Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, and I sure as hell don't own the moon.
A/N: (info about fic, feel free to skip) Written for:
Tien Len comp: Round 1: Jack of Hearts: Hope Lupin, sunshine, "Have I told you lately that you are hopelessly impossible?", Paulo Coelho quote; Thinks you Can comp: Horton 2.0: write a selfless act; Ffn Terms comp: review: someone helps someone else; Chp. 3 Title Acrostics: N: dialogue prompt- "No! I'm tired";
One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving. - Paul Coelho
Nothing of Sacrifice
Night had crept up over the horizon, the sunshine showing it's last glimpse of light, splitting the sky into a myriad of beautiful colors. With it, Remus Lupin's light seemed to disappear too. The stars were shining, and Hope saw her son's eyes mirror them in something like awe, gazing at the sky and the moon as if it was the only thing beautiful. And yet, he was so endlessly tired, and Hope shared a smile with her husband, Lyall, watching the drowsiness over take him.
"C'mon, Sunshine, time for bed," said Hope to Remus, stroking his hair as he stared at the stars.
Little Remus snapped out of his awe immediately, and Lyall snickered. "No! Mum, not now! No! I'm tired- I mean, wait- no! I'm not-"
"Have I told you lately that you are hopelessly impossible?" Lyall asked.
"Every night, Dad," replied the six-year-old, impossibly mature behind his years.
"Remus-" Hope began.
"Just one more minute, please! Come on, I'm not-" a huge yawn -"tired yet! Mum, please. Please."
Lyall looked to her and the had a silent exchange. Lyall gave her that smile, and she looked back and forth between the boys, the man and his wide eyed son, and Hope sighed. "Fine-"
"Thank you thank you-"
"One minute-"
"Thank you!"
"Just one!" Remus bounded off into the field, to continue his stargazing. He seemed to be playing a game of make-believe. Whenever Mum or Dad tried to participate in his games, Remus always stopped them. They hadn't figured that out yet. Hope took Lyall's hand, and they retreated back into the house, where they could watch him from the kitchen window. Lyall's arms wrapped around her from the back, and he placed his chin on her shoulder.
"It's a beautiful night," he whispered, though no one was around them. It just seemed like a quiet night, is all. "It's good we let him stay up. He'll sleep in tomorrow." Hope caught the twinge of hope in his voice, and laughed out loud.
"As if, he'll be up at the break of dawn." Lyall groaned at her words, wrapping his arms tighter around her, kissing her temple.
"What does it take to get some peace and quiet around here?"
"The absence of a son," Hope laughed, and Lyall grinned.
"Worth it," he said quietly, and Hope nodded, their hearts beating together.
"Completely," Hope kissed his cheek.
They fell into a blissful silence, and just when Hope was about to fall asleep in those arms, and Lyall had Remus's name on the tip of his tongue-
"Ahoooo!" the howl of a wolf cut through the night, followed by an anguished, heart wrenching cry. Lyall and Hope were momentarily paralyzed with fear, with anger, and then-
"Remus," Hope's voice held conviction and determination and anger, and she raced into the field with Lyall by her side.
There on the grass, in the cold moonlight was Remus, pale and shaking and with such a strong look of fear in his eyes that Hope knew she would never forget it. Hot, ruby blood stained the grass and his face and clothes, and a huge gash cut into his side, clawmarks clear.
The mark of a wolf, a werewolf.
And Hope had only one thought running through her mind: this is all my fault. If only she had been paying more attention, making sure nothing happened to her little boy, that he would always be safe-
"Hope. Hope!" Lyall's voice brought her back to reality. "We have to get him to St. Mungo's, now!"
Hope nodded as she began to break down in sobs, determined to do anything she could to forgive what she had turned her son into. Because there was no question, he was a werewolf.
"Sunshine," she whispered tearfully, cupping her son's cheeks in her hands and staring into his lifeless eyes as Lyall lifted him. "Stay with me, sweetheart, please."
"Hope," Lyall's soothing voice said, but this one time, he had no effect on her. "Everything's going to be okay. He's breathimg, he has a pulse. We'll make it, we'll be okay."
Hope nodded, but did not tear her gaze from Remus for even a second. "I love you, darling. Daddy loves you. Stay, Remus, stay!" she cried, breaking down. Lyall squeezed her hand as they arrived in the reception area, frantically pushing through people.
"My son," Lyall said to the receptionist, nerves shaking with every word, "a werewolf. He was attacked. I need help, now!"
The look of the Nurse at the desk turned to one of horror. Not taking her eyes off of Hope's horribly stricken boy, she waved her wand in a swift circular motion, and at a moment's notice, a dozen Emergency Healers rushed into the room, taking Remus and putting him on a levitating stretcher. Lyall and Hope stayed with him, one of their hands in each of his, holding them tight and whispering soothing words as they traversed across the hospital.
Hope and Remus stayed firmly beside him every step of the way while Hope is beating herself up inside because Remus is cold and fragile and broken-
"Hey," Lyall snapped at her, as soon as they get a moment of silence when Remus was rushed into a surgery of complex spellwork without his parents, despite their protests, "it's not your fault." Hope cried silently then, leaning her head on his shoulder while he rubbed circles on her back. "He's going to be okay."
"If only I had-" Hope began to protest-
"No," Lyall said firmly. "He needs us now, we can't blame ourselves for this."
Hope continued to cry, as the helplessness of her situation really set in. When she thought all hope was lost after a half hour, a Healer came rushing out and the parents clammored to their feet. "He'll survive," the Healer said, "with blood. He's lost too much. We have to perform a transfusion, now, or he won't make it. It's a simple process, but we must find someone with the same blood type, and they will experience a severe loss. He needs so much-"
"I'll do it." Hope doesn't even think about it. This is her baby, and she will do anything to see him be himself again. "I don't care what the cost."
Lyall kissed her in encouragement, giving her the most grateful look she's seen her whole life. And there, in St. Mungo's in the middle of the night, Hope gave her son life for a second time. Because when you love with the love a mother, there is no other option. The sole purpose in life is to see your child live a long, fulfilling life, and the sacrifice is nothing.
The moonlight was cruel, and Hope would never look at the stars the same way again. But she had her sunshine, and she could hold on.
A/N 2: I always make myself sad :( Pleas let me know what you thought!
Lara