his argument with Harry back at Grimmuald Place. He was fuming, how dare Harry call him a coward? I'm just trying to protect Tonks and my child, he thought, albeit bitterly. Then he sank into his chair, burying his face in his hands.
Who am I kidding? he thought. He knew that, no matter what he said to make himself feel better and sleep at night, he was trying to run. James and Sirius would be ashamed of him. More importantly, his father would be ashamed of him.
This thought gave Remus a pause. His father would be ashamed. Despite any of his fathers faults, he had been a good man until the end. He had never let himself become intimidated, even when the Death Eaters had come into their lives.
Flashback
6 year old Remus was playing with his mother, as they had always been rather closer to each other than he was to his father anyway.
His father had been reading the Prophet when there was a knock on the door.
Sighing deeply, his father rose from the chair, depositing the stray Prophet n the table nearby. His hand was locked sharply on the wand in his back pocket, though Remus had been too busy making Quidditch sounds to realize.
As the door opened, the foul stench of decaying flesh and blood entered the room, causing his mother to stand up in worry, her hand straying to where she had placed her wand only minutes ago.
"Greyback," his father greeted coolly, a menacing timbre crossing his lips that Remus had never heard before.
"Hello Lupin." Greyback rasped to his father his breath carrying the sent of flesh that made Remus hide behind his mother in fear.
"What do you want?" his father shot, stepping front of his wife and son.
"Just came to see if you've reconsidered the Dark Lords offer," Greyback said, showing his bloodstained teeth.
"Nothing you could say would make me consider it. Your Lord is as filthy as the animals that serve him," Lupin spat, drawing his wand out of the holster.
"How dare you? You believe that just because you are fully human by chance, that makes you better than me?" Greyback exclaimed, baring his teeth at the man out of instinct.
"No. But I do not kill, Greyback, whereas you do. I am at liberty to believe that this makes me more humane, and, if you will, better than you," his father replied calmly, although one could see his eyes flashing in danger.
"You'll regret this Lupin. Some day soon, you will regret this," Greyback spat.
His father did not budge or flinch as the werewolf bared his teeth and disapparated. It was a few weeks before the promised regret came.
Remus was out in the backyard playing in the light of the full moon. His parents were inside, discussing the possibility of moving away when they heard Remus scream in terror and pain.
They rushed outside, only to see a huge, brown-haired beast standing over Remus, who was bleeding and screaming in pain on the grass.
"Stupefy!" his father yelled at the creature, who merely grinned, before running off, his tail held high in the air.
"Get him inside. I'll get the Medics from St. Mungo's," he ordered, but his wife did not move.
"What if he changes?" she whimpered, and his father pulled her into his arms.
"He won't. Not if I can help it," he whispered, placing a placating kiss on the top of her head.
He returned twenty minutes later, the medics at his tail, to find Remus in his room, moaning in pain as his wife cried, pressed against the wall near him.
The medics went to work and, an hour of worry later, pronounced Remus to be in stable condition.
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. He will be werewolf from now on," the medic said, looking both stunned parents in the eye unflinchingly.
His mother broke down immediately into the arms of her husband, who stood stoically as the medics apparated away, before carrying his wife into the bedroom. As he walked out, Remus met him in the hallway, shaking slightly as he attempted to walk.
"Why was Mommy crying so bad?" he asked, looking at his father with big eyes.
"Son, something bad has happened. That big dog that attacked you...he's made you a bit sick for a while," his father began, before collapsing at his knees, the tears no longer being held back by the barrier of his will.
A minute passed in silence before Remus stepped forward, drawing his father into his arms, and allowing himself a small wince as he put too much weight on his injured foot.
"It'll be alright, Daddy. As long as we're together, right?" he whispered, smiling as he felt his father wrap his arms around him as well.
"Always."
The very next day, the parents woke long before Remus and sat themselves in the living room.
"What are we going to do?" he asked his wife shakily. For the first time in his life, Thomas Lupin had no clue what to do next. He felt as if he had failed his family by not protecting Remus better.
"We are going to find a way to cure him, of course," his wife said with conviction.
"Dear, there is no cure," he tried to reason with her, but she cut him off.
"Then we'll find one," she said simply, leaving to check on Remus as there was another knock on the door.
"Have you changed your mind yet, Lupin?" Greyback smirked, leaning casually against the frame.
"You monstrous man. If you value any aspect of you despicable existence, I suggest you leave immediately. Never return. And you can tell your Lord that he will be defeated. If it means the death of me, so be it," his father yelled, only causing Greyback to grin further.
"Your choice has already cursed your son forever. I suggest you try not to get into any more...trouble," he said, licking his lips as he took a big sniff. "He truly was...delicious."
Before Mr. Lupin could raise his wand to cast a curse, the werewolf was gone, the swish of a cloak remaining as the only evidence he had ever arrived.
Thomas slammed the door shut in the face of the monster who had been there mere seconds ago.
For the next few weeks Thomas and Mary pored over books, making extensive notes as they looked for a way to cure their only son.
"If only we could figure out some sort of counter-virus," Thomas muttered as he looked into the fifth potions book of the night.
It was one week to the next full moon and still nothing.
"Maybe we're looking in the wrong places," Mary said, brushing her hair out of her eyes.
"Mary, what if there is no cure?" Thomas asked, raising his head to meet her eyes.
"Don't. If there is no cure, I won't be able to live anymore. And we can't think like that. This is Remus we're talking about. Imagine what his life will be like," she whispered frantically, looking around as though she thought Remus was listening in on the conversation.
In reality, he was.
"Mommy, Daddy what's wrong with me?" he asked in his soft innocent little voice, looking as if he were about to cry.
"There's nothing wrong with you, sweetheart-" his mother began, before Thomas cutting her off, sinking to his knees before his son.
"Mary, we cannot lie to him. He deserves to know," he whispered to Mary, before looking his son in the eyes.
"Remus, that dog came after you for a reason. You see, there are creatures called werewolves in this world. Every month, they become dogs, and look for special little kids, like yourself, who they want to select to be better than the rest. Stronger, kinder, more intelligent than us. Remmy, in a week, you'll become one too," Thomas whispered, the tears running from his face.
"I..will?" he asked sadly seeing his parent distraught faces.
Thomas expected him to cry, to yell, or go into denial, but he did not expect what his son said next.
"I...I won't hurt you two will I?" he asked quietly, stumbling over his words as he looked down in shame.
They were in shock after this. Remus was putting them first.
"No. You could never hurt us, son," Thomas pulled his son close, refusing to let go.
"But I have, Daddy. You never smile anymore...and Mummy is always crying," Remus whimpered, tears threatening to fall from his own eyes.
"We know, honey. We're just afraid for you. We want you to be happy," Mary told him, petting his hair gently.
"I am happy. I just don't want to hurt anyone," Remus whimpered, finally letting the tears fall from his eyes as his parents hugged him. After a few minutes, they noticed that Remus had fallen asleep in their arms.
Thomas hoisted him up and took him to his room, where they tucked him in. Once outside their son's room, he turned to his wife.
"I'm sorry I failed you both." he said in a low voice.
"You have not failed us, Thomas. If you give up on him, you'll only have failed yourself. Promise me that, even when I'm gone, you'll stay by him?" she asked, looking into his eyes with a gaze meant for those on the deathbed.
"I shall. Come on, you need sleep too. I'll stay awake tonight," he whispered, placing a chaste kiss on her lips.
"Goodnight."
That night he fell asleep still flipping through books, before falling asleep himself, a book in his lap. When he awoke in the morning, he turned to see Mary fast asleep.
"Mary, dear wake up," he said softly. She did not move.
"Mary?" he said a little louder. Still nothing.
He quickly placed his fingers over the pulse, only to find silence and stillness in the place of a heartbeat. Exhaling sharply, he smelled the vial on the side of the bed cautiously, before recoiling as he recognized the stench and began to cry.
She was dead.
Remus never really knew what had killed his mother, but for the next few days he and his father did not speak much.
"Daddy, is it my fault?" Remus asked after the small funeral was over.
"Of course it's not, Remmy. Your mummy was just...sad. Not about what had happened, but that we couldn't do anything," his father replied, his voice shaking slightly.
It was the day of the full moon, and Thomas was searching still for a cure. He and Remus had been getting along well as could be expected, when Remus stumbled in, his arms crossed over his stomach and a green tinge lighting his face.
"Daddy, I feel funny," he mumbled.
"That means it's time, son. I've set up the basement with a couple of spells so you'll be okay. I'll be right outside, if you need me. But, Remmy, I can't be there with you."
"Why?" he asked, looking at him unabashedly. He had genuinely thought he was harmless.
"Because you may bite me too," Thomas answered, trying to convey as much compassion as possible.
"Don't you want to be special?" Remus asked, sticking out his bottom lip.
"Not more special than you, Remmy. I'll be right outside," he promised, pulling his son into a final hug.
Remus nodded and headed into the basement. A few minutes later, Thomas heard the loud howl from the basement and sighed as he turned back to his books.
Poor Remus. I need to cure him. I will, he thought with determination
Throughout the night, he heard howls and whimpers that almost made him open the door, but he kept it closed.
When the sun rose, he heard Remus grumble humanely and opened the door in response. Remus was lying in the middle of the floor, his frail body covered in scratch marks.
"It'll be okay, Remmy. I'm so sorry. So so sorry," he repeated over and over again, as he carried Remus to his bed. Throughout the day, Remus refused to awaken, and Thomas did not move from his side, dabbing at his cursed wounds with a napkin soaked in dittany.
To no avail.
At around three in the afternoon, Remus finally woke from his exhaustive slumber.
"Daddy?" he croaked out, looking to his father, who had fallen asleep by his side. Thomas jerked awake.
"Remus, oh thank goodness you're awake!" he gasped, hugging his son to him.
"How do you feel?" he asked when they separated.
"Okay. A bit hungry," he mumbled, looking around.
"Here you go," Thomas smiled, handing Remus a piece of chocolate.
"I love you, Daddy," Remus whispered, taking a bite into the chocolate.
"Love you too, little wolf," he replied, ruffling the hair on his son's head.
End of flashback
Remus smiled as he remembered his father, who had worked tirelessly to help him even after his transformation.
If my father could see me now, trying to run away from my family, he'd hit me hard, Remus thought.
He stood up, an air of determination coming over him. He would be there for his son just as his father had been there for him and nothing would pull ever him away.
A/N: Happy Birthday SkyeLee