Disclaimer: Unless there are some very nice readers out there I'm not earning any profit from this fic. I'm not JK Rowling and I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter One

All was quiet outside the Lupin residence on the evening of 1965's first full moon. The sun was spending its final few minutes in the sky and the birds had settled into their nests to await the morning hours. A loud crack interrupted the silence of nightfall and a disheveled man hurried inside the house, into the arms of his loving wife.

"Lyall Lupin, what time do you call this?" a short woman in around her thirties questioned.

"Where's Remus?" the man, Lyall, asked.

"In his room, where he always is" She said, confused. "Lyall, what's the matter? What's wrong with Remus?" She demanded, but as she finished Lyall ran up the stairs to his only son's bedroom. "Tell me what's going on right this minute Lyall - I swear I don't need magic to know something's up."

"Hope, it's alright. Everything's fine as long as we all stay inside. Just sit down and I can explain. It's all to do with my work. Today a man was brought in, for murdering some muggles." Lyall, ensuring his son was tucked safely into bed, paused under his wife's formidable glare, "He claimed he was just a tramp, never heard of magic, but I Knew. Nobody in the department believed me, but I knew that he was a werewolf. They let him go Hope and now he's coming after us".

Hope's icy glare took on a more thoughtful frown "Lyall, even if he is a werewolf, why would he come after us? We've done nothing to him, it doesn't even know where we live." She looked at Lyall with a forced calmness, but he could see the thinly veiled worry in her eyes.

"I said some rather ill thought out words to my team in front of him. I was told he'd be obliviated, but he ran off before it could happen. As to where we live, well, I am rather well known in the wizarding world." He could not help but smile as he said this. "I'm sure it will be fine. Our house is well warded; I made sure of that before we moved in."

Hope followed him in to the kitchen, where she double locked the door while waiting for the kettle to boil.

"No use, only magic locks will protect us against it" Lyall said.

"Don't be preposterous. Surely it can't use magic as a wolf. It can't, can it?" Hope asked.

"Not magic but brute strength. Strong, dark creatures werewolves are." Lyall said and tapped the door a few times with his wand. "These spells mean that the door can only be opened from the inside even by nonmagical means. We just have to wait until the sun rises in the morning, then we'll be safe". He retreated into the front room and collapsed into his armchair. It was positioned in front of the fire he just conjured under the photo adorned mantelpiece, which he set his cup of tea on.

"Safe until the next full moon, you mean" Hope came as close to shouting as she dared, trying not to wake Remus up. She was infuriated by her husband's calmness. "How long will this go on, months? Years?"

"It's not like that dear; this wolf, Greyback, he's a savage. He enjoys turning people into monsters, but more than all he enjoys the hunt. After one full moon he'll give up. It's no fun for him, waiting."

"Even so, he's still a threat. You work for the ministry; can't they do something to protect us? Even if it's just for tonight I'll feel a hell of a lot safer".

"The ministry doesn't work like that that darling. Besides, even if they did they wouldn't have the men to spare. Everything will be fine. You'll see."

"I suppose I'll have to. Oh Lyall, why do you always attract so much trouble?"

Lyall grinned at that "Remember our wedding, when your great aunt Eldritch overheard me comparing her to a wild Clabbert i saw while holidaying in America one year?"

"Of course I remember our wedding. And it didn't help that when she asked, you pointed out her pointy toothed grin."

"Honestly, how was I to know they were dentures? And the webbed hands were a dead giveaway too." He laughed, as Hope buried her head in his shoulder.

"It's late, are you coming to bed dear? I'm sure your thoroughly extensive wards will keep the wolf at bay." Hope said.

"Oh, I can't love. Go on without me. I better keep watch until the sun rises."

"Just in case?"

"Just in case." Lyall said before taking another sip of tea. He watched his wife climb the stairs to kiss their son on the forehead and go to sleep.

Remus Lupin awoke after someone shut the door to his bedroom. No light leaked in through his curtains. It was too dark to be morning, but Remus wasn't tired at all. What was it his mother had told him? "If you ever need to sleep but it just won't come, just count some sheep and you'll be dreaming in no time". His father thought the idea was ridiculous. "Muggles" his father had said, exasperated. "The things they come up with without magic. How can you fall asleep if you're out in a farm? Dreamless sleep potion for me any day". But Remus was nowhere near a farm and he didn't know where to get the sleep potion either, so he did what was to be expected of him - get out a torch and his favourite toys. After all, there is nothing more fun than a midnight play session!

Remus found his torch and tiptoed out to the landing, where he left his patched teddy bear. He grabbed the toy and was about to turn back around to his room when something out the window caught his eye. He looked down to the garden and saw a shadow that was a slightly deeper black than the rest at the far end. It seemed to be moving back and forth.

"Whiskers!" Remus exclaimed, before quickly covering his mouth. He waited a second to see if anyone heard him before rushing downstairs as quickly and as silently as he could.

Remus entered the front room and noticed his father asleep, cup of tea in hand. "He must have fallen asleep before unlocking the cat flap" Remus thought. He stepped even more carefully into the kitchen and undid the cat flap, opening it.

"Whiskers" Remus whispered loudly, "Whiskers!". "Stupid cat, never comes when you call it." Remus thought as he unbolted and unlatched the door. It creaked open and Remus took some tentative steps into his back garden. "Whiskers! Come here!" He said, whispers growing louder.

The blackness at the end of the garden swelled as the wind grew. The back door slammed shut and Lyall woke with a start, lukewarm tea spilling over his legs. He raced for the back door, desperate to make it in time. "Remus! Get back inside NOW!" Lyall shouted as he unlocked the door.

The door flew open but Lyall knew that he was too late. His sons' twisted body lay still on the grass. His blood mingling with the morning dew.

A/N: My first fanfic. Please review. I'll accept all criticisms, no matter how minor or petty. Thanks for reading.