AN Welcome to my angsty Remus story. I had originally posted this on A03 (same title and username) but I felt it would do well on .

This goes with my marauders fic Four Broken Boys, but can be read as a stand-alone.


Remus would always remember that night. It was the night his life changed, and his world became fragile glass. Glass that would often break, leaving Remus to pick up the pieces. He closed his eyes and cast his mind back seventeen years ago.


"Daddy there's a monster under my bed!" Remus giggled, seeming to find the joke hilarious.

Lyall looked at his son and smiled warmly at the four-year-old bouncing happily on his new bed. Hope had bought it for him just a few months ago, feeling that Remus was mature enough to graduate from a cot. He made a show of checking under the bed. An extravagant wink and tinkering around for monsters as Remus laughed profusely.

"Hmm." He said while crouched down. "There doesn't seem to be a monster here..." He slowly got up. "But there is a little one... here!" He grabbed Remus and tickled him, making the toddler squirm and giggle.

They both fell onto his bed with Remus still trying to withstand the tickles.

He laughed. "Daddy! You're silly! I'm not a monster!"

Lyall stood up. "You're a little monster because you won't go to bed."

Remus pouted, looking rather cute. "But daddy, I want to stay up like you and mummy!" He wailed.

Lyall pulled the duvet over his son and left the room. "Goodnight Remus." He said firmly.

Everytime Hope was too tired and Lyall put his son to bed Remus would do the same thing. Lyall smiled and treasured it as their bonding time, since Hope already got enough time with their son during the day. And he was such a sweet child, who wouldn't want to play with him?

Remus loved pretending there was a monster under his bed because of the stories Lyall read to him. Remus could already read, but he liked being read to at night when he could just lie down and settle into a deep sleep. The stories would detail brave princes and vicious monsters. Sometimes fantasy muggle fiction (since Hope herself was a muggle) and sometimes other stories Lyall made up himself.

One night, after a particularly bad week at work Lyall put Remus to bed.

"Daddy daddy! There's a monster there!" Remus giggled, and pointed underneath his bed.

"No playing tonight, because I'm going to tell you a story."

Remus quickly fell quiet and tucked himself in, attentive.

"There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, 'Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!'

The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive the wolf away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no wolf. The boy laughed at the sight of their angry faces.

'Don't cry 'wolf', shepherd boy,' said the villagers, "when there's no wolf!' They went grumbling back down the hill.

Later, the boy sang out again, 'Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!' To his naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill to help him drive the wolf away.

When the villagers saw no wolf they sternly said, 'Save your frightened song for when there is really something wrong! Don't cry 'wolf' when there is NO wolf!'

But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down the hill once more.

Later, he saw a REAL wolf prowling about his flock. Alarmed, he leaped to his feet and sang out as loudly as he could, 'Wolf! Wolf!'

But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, and so they didn't come.

At sunset, everyone wondered why the shepherd boy hadn't returned to the village with their sheep. They went up the hill to find the boy. They found him weeping.

'There really was a wolf here! The flock has scattered! I cried out, 'Wolf!' Why didn't you come?'

An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to the village.

'We'll help you look for the lost sheep in the morning," he said, putting his arm around the youth, 'Nobody believes a liar...even when he is telling the truth!',

That is the story of the boy who cried wolf." Lyall finished with finality and felt slightly bad at the look of horror on his son's face.

"So, I shouldn't cry wolf?" Remus asked tentatively.

"Well, you shouldn't lie." Lyall established, smoothing Remus' hair over his head. "Especially about monsters under your bed."

Remus at least looked guilty about that. "Is it because a real monster might get me?" He asked, innocent brown eyes gazing up.

Lyall smiled. "No, son. You've got nothing to worry about."

Remus grinned and settled under his duvet, eyes growing tired. "Goodnight Daddy." He yawned.

"Night, Remus."


A bright light shined through the window above Remus' bed. It cast a luminescent spotlight over the sleeping four-year-old, making his eyelids twitch. Brown eyes opened slowly, then squinted at the sudden light. Remus blinked a few times, then sat up in bed, rubbing at his eyes.

He uttered a quiet gasp when looking out the window.

There, in the inky black sky, was the moon. Not just any moon, a full moon. The bright, shining circular orb hung in the sky. The scene was so picturesque that it was as if someone had lovingly placed the moon in the sky. Light radiated off it in all directions, lighting up Remus' little face. A soft smile spread across his young features. Remus loved the moon. Every month he would be woken up by the light shining through his window. And every night he would gaze at it. Remus crawled over to the window sill and rested his chin upon his elbows. A content sigh passed his lips. He loved the peacefulness of the night. With no one to disturb him.

After a while, his eyes grew sleepy, and he eventually curled into a ball to rest.

Remus had barely closed his eyes when a blood curdling howl pierced his ears. He sat up straight, only in time to see the wolf jump through his window.

Pieces of shattered glass were thrown everywhere as Remus ducked for cover. He clutched his ankle as a shard broke the skin.

Remus opened his mouth and cried. "WOLF! WOLF!" He screamed as loud as his tiny lungs would allow.

The wolf pounced on his bed as Remus screamed again. It clawed at his favourite books and chewed up his duvet. The wolf was menacing. It looked human-like, bearing large fang teeth, glowing amber eyes and being barely covered in light fur. Remus' eyes were wide in fear when it pounced on him. He let out a scream of pain when the wolf sunk it's teeth into his right arm. The fangs were so sharp and the jaw so strong that he could feel every muscle being pierced through. The wolf must have realised it reached the bone, because it let go at a horrifying crunch. Blood seeped onto his pajamas and Remus' face was wet with tears.

The door bolted open and his father ran in, eyes wild and alert.

Lyall whipped out his wand. "Expulso!" He shouted.

A large explosion threw the wolf off Remus and against the wall. It whimpered pitifully, before jumping out the broken window and into the night.

His mother, Hope ran in, tears streaming down her face. She took Remus and cradled him gently.

"It's ok my darling." She cried. "Everything's going to be ok."

Remus' arm felt limp, as if something different was traveling through it and all around his body.

"It hurts mummy!" He cried, sobbing and unsure of what to do.
"The wolf bit me!"

It was then that the pain had got to Remus, and he passed out.


"... He was bitten..."

"... wolf... broke through..."

"Poor little boy..."

"... monster... cursed for life..."

Remus couldn't feel his arm. He squinted through the harsh, unnatural light. He felt dead. Like a poison had been injected into his body and was now roaming freely with his blood. Where was he? These sheets didn't feel like home. He opened his mouth and tried to speak but only a croak came out. This sound alerted his parents, who were nearby.

Hope rushed to her son's side. "Oh Remus, oh my baby you're awake!" She breathed.

Remus looked at her and frowned. "Mummy, why are you crying?" He asked, when noticing the tracks running down her face.

He turned his head slowly to look at the person on his left. Remus had never seen his father cry, and was astounded to see tears fall so freely.

"Daddy? Why are you crying?" He asked, stronger now.

Lyall hid face in his hands. "Oh Remus." He said through his fingers. "I'm so sorry."

Remus felt worried. "Sorry? Sorry for what?"

A lady wearing white walked into his room. She gave a small, sad sigh and turned away to walk out.

"Wh-what's happening?" Remus asked, growing frantic. "Mummy where am I? Why does my arm hurt so much? Why are you and daddy crying?"

He felt tears prick at his eyes. "It bit me! Mummy my arm hurts because the wolf bit me!" He cried, not caring how loud he was.

Hope sobbed, she sobbed at the sight of her son so distraught.

Some more people in white came rushing into the room at the noise. A few of them ushered away his parents firmly and closed the door.

"Werewolf bite." One said to another. "Such a shame."

Remus couldn't understand. What was going on?

"Daddy help! It hurts! My arm hurts so much!" He wailed through broken sobs. "I don't know what they're saying! Help me!"

A man in white came with a potion and forced it down his throat. Remus choked and coughed violently. He continued sobbing until he succumbed to the potion.

"It hurts." He whimpered, before falling into a dreamless sleep.


His arm ached.

Like someone had cut into the flesh.

And ripped a piece out.

The blood coursing through his veins felt... different. It felt warmer. If felt stronger. It felt thicker.

It felt wrong.

Remus opened his eyes and squinted at the glaring bright light shining down at his face. The bed sheets felt rough and nothing like what he was used to. All he could smell was chemicals. Harsh potions and chemicals burning his nostrils. He tried to move his head to the side, but it was too heavy. Remus closed his eyes again and recollected his memories.

He could remember the moon. Yes. The beautiful moon. Shining an ethereal light through his window.

Then the window shattered. Remus involuntarily flinched thinking about the harsh sound of glass breaking. He tried to picture the monster that broke it, but couldn't make it out. All he could remember was the terrifying snapping of jaws and huge, sharp claws. And those eyes.

Those eyes were bright. But not in a good way. Not in a way of being full of life and happiness. They were bright with malice. With blood lust. Amber. That was the colour.

The door creaked open and Remus tried to sit up. Though the sudden movement made him go dizzy.

"Why aren't you resting?" Asked the healer, with his parents not far behind.

"Mummy!" Remus exclaimed. "What happened? I don't understand!"

Hope looked at Lyall. He had to tell Remus.

Lyall sat down in a chair on the left side of his bed. He ran a hand down his face, withered with tiredness.

"Listen, Remus." He spoke sadly. "Last night, you were bitten, in your arm." He gestured towards the bandage around Remus' arm. "The creature that bit you was a... a werewolf." He managed.

Remus looked at him blankly. "But... what does that mean?"

"You will transform into a werewolf by the full moon." Lyall had tears forming in his eyes.

Remus just stared at him. "I'll be a-a werewolf, forever?" He asked.

Lyall nodded.

"But I don't... I don't want to be a werewolf!"

Hope stroked his hair softly. "We're sorry."

Remus caught an earful of a conversation outside.

"The boy's a monster now."

"And only four! Poor lad."

"Oh don't feel sorry for him, he'll turn feral in a week."

"His life ruined at such a young age..."

Ruined?

Monster?

Feral?

The words echoed round his head cruelly.

He was a monster.

He couldn't be trusted.

He'd cried wolf.

He turned his head to the right and saw a hand mirror. The eyes looking back at him weren't brown.

They were amber.


AN Ok so it's always been my personal headcanon that after you got bitten by a werewolf your eyes turned amber. I really don't know where it came from but I thought it would make this more angsty so yeah.

The story of the Boy who cried wolf, is not mine.

Please tell me what you think, criticise etc. I've been told that is a better platform for reviews than A03.