Disclaimer: I do not own JKR's beautiful work, for if I did I would be selling it to a publisher instead of posting it here. No offence intended of course.
Summary: Remus Lupin was once a normal boy, but one fateful night changed all of that.
From Monster To Moony: Year One
The Lupins were a lovely family; everyone who knew them thought so. Cheerful Amelia Lupin was an excellent cook and a devoted young mother. Edwin, her husband, was frequently away on business but he adored his family and doted on them when he was at home. And little Remus was a charming boy, well behaved and mature for his age.
The Lupins were a highly respected wizarding family. In the Wizarding World, many smiled when the family's name was mentioned. They were widely known, and even the old magical families (who often frowned upon any wizard who even thought about having any sort of relations with Muggles) respected them to some extent.
No one would wish a curse upon this family that could not be cured or stopped. Certainly, no one would have guessed that on August 13, 1962 a tragedy would befall Remus Lupin, who was barely four at the time. That was the night the Lupins' lives were forever changed.
"You look so pretty, Mummy! Why are you worried?" the jumpy four-year-old questioned.
"Ah, Remus," Amelia Lupin sighed to her son as she straightened her robes out, "Your father is coming home! I'm just anticipating his return, that's all."
"Anticipating?" Remus repeated in confusion. "What's that mean?"
Amelia giggled.
"I want to sing and dance and clean the house and cook the best dinner all at once, and all just because your father is finally coming home." Amelia explained as she engulfed her son in her arms.
"Oh!" Remus nodded in understanding. "Well, then I'm anticipating his return too."
Amelia grinned and nodded, "That we are, my little prince of Rome." She placed Remus on her hip and gave him a sideways glance. "Besides, we want to look our best for your father, don't we?"
"I do look my best!" Remus said defiantly.
Amelia raised an eyebrow at him as she used her free hand to grab one of his chocolate-covered cheeks.
"Oh, you do, do you?" Amelia asked sceptically, but Remus just nodded his head vigorously. She put Remus back down on the ground, turning back to her hair. She felt two little hands tickle her sides, but all she did was smirk. "I'm not ticklish there, my little prince, but unfortunately for you, you are."
Turning around to face her energetic toddler, Amelia immediately began to tickle his sides. She was rewarded with squeals of laughter. Having worked Remus's squeals to gasps, Amelia let up and leaned toward him. "Who's the tickling master?"
Remus put a finger to his chin in thought. "Daddy?"
Amelia put on a face of mock hurt. Tickling his ribs, Remus began to squeal once again.
"Mummy is! Mummy is!"
Lifting his shirt, burying her face in his bare stomach and blowing a raspberry, Amelia looked at her son who was thoroughly exhausted from giggling. Amelia leaned toward him once more to share a butterfly kiss, rub their noses together in an Eskimo kiss, and to land a big kiss on his cheek. Remus placed a small hand on her cheek and gave her a small peck in return.
"Soon," Amelia sighed sadly, "You'll be too old for me to do that."
"I'll never be too old, Mummy." Remus said earnestly.
"Won't you, now?" Amelia asked, raising one eyebrow at him.
"I won't! I promise!"
Laughing joyfully, Amelia helped her son stand up straight. "I'll hold you to that promise when you're heading off to school."
"Primary or Wizarding?" asked Remus innocently.
"Wizarding. And you're too smart for your own good, you know that?" Amelia rolled her eyes as she grabbed her handkerchief, dampening it with her saliva before attempting to rid his face of excess food.
"No, I'm not!" Remus giggled. He scrunched his nose up in disgust as he felt his mother's thumb rub against his cheek to try to remove the crumbs. He tried to pull away from his mother's grasp.
"Cheeky brat." Amelia teased as she continued to wipe the excess food from her son's face. He continued to squirm in her arms. "Remus, stay still, I need to get this gunk off your face." Amelia scowled. Remus sighed. Rolling her eyes at her very hard-headed son, Amelia continued cleaning him. "You'll understand when you're older and have kids of your own that it's not good to be filthy."
"When I have kids I won't care. Besides," Remus said mocking his mother's superior tone, "I can't wait to be older anyhow."
"Oh, you can't, can you? Well, when you're older you'll have to do all that grown-up stuff. Like... buy food--"
"Chocolate!"
"Cook dinner--"
"You need to cook chocolate?"
"Clean the house--"
"The house looks fine to me."
"Go to the bank--"
"Money!"
"And all that other rotten stuff."
"Not so rotten to me," Remus said shrugging his shoulders as his mother pulled the handkerchief away from his face, "Sounds kind of fun."
"Fun," Amelia snorted. "That's what I loved about being a kid. Now," she said in that don't-try-to-question-me voice, "Go have fun outside and play while I finish up here. But don't go too far, you hear me?"
"Yes, Mummy!" Remus squealed as he raced out of the house toward the creek.
Sighing to herself, Amelia looked up at an owl that had been watching them. "Nylon, go watch Remus. Make sure he doesn't go too far, and call me if something happens. You know I'll hear it." The bird gave a slight bob of his head as if to acknowledge her words, and flew outside after Remus.
"Remus! It's time to come in!" Amelia shouted from the door as she scanned the grounds for her son. The loud call of an owl made her glance toward a tree overlooking the creek. Her eyes met Nylon's for a moment before she looked down. Beneath the branch where the midnight coloured bird was perched, Remus knelt. He was imitating a frog. Smiling, Amelia repeated her call, "Remus! It's getting dark!"
Remus, however, had other ideas. He seemed to be quite satisfied with emulating a new friend he'd found in the creek. Roger, he called him, Roger the Frog. Amelia sighed, wiped her hands on her apron, and made her way over to him. She scooped him up in her arms.
"Mum! But Roger will be lonely!" Remus protested as he vainly tried to wiggle free.
"'Roger'?" She looked over her shoulder as she headed toward the cottage and spotted the little frog. "Oh, Roger! I'm sure Roger will be fine. He likes the creek better than our musty old cottage anyway, and you don't want him to be sad, d'you?"
Remus shook his head slowly.
"You can visit Roger tomorrow, he won't mind. In fact," Amelia said, entering the kitchen and proceeding to wash his hands, "He would prefer it if you did. As would I. Your father will be home any minute and dinner still isn't ready."
"He won't mind." Remus said softly as Amelia turned away from her son to the stove. "He never does."
Whether he was talking about Roger or his father was anyone's guess, but Amelia just gave a small smile. "Remus, go on to your room and entertain yourself while I finish dinner; it would really help me out a lot."
He nodded.
"Thanks, my little prince." He was gone before she could say another word.
It was nearly half an hour later when Remus re-entered the kitchen and began to pull on the hem of his mother's dress robe. Looking down at her son, she couldn't help but smile. "What is it, Remus?"
"It's dark outside."
Amelia raises an eyebrow at her son and nodded slowly, "Yes, I see that. That's because it's late, my little prince."
"Roger doesn't like the dark." Remus pouted. "Can I go get him really quick?"
Amelia shot a nervous glance outside at the full moon. "No, Remus. It's too late at night, and you know that things are out and about at night."
"That's why I want to bring him inside! He's scared of all of the creatures. Please let me bring him inside!" Remus begged.
Amelia shook her head forcefully. "No, Remus. He can wait out one night. You can bring him in tomorrow, just not tonight. Understand?"
Remus made a sound of protest and stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. "Yes, Ma'am."
"That's a good boy, now go wash up. We're going to eat soon whether your father gets home or not." Amelia let a small sigh escape her lips as her son once again disappeared from the kitchen. She busied herself stirring the stew and looked up at the full moon once more.
Humming to herself as she stirred mindlessly, Amelia closed her eyes at the slow rhythm she was making. She nearly had a fright when two arms wrapped themselves around her. She heard a soft voice murmuring something in her ear. The words were too low to be coherent, but she knew what he'd said. Forgetting about the stew, she turned around and fell into her husband's arms. "I missed you too."
When Amelia and Edwin Lupin pulled apart from their embrace, Edwin grinned and sniffed. "Mmm… smells wonderful." He looked at her, his eyes twinkling with delight. "When will it be done?"
"About…" She trailed off as she checked it, "Now." Extinguishing the fire, she called into the house, "Remus! Dinner!" She set three bowls full of stew on the table. "Remus has been so anxious to see you." Amelia reached over to grab Edwin's hand. "He really needs you around more."
"I know." Edwin winced as he leaned back in his chair. "I know. It's so hard to get away from work though, you know that."
"I do." Amelia said, disheartened. "Remus! Dinner!" Shaking her head, she looked up at Edwin and forced a smile. "How was your trip?"
"It was good. Sorry I'm late by the way—Bobby delayed me—you know, he's the trainee. He was full of questions about the mission, as always. I can't just leave him because he's my responsibility, but I was able to convince him to write down all of his questions and send them to me by owl. The letter will be fun to answer.'"
"Oh, he can't be that much of a bother." Amelia laughed. "REMUS! DINNER!"
"You have no idea." Edwin stuffed a spoonful of stew into his mouth. "Mmm… perfect."
She smiled gratefully. "Always the best for you."
She looked at the empty chair. "Where is that boy?"
They were answered by a terrified scream; Amelia and Edwin looked at each other and grabbed their wands. They ran out of the cottage; the scream seemed to echo in the air even after it was silenced by the night. Amelia felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped: it was only her husband.
There was a rustle in the bushes; they both turned toward the sound. Amelia took a half step forward, but Edwin's grip on her shoulder tightened as he pointed his wand at the bushes. "Stay here." He began to stride forward, but before he reached the bushes, a massive wolf lurched out toward them.
A flash of red light from the tip of Edwin's wand struck the wolf's muzzle. The wolf yelped with pain as it fell to the ground, stunned. Edwin looked over his shoulder toward Amelia and gestured forward. "Let's go." Amelia gave a small nod, already breaking into a quick pace behind Edwin.
Beneath the whisper of the soft summer wind, the night had gone oddly quiet. The rustle and scrape of their own footsteps and the rasp of their harsh breathing were the only sounds that Edwin and Amelia could hear. Quickening her pace, Amelia grabbed her husband's arm. She wanted reassurance that everything would be all right. She felt the desperation in those thoughts, and there was a part of her, which already knew that things would never be 'all right' again.
There, a few feet ahead of them, was their son. His head was to one side, left arm bent in an odd direction, right arm floating in the shallow creek. His left leg was turned a bit so that his bare feet barely grazed the water's edge, but his right leg was what made them want to cry out in agony: it was a mangled mess. The flesh seemed to have been torn off and blood was flowing freely into the creek.
Amelia gave a choked sound as she turned away with her hand over her mouth. Edwin could only stand staring at the sight; his hands balled into fists, jaw tight, and eyes burning with incoming tears.
Neither of them moved or said anything. Edwin's heavy breathing and Amelia's stifled sobs were the only sounds to be heard. Edwin finally fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands, openly sobbing for his son's life. There was no doubt in his mind that Remus was dead, and he couldn't bear looking at that unmoving body. Even as he closed his eyes, though, he could still see the sight of their mangled son perfectly. Amelia finally fell to her knees beside him, her back still to Remus. Neither saw his eyes pop open or heard his small gasp. Neither, however, could have mistaken his whimper of pain for the sound of the wind.
Edwin gasped and looked up quickly; his wife jumped up and cried, "Remus!" This brought him back to reality and he ran to his son's side, pulling him into his arms. He rocked him a bit as he whispered into his ear to keep him awake.
"Amelia," Edwin gasped as he pushed his son's hair out of his face, "Floo Madam Julie, quickly, we can't waste any time."
"All right," she murmured as she bent down to kiss Remus' forehead. "Stay awake, my little prince."
"Mum?" Remus murmured sleepily.
"I'll be right back, Remus," Amelia replied shakily before running off across the yards.
Remus took a deep pained breath before looking up at Edwin and smiling sleepily. "Daddy, you're home."
"Yes, Rem, I'm home. And you better not fall asleep when I just got here, you hear me?" Edwin grabbed his son's hand and grasped it tightly.
"I won't." Remus slowly closed his eyes.
"Remus!" Edwin spoke louder then he intended, making Remus start in his arms. "You must stay awake, hear me? You must stay awake."
"But I'm so tired."
Edwin didn't say anything; he just rubbed Remus' arm in comfort. He sighed and looked up at the sky as a shooting star passed by. Even with everything going on, Edwin smiled slightly and spoke quietly into his son's ear. "Look, Remus, there goes a shooting star." Remus opened his eyes slightly and also smiled weakly as the star disappeared behind the trees. "Wish for something quickly now." Edwin watched as Remus squeezed his eyes shut in deep concentration. "Got a wish yet?"
"Mmm-hmm!" Remus said as he looked up at the sky to find the shooting star out of sight. "Did you?"
"I sure did. I wished for you to stay awake until we can get you all better." Edwin stared down at his son's face.
Remus gulped and stifled a yawn before saying in a whisper, "Your wish will come true, Daddy."
"And what was your wish?" Edwin asked and Remus opened his mouth to speak as hurried footsteps came into hearing range.
"It's a secret." Remus whispered as Amelia came up them and knelt down beside Edwin. Madam Julie, a Mediwitch with long light brown hair ran up behind her, pale and panting. She stared at the small Lupin family for a minute.
"We, er--" She gulped and recovered her professional stance. "You did the right thing in calling me, but we must get him to my office. There's nothing I can do here." With one flick of her wand, Remus was lying upon a stretcher in front of Edwin and Amelia. She turned swiftly and began to walk back toward the cottage, the stretcher magically following. Amelia and Edwin scrambled to their feet and followed her briskly as Madam Julie spoke. "Edwin, when we get to the house, I'm going to need you to make a temporary Portkey to my office--I don't believe we'll need one to get back. Also, I believe that we'll--" She stopped in mid-step and her eyes widened as she stared off across the yard to where the stunned wolf lay. "Who-what is that?"
"That's the wolf that b-b-bit Remus." Amelia stuttered over the word "bit". She heard Madam Julie give a quick intake of breath. The Mediwitch turned toward her with wide eyes.
"Wolf? Bit? Then that could mean…" Her face was twice as pale as it was before.
"What could that mean?" Amelia asked hesitantly.
Without answering, the Mediwitch flicked her wand again and the wolf appeared on another stretcher. She bit her bottom lip and gulped before hurrying back toward the house in silence. Edwin and Amelia exchanged worried glances before following. "Edwin, make the Portkey able to transfer two people. We need the wolf at the clinic as well. For all we know, this could be somebody you know."
"Somebody we know…?" Amelia started faintly, her eyes widening in surprise. "Y-you don't mean… You can't mean… No! It's impossible! Muggles are the only people who live for miles!"
"Muggles can catch the curse of lycanthropy just like Wizards, Amelia." Madam Julie flung the door to the cottage open, making it squeak in protest on its hinges. She hurried through the house with both stretchers and parents on her heel.
"Do you really think this is a-a werewolf, Julie?" Edwin grabbed a random object off the mantel over the fireplace, pausing when he saw what it was: a photograph of the day when Remus was born.
"I think it's very possible." Edwin stared at the photo, lost in thought. "Portkey, Edwin." Shaking his head, he cast the Portis spell upon the frame.
Edwin tapped his wand on the frame three times before handing the picture over to the Mediwitch. "It'll activate in one minute." He tucked his wand back into his belt. Without waiting for a reply, he walked over to his wife, who stared at their son with concern.
Madam Julie knelt down beside Remus's stretcher, giving him a small smile of comfort. "Remus, I need you to listen to everything that I say and do as I tell you, understand?" Remus hesitated a moment before giving a slight nod. "Good. Now, you see this picture here? It's of you when you were just a baby. I need you to hold onto this picture without letting go, okay? Because if you let go, we'll lose the picture and your parents will be very upset."
Remus gave a small smile along with a slight bob of his head. "M'kay."
"Now, don't worry about anything because your mummy and daddy will be right there with you as will I." Remus nodded slowly.
Julie smiled reassuringly before turning toward Edwin and Amelia. "Now, I need one of us to grab the wolf so that he transports with us. All right?"
Remus turned his head slightly to look at the creature in question, his eyes going wide. He gaped at the wolf before snapping his attention forward. "No."
Julie turned toward him, startled. "No, what?"
"Not going to do anything with that." He clung to the frame tightly as if challenging her to question him, but Edwin stepped forward.
Kneeling beside his stretcher, Edwin looked straight into Remus' eyes. "Remus, I'll make sure that beast doesn't touch you, all right? There's no need to be afraid. We'll be with you the whole way, okay?" Remus' face plainly said that it wasn't okay, however, he nodded slowly. Edwin smiled, ruffling his hair. "That's my boy."
Julie moved the stretcher closer to Remus' own. Edwin checked his watch as everyone watched silently. "Now." Everyone quickly reached out to touch the frame Remus held, Edwin grabbing the paw of the wolf in the process, just as they vanished.
They all appeared in the waiting room of the clinic. The three adults regained their composure as Remus kept his eyes tightly shut, the frame still clutched in his tiny hands. The frame slipped from his hand, clanked against the side of the stretcher, and smashed against the floor. Amelia rushed forward beside the stretcher, placing a gentle hand on Remus's forehead. "He's shaking like mad and he's suddenly gone hot. He wasn't like this before. Julie, what's wrong with him?"
"Blood loss, he's in shock. There's no time to waste. I'll have to get to work immediately." Julie moved Remus and the stretcher into another room. Edwin walked after Julie only to have her shake her head 'no' vehemently. "Edwin. Stay here; I need to work alone." Edwin moved to object, but the Mediwitch repeated her words. "Wait here, Edwin. I can't have you distracting me while I work. That goes for you too, Amelia." Edwin and Amelia looked at each other with anxious glances as Julie and their son disappeared behind the only barrier separating them.
The sun had long since risen and the moon had long since set, but the Lupins had just barely drifted off to sleep when Julie finally came out of the room. At the sound of the door shutting softly, Edwin forced his eyes open, sitting up quickly when he saw Julie. His sudden movement roused Amelia up as well, momentarily confused.
"How is he?" Amelia asked, her bottom lip trembling in anticipation.
"He's sleeping. The bite didn't do any permanent damage to his leg other than a nasty scar …" Julie's voice trailed off; she was unable to look the couple in the eye.
"But…" Edwin continued for her hesitantly.
"But… I have no doubt in my mind that that was no ordinary wolf that bit your son. It was a werewolf, and it did indeed pass the curse on to your son."
"S-so, Remus is a werewolf?" Amelia asked faintly, trying to remain calm.
"Yes, but that's not all. Remus is able to heal himself unnaturally fast. Even without my healing techniques the wounds on his leg are already healed. You could even take him home this morning without any worries--"
"Can we?" Amelia interrupted.
"But I wouldn't recommend it." Julie continued with a hard voice. "I have flooed the Ministry of Magic. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures will be here to see about the werewolf," She paused, "and your son."
"What?" Edwin bellowed.
Amelia laid a gentle hand on her husband's arm, turning toward the Mediwitch. "Why?"
Without answering, Julie turned and retreated back into her patient's room. Amelia raced forward, grabbing Julie by the forearm, her grip tight. "I asked a question. Why did you call the Ministry to come get my son?"
Looking over her shoulder only slightly, Julie looked past the couple as if they weren't there. "I didn't call the Ministry to come get your son. I called the Ministry to come get the werewolf. They asked why and how we caught it. I had to tell them, and that's what they told me, that they were coming and expecting to return to the Ministry with Remus."
Amelia let go of Julie's arm, shaking her head in disbelief. Edwin stepped forward. "Amelia," he said softly, but she wouldn't look at him. "Amelia, look at me" he repeated, this time using his free hand to cup her face. "I won't let anything happen to Remus. I promise." She looked at him without a response. She shook her head slowly. "Listen to me, Amelia. I'm not going to let anything happen. I'm going to try to contact Dippet. Then we can--"
"Dippet? What can he do?" Amelia asked in a small voice.
Edwin gave a small smile. "A lot more then you and me put together, that's for sure." He leaned down, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, before looking her in the eye. "Don't fret; I'll be back as soon as I can."
She didn't answer, but nodded her head furiously in agreement. Biting the inside of her cheek, Amelia watched silently as Edwin Apparated away. She turned toward the Mediwitch. "Can I see him?"
"Of course," Julie answered quickly, gesturing toward the door. "He's not awake yet, but I'm sure your presence will calm him." Julie watched as Amelia entered the room, taking the chair by the bed. Closing the door at the sight, the Mediwitch left the room for her office, giving mother and child their privacy.
It was half past noon when Edwin Apparated back into the magical clinic. He expected to be greeted by his wife or the Mediwitch, but neither was there. Edwin walked through the abandoned health care centre, the silence unnerving. He entered his son's room only to find it empty. His heart dropped with worry as he spotted Nylon perched on the windowsill, a letter attached to his leg. Edwin quickly crossed the room as the bird blinked up at him. He gave a small hoot and stuck out his leg, allowing Edwin to untie the letter when he got close enough.
Edwin skimmed the letter quickly. Spitting out a quick 'damn', he whipped out his wand and Apparated on the spot. He reappeared in the middle of the Main Lobby, quickly sprinting toward the lift and only pausing to thrust his wand into the inspector's hand and to get it back. He clenched his fist as he waited impatiently; the lift stopped at what felt like every floor. He was already heading out of the lift as it stopped on his floor, the doors barely starting to open. He rushed by several Ministry Officials, all of whom gave him dirty looks.
"Mr. Lupin?" The secretary called out as Edwin rushed forward. "Down the corridor and to the right, room three-double zero-four. Your wife is waiting for you."
Edwin gave a nod of acknowledgment in her direction before heading down the hall. A cold feeling quickly swept through his veins. He could see the picture signs of dark creatures, which hung above the doors, his heart dropping with each one. The numbers printed across the doors in big bold letters rose with each room he passed. Edwin kept his eyes on the doorknob as he came to Room 3004, refusing to look at the sign hanging overhead.
His wife sat in a chair with three Ministry Officials towering over her. He could hear her muttering to them as he came in. "There's got to be something we can--Edwin!" She jumped up from the chair and wrapped her arms around him.
"What's happened?"
"They won't let us see him, as simple as that. They just won't let us see him." Amelia shook her head in disbelief, her eyes looking strangely dead.
"Why not?" He moved his gaze from Amelia to the Ministry Officials.
"They wouldn't tell me, not until you got here. That's what they said." She gazed toward the floor as if she didn't believe her own words.
"Well?" He looked at the three officials, examining them for the first time. The one closest to him stood two heads shorter than Edwin. He was puffed up with importance, however. He had dark rimmed glasses and greying dark blonde hair along with a thin moustache. The middle official stood about as tall as Edwin with a big build. His long dark brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and his long goatee was braided; he held a pipe in his mouth that he puffed on every so often. The farthest from him was a woman who stood shorter then the second man but taller then the first. Her short golden brown hair was tucked behind her ears; her puffy red lips gave off a cruel smile.
The short man straightened his grey robes, cleared his throat, before addressing him. "Lorcan Kennedy. I'm one of the officials in charge of the case involving the werewolf."
"My son, you mean?" Edwin's voice was hard.
"He's no more your son any more than he is mine." The woman interjected as she stepped forward, a badge shining brightly across her pale purple dress robes reading ' Reilly, Treasa.' "He's been transformed into a monster. He may have been your son twenty-four hours ago, but I can assure you, he isn't anymore."
"Where is he?" Edwin tried his hardest to ignore the woman's comments. He put a hand on his wife's shoulder to silently calm her.
"He was your only son, yes?" Reilly asked as she circled them, her eyes looking them up and down as if examining her prey. "And he had no sisters, if I remember correctly?" She looked at them with stormy grey eyes. "Stop me if I'm wrong." Edwin looked down at his wife, catching her eye. Neither of them was going to say anything.
Kennedy snorted. "Seems you scared them good, Reilly. They won't even answer your questions." She smirked at his comment, taking a step toward the couple.
"Perhaps, but I still want answers—"
"Reilly." The tall man spoke softly in a deep voice, making Reilly start. "Don't." She turned around to face him, hands on hips. He stepped forward as if to take her place in examining them before taking the pipe out of his mouth. "You wish to see your son?"
"Yes." the couple chorused.
"Even though he is a werewolf?"
"Yes."
"Do you realize what this changes?"
"I do," Amelia said, standing up straight to look the man in the eye. "It changes nothing."
"It changes everything," the man said in a hard voice. He took a long puff of the pipe before giving them a hard stare. "It'll change your lives. It'll change your son. And it'll change you."
"It might change us," Edwin said, matching his voice level, "but it won't change what we feel for him."
"It doesn't matter what you feel for him. It matters what he feels for himself." He stuck the pipe back in his mouth. "You'd be helping him by giving him silver, but I can tell you won't do that. You want to see your son? Let's go."
"Prewett!" Reilly shrieked in shock. "That child's a monster!"
"He's their son--they'll take care of him. He's their monster now." He led them through the door to the left of where they'd entered. Reilly and Kennedy looked at each other in disgust before following him out in a proper manner with the Lupins on their tail. They appeared in a long dark corridor with seemingly no end and with no windows or doors on either wall. They walked in silence, Reilly's heels clinking against the stone floor.
Prewett walked up to a cracked brick along the wall, knocking his fist against it. Shaking his head, he walked forward to the next cracked brick on the other side of the wall, knocking again, He went to the next one just ahead, knocking against it; a 'thonk' sound echoed through the corridor.
"Here we are," he said simply, whipping out his wand. He tapped it twice; gold and silver sparks shot from the tip. The brick shivered and disappeared, then the bricks around it followed its example until an archway appeared. A faint glow of firelight emitted from the room as they entered. There were already two men present in the room, both of whom were leaning over something or someone—
"Remus!" Amelia gasped as she pushed past the men, to kneel by her son.
"Mum!" Remus cried as he was swept into a huge hug.
"Prewett!" the first of the two men barked. Edwin studied the man who had spoken. He was a short, chubby man with receding salt and pepper hair. Edwin was sure that he knew him from somewhere. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Edwin and Amelia Lupin." The chubby official kept a blank face. "The young child's parents."
"And by whose authority have they been brought in here?" Edwin heard the door open once again behind him, but he kept his eyes pinned on the official apparently in charge.
"This is their son," Prewett said in a hard voice. "They have the right to see him."
"And you don't have the right to stop them, Horus." The chubby man gasped as his eyes shot toward the door. Edwin followed his gaze, confusion immediately filling him at the sight of his old Transfiguration Professor instead of the Headmaster.
"Albus!" Horus gasped.
"It's been a long time. Since the fall of Grindelwald if I remember correctly." Dumbledore greeted everyone pleasantly.
Horus looked at the Hogwarts Professor, his nerve starting to waver. "Yes, I believe you are correct. After that, you went off to teach at Hogwarts and I went into the Ministry." He puffed out his chest with a proud grin. "You're still not Headmaster? What a shame."
Dumbledore seemed unfazed by his words. "And you, Horus: Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and on your way to becoming Minister of Magic. Quite a lot you've done since our last meeting. I just never imagined you as the type of man to use his power for his own selfish ends."
"Selfish ends!?" cried Horus in outrage. "Trying to get rid of the werewolf population is selfish!?"
"When it involves a young boy's life, yes." Dumbledore said, his voice now holding no sign of its previous pleasantness.
The Ministry official straightened out his cloak, his eyes toward the ground as he spoke. "That is no longer a boy: he is a beast. A monster. An evil creature. No matter what you call him, it's all the same. And nothing that you say will change my decision. That thing needs to be killed before it grows and kills us all."
"If you'd just give him a chance, Horus, you would see that not all werewolves are evil."
"That's preposterous!"
"Look at him." Dumbledore gestured toward Amelia and Remus. "Does he look dangerous to you?" He walked across the room to stand beside Amelia, giving the young boy a reassuring smile before turning back to the Ministry employee. "As the boy grows, won't he learn as well? Can't he learn how to be normal instead of a vengeful werewolf? If we treat him with hate, he will only know hate. If we treat him with love, he will only know love. Don't you agree, Horus?"
Prewett stepped forward. "After all, I've studied werewolves for many years. Usually they're so bitter and vengeful that most claim not to care if they've killed or bitten anyone. They say that their victims probably deserved it. I remember one case where a man had been bitten at age twenty-three. He'd been shunned and hated ever since. Not a spark of humanity left in him. Nothing to do except put him down. He had been engaged at the time and he lost his fiancée. It's because of hate that werewolves grow up with hate, and I tell you that Remus's parents love him very much. Maybe there is a chance for young Remus here."
There was a long pause. "So, what is your decision, Horus?" Dumbledore's soft voice questioned. "Shall we see together if a boy can live normally twenty-eight days out of the month, only being separated from the other people when the moon is full?"
Horus gave everyone in the room a disgusted look. His narrowed eyes landed on Remus, and he made a noise of revulsion before stalking out of the room with Reilly, Kennedy, and the other official at his heels.
Dumbledore's eyes glittered with delight as the door shut behind them. "Ah, Gideon Prewett, I never would have believed I'd see the day. You were always so loyal to the Ministry."
Prewett smiled stiffly. "I know when the Ministry is in the wrong. If the Lupins didn't love their son as much as they do, I would have let Horus do whatever he wanted with him. It would have been better for the bloke. I don't know what it's like to be a werewolf, but what I said was true. They grow resentful when they're shunned like they are, and that's part of the reason they're a danger: they think that's the only way out."
Dumbledore nodded in agreement, "We're all grateful that you stepped in when you did." Prewett gave a curt nod.
Dumbledore turned his gaze to the Lupins as Edwin took his place beside his wife. "Edwin Lupin, has it really been so long? Well, you've raised yourself nicely from the troublesome schoolboy I used to have to put up with."
"Thank you, sir." Edwin paused. "For everything. If they had tried to take my son, I think--no, I know I would have duelled every single one of them before giving him up. I'm quite surprised though, sir. I had called for Headmaster Dippet."
Dumbledore nodded. "I'm afraid to say that the Headmaster found other matters more pressing and wished to take care of those first." He gave a comforting smile, turning his eyes toward Amelia. "And Amelia James, always second best and always frustrated by that fact if I remember."
"You remember. I always did find that quite unnerving." Amelia said with a small laugh. "I must thank you as well. You saved my son's life, and there isn't anything else that can compare to that. You are truly a great man and wizard, everyone should be able to see that."
Dumbledore smiled kindly. "I didn't do it, Amelia." His eyes twinkled merrily. "It was the love that you and your husband share for your son." Dumbledore let his eyes travel from her to the small form in her arms. Remus's eyes were large with awe. "And as for you, young Master Lupin," Remus looked around as if to make sure that the silvery-haired wizard wasn't speaking to someone else, "I'll be sure to keep a close eye on you for I perceive great things from you."
End of Chapter One
Summary: Remus Lupin was once a normal boy, but one fateful night changed all of that.
The Lupins were a lovely family; everyone who knew them thought so. Cheerful Amelia Lupin was an excellent cook and a devoted young mother. Edwin, her husband, was frequently away on business but he adored his family and doted on them when he was at home. And little Remus was a charming boy, well behaved and mature for his age.
The Lupins were a highly respected wizarding family. In the Wizarding World, many smiled when the family's name was mentioned. They were widely known, and even the old magical families (who often frowned upon any wizard who even thought about having any sort of relations with Muggles) respected them to some extent.
No one would wish a curse upon this family that could not be cured or stopped. Certainly, no one would have guessed that on August 13, 1962 a tragedy would befall Remus Lupin, who was barely four at the time. That was the night the Lupins' lives were forever changed.
"You look so pretty, Mummy! Why are you worried?" the jumpy four-year-old questioned.
"Ah, Remus," Amelia Lupin sighed to her son as she straightened her robes out, "Your father is coming home! I'm just anticipating his return, that's all."
"Anticipating?" Remus repeated in confusion. "What's that mean?"
Amelia giggled.
"I want to sing and dance and clean the house and cook the best dinner all at once, and all just because your father is finally coming home." Amelia explained as she engulfed her son in her arms.
"Oh!" Remus nodded in understanding. "Well, then I'm anticipating his return too."
Amelia grinned and nodded, "That we are, my little prince of Rome." She placed Remus on her hip and gave him a sideways glance. "Besides, we want to look our best for your father, don't we?"
"I do look my best!" Remus said defiantly.
Amelia raised an eyebrow at him as she used her free hand to grab one of his chocolate-covered cheeks.
"Oh, you do, do you?" Amelia asked sceptically, but Remus just nodded his head vigorously. She put Remus back down on the ground, turning back to her hair. She felt two little hands tickle her sides, but all she did was smirk. "I'm not ticklish there, my little prince, but unfortunately for you, you are."
Turning around to face her energetic toddler, Amelia immediately began to tickle his sides. She was rewarded with squeals of laughter. Having worked Remus's squeals to gasps, Amelia let up and leaned toward him. "Who's the tickling master?"
Remus put a finger to his chin in thought. "Daddy?"
Amelia put on a face of mock hurt. Tickling his ribs, Remus began to squeal once again.
"Mummy is! Mummy is!"
Lifting his shirt, burying her face in his bare stomach and blowing a raspberry, Amelia looked at her son who was thoroughly exhausted from giggling. Amelia leaned toward him once more to share a butterfly kiss, rub their noses together in an Eskimo kiss, and to land a big kiss on his cheek. Remus placed a small hand on her cheek and gave her a small peck in return.
"Soon," Amelia sighed sadly, "You'll be too old for me to do that."
"I'll never be too old, Mummy." Remus said earnestly.
"Won't you, now?" Amelia asked, raising one eyebrow at him.
"I won't! I promise!"
Laughing joyfully, Amelia helped her son stand up straight. "I'll hold you to that promise when you're heading off to school."
"Primary or Wizarding?" asked Remus innocently.
"Wizarding. And you're too smart for your own good, you know that?" Amelia rolled her eyes as she grabbed her handkerchief, dampening it with her saliva before attempting to rid his face of excess food.
"No, I'm not!" Remus giggled. He scrunched his nose up in disgust as he felt his mother's thumb rub against his cheek to try to remove the crumbs. He tried to pull away from his mother's grasp.
"Cheeky brat." Amelia teased as she continued to wipe the excess food from her son's face. He continued to squirm in her arms. "Remus, stay still, I need to get this gunk off your face." Amelia scowled. Remus sighed. Rolling her eyes at her very hard-headed son, Amelia continued cleaning him. "You'll understand when you're older and have kids of your own that it's not good to be filthy."
"When I have kids I won't care. Besides," Remus said mocking his mother's superior tone, "I can't wait to be older anyhow."
"Oh, you can't, can you? Well, when you're older you'll have to do all that grown-up stuff. Like... buy food--"
"Chocolate!"
"Cook dinner--"
"You need to cook chocolate?"
"Clean the house--"
"The house looks fine to me."
"Go to the bank--"
"Money!"
"And all that other rotten stuff."
"Not so rotten to me," Remus said shrugging his shoulders as his mother pulled the handkerchief away from his face, "Sounds kind of fun."
"Fun," Amelia snorted. "That's what I loved about being a kid. Now," she said in that don't-try-to-question-me voice, "Go have fun outside and play while I finish up here. But don't go too far, you hear me?"
"Yes, Mummy!" Remus squealed as he raced out of the house toward the creek.
Sighing to herself, Amelia looked up at an owl that had been watching them. "Nylon, go watch Remus. Make sure he doesn't go too far, and call me if something happens. You know I'll hear it." The bird gave a slight bob of his head as if to acknowledge her words, and flew outside after Remus.
"Remus! It's time to come in!" Amelia shouted from the door as she scanned the grounds for her son. The loud call of an owl made her glance toward a tree overlooking the creek. Her eyes met Nylon's for a moment before she looked down. Beneath the branch where the midnight coloured bird was perched, Remus knelt. He was imitating a frog. Smiling, Amelia repeated her call, "Remus! It's getting dark!"
Remus, however, had other ideas. He seemed to be quite satisfied with emulating a new friend he'd found in the creek. Roger, he called him, Roger the Frog. Amelia sighed, wiped her hands on her apron, and made her way over to him. She scooped him up in her arms.
"Mum! But Roger will be lonely!" Remus protested as he vainly tried to wiggle free.
"'Roger'?" She looked over her shoulder as she headed toward the cottage and spotted the little frog. "Oh, Roger! I'm sure Roger will be fine. He likes the creek better than our musty old cottage anyway, and you don't want him to be sad, d'you?"
Remus shook his head slowly.
"You can visit Roger tomorrow, he won't mind. In fact," Amelia said, entering the kitchen and proceeding to wash his hands, "He would prefer it if you did. As would I. Your father will be home any minute and dinner still isn't ready."
"He won't mind." Remus said softly as Amelia turned away from her son to the stove. "He never does."
Whether he was talking about Roger or his father was anyone's guess, but Amelia just gave a small smile. "Remus, go on to your room and entertain yourself while I finish dinner; it would really help me out a lot."
He nodded.
"Thanks, my little prince." He was gone before she could say another word.
It was nearly half an hour later when Remus re-entered the kitchen and began to pull on the hem of his mother's dress robe. Looking down at her son, she couldn't help but smile. "What is it, Remus?"
"It's dark outside."
Amelia raises an eyebrow at her son and nodded slowly, "Yes, I see that. That's because it's late, my little prince."
"Roger doesn't like the dark." Remus pouted. "Can I go get him really quick?"
Amelia shot a nervous glance outside at the full moon. "No, Remus. It's too late at night, and you know that things are out and about at night."
"That's why I want to bring him inside! He's scared of all of the creatures. Please let me bring him inside!" Remus begged.
Amelia shook her head forcefully. "No, Remus. He can wait out one night. You can bring him in tomorrow, just not tonight. Understand?"
Remus made a sound of protest and stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. "Yes, Ma'am."
"That's a good boy, now go wash up. We're going to eat soon whether your father gets home or not." Amelia let a small sigh escape her lips as her son once again disappeared from the kitchen. She busied herself stirring the stew and looked up at the full moon once more.
Humming to herself as she stirred mindlessly, Amelia closed her eyes at the slow rhythm she was making. She nearly had a fright when two arms wrapped themselves around her. She heard a soft voice murmuring something in her ear. The words were too low to be coherent, but she knew what he'd said. Forgetting about the stew, she turned around and fell into her husband's arms. "I missed you too."
When Amelia and Edwin Lupin pulled apart from their embrace, Edwin grinned and sniffed. "Mmm… smells wonderful." He looked at her, his eyes twinkling with delight. "When will it be done?"
"About…" She trailed off as she checked it, "Now." Extinguishing the fire, she called into the house, "Remus! Dinner!" She set three bowls full of stew on the table. "Remus has been so anxious to see you." Amelia reached over to grab Edwin's hand. "He really needs you around more."
"I know." Edwin winced as he leaned back in his chair. "I know. It's so hard to get away from work though, you know that."
"I do." Amelia said, disheartened. "Remus! Dinner!" Shaking her head, she looked up at Edwin and forced a smile. "How was your trip?"
"It was good. Sorry I'm late by the way—Bobby delayed me—you know, he's the trainee. He was full of questions about the mission, as always. I can't just leave him because he's my responsibility, but I was able to convince him to write down all of his questions and send them to me by owl. The letter will be fun to answer.'"
"Oh, he can't be that much of a bother." Amelia laughed. "REMUS! DINNER!"
"You have no idea." Edwin stuffed a spoonful of stew into his mouth. "Mmm… perfect."
She smiled gratefully. "Always the best for you."
She looked at the empty chair. "Where is that boy?"
They were answered by a terrified scream; Amelia and Edwin looked at each other and grabbed their wands. They ran out of the cottage; the scream seemed to echo in the air even after it was silenced by the night. Amelia felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped: it was only her husband.
There was a rustle in the bushes; they both turned toward the sound. Amelia took a half step forward, but Edwin's grip on her shoulder tightened as he pointed his wand at the bushes. "Stay here." He began to stride forward, but before he reached the bushes, a massive wolf lurched out toward them.
A flash of red light from the tip of Edwin's wand struck the wolf's muzzle. The wolf yelped with pain as it fell to the ground, stunned. Edwin looked over his shoulder toward Amelia and gestured forward. "Let's go." Amelia gave a small nod, already breaking into a quick pace behind Edwin.
Beneath the whisper of the soft summer wind, the night had gone oddly quiet. The rustle and scrape of their own footsteps and the rasp of their harsh breathing were the only sounds that Edwin and Amelia could hear. Quickening her pace, Amelia grabbed her husband's arm. She wanted reassurance that everything would be all right. She felt the desperation in those thoughts, and there was a part of her, which already knew that things would never be 'all right' again.
There, a few feet ahead of them, was their son. His head was to one side, left arm bent in an odd direction, right arm floating in the shallow creek. His left leg was turned a bit so that his bare feet barely grazed the water's edge, but his right leg was what made them want to cry out in agony: it was a mangled mess. The flesh seemed to have been torn off and blood was flowing freely into the creek.
Amelia gave a choked sound as she turned away with her hand over her mouth. Edwin could only stand staring at the sight; his hands balled into fists, jaw tight, and eyes burning with incoming tears.
Neither of them moved or said anything. Edwin's heavy breathing and Amelia's stifled sobs were the only sounds to be heard. Edwin finally fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands, openly sobbing for his son's life. There was no doubt in his mind that Remus was dead, and he couldn't bear looking at that unmoving body. Even as he closed his eyes, though, he could still see the sight of their mangled son perfectly. Amelia finally fell to her knees beside him, her back still to Remus. Neither saw his eyes pop open or heard his small gasp. Neither, however, could have mistaken his whimper of pain for the sound of the wind.
Edwin gasped and looked up quickly; his wife jumped up and cried, "Remus!" This brought him back to reality and he ran to his son's side, pulling him into his arms. He rocked him a bit as he whispered into his ear to keep him awake.
"Amelia," Edwin gasped as he pushed his son's hair out of his face, "Floo Madam Julie, quickly, we can't waste any time."
"All right," she murmured as she bent down to kiss Remus' forehead. "Stay awake, my little prince."
"Mum?" Remus murmured sleepily.
"I'll be right back, Remus," Amelia replied shakily before running off across the yards.
Remus took a deep pained breath before looking up at Edwin and smiling sleepily. "Daddy, you're home."
"Yes, Rem, I'm home. And you better not fall asleep when I just got here, you hear me?" Edwin grabbed his son's hand and grasped it tightly.
"I won't." Remus slowly closed his eyes.
"Remus!" Edwin spoke louder then he intended, making Remus start in his arms. "You must stay awake, hear me? You must stay awake."
"But I'm so tired."
Edwin didn't say anything; he just rubbed Remus' arm in comfort. He sighed and looked up at the sky as a shooting star passed by. Even with everything going on, Edwin smiled slightly and spoke quietly into his son's ear. "Look, Remus, there goes a shooting star." Remus opened his eyes slightly and also smiled weakly as the star disappeared behind the trees. "Wish for something quickly now." Edwin watched as Remus squeezed his eyes shut in deep concentration. "Got a wish yet?"
"Mmm-hmm!" Remus said as he looked up at the sky to find the shooting star out of sight. "Did you?"
"I sure did. I wished for you to stay awake until we can get you all better." Edwin stared down at his son's face.
Remus gulped and stifled a yawn before saying in a whisper, "Your wish will come true, Daddy."
"And what was your wish?" Edwin asked and Remus opened his mouth to speak as hurried footsteps came into hearing range.
"It's a secret." Remus whispered as Amelia came up them and knelt down beside Edwin. Madam Julie, a Mediwitch with long light brown hair ran up behind her, pale and panting. She stared at the small Lupin family for a minute.
"We, er--" She gulped and recovered her professional stance. "You did the right thing in calling me, but we must get him to my office. There's nothing I can do here." With one flick of her wand, Remus was lying upon a stretcher in front of Edwin and Amelia. She turned swiftly and began to walk back toward the cottage, the stretcher magically following. Amelia and Edwin scrambled to their feet and followed her briskly as Madam Julie spoke. "Edwin, when we get to the house, I'm going to need you to make a temporary Portkey to my office--I don't believe we'll need one to get back. Also, I believe that we'll--" She stopped in mid-step and her eyes widened as she stared off across the yard to where the stunned wolf lay. "Who-what is that?"
"That's the wolf that b-b-bit Remus." Amelia stuttered over the word "bit". She heard Madam Julie give a quick intake of breath. The Mediwitch turned toward her with wide eyes.
"Wolf? Bit? Then that could mean…" Her face was twice as pale as it was before.
"What could that mean?" Amelia asked hesitantly.
Without answering, the Mediwitch flicked her wand again and the wolf appeared on another stretcher. She bit her bottom lip and gulped before hurrying back toward the house in silence. Edwin and Amelia exchanged worried glances before following. "Edwin, make the Portkey able to transfer two people. We need the wolf at the clinic as well. For all we know, this could be somebody you know."
"Somebody we know…?" Amelia started faintly, her eyes widening in surprise. "Y-you don't mean… You can't mean… No! It's impossible! Muggles are the only people who live for miles!"
"Muggles can catch the curse of lycanthropy just like Wizards, Amelia." Madam Julie flung the door to the cottage open, making it squeak in protest on its hinges. She hurried through the house with both stretchers and parents on her heel.
"Do you really think this is a-a werewolf, Julie?" Edwin grabbed a random object off the mantel over the fireplace, pausing when he saw what it was: a photograph of the day when Remus was born.
"I think it's very possible." Edwin stared at the photo, lost in thought. "Portkey, Edwin." Shaking his head, he cast the Portis spell upon the frame.
Edwin tapped his wand on the frame three times before handing the picture over to the Mediwitch. "It'll activate in one minute." He tucked his wand back into his belt. Without waiting for a reply, he walked over to his wife, who stared at their son with concern.
Madam Julie knelt down beside Remus's stretcher, giving him a small smile of comfort. "Remus, I need you to listen to everything that I say and do as I tell you, understand?" Remus hesitated a moment before giving a slight nod. "Good. Now, you see this picture here? It's of you when you were just a baby. I need you to hold onto this picture without letting go, okay? Because if you let go, we'll lose the picture and your parents will be very upset."
Remus gave a small smile along with a slight bob of his head. "M'kay."
"Now, don't worry about anything because your mummy and daddy will be right there with you as will I." Remus nodded slowly.
Julie smiled reassuringly before turning toward Edwin and Amelia. "Now, I need one of us to grab the wolf so that he transports with us. All right?"
Remus turned his head slightly to look at the creature in question, his eyes going wide. He gaped at the wolf before snapping his attention forward. "No."
Julie turned toward him, startled. "No, what?"
"Not going to do anything with that." He clung to the frame tightly as if challenging her to question him, but Edwin stepped forward.
Kneeling beside his stretcher, Edwin looked straight into Remus' eyes. "Remus, I'll make sure that beast doesn't touch you, all right? There's no need to be afraid. We'll be with you the whole way, okay?" Remus' face plainly said that it wasn't okay, however, he nodded slowly. Edwin smiled, ruffling his hair. "That's my boy."
Julie moved the stretcher closer to Remus' own. Edwin checked his watch as everyone watched silently. "Now." Everyone quickly reached out to touch the frame Remus held, Edwin grabbing the paw of the wolf in the process, just as they vanished.
They all appeared in the waiting room of the clinic. The three adults regained their composure as Remus kept his eyes tightly shut, the frame still clutched in his tiny hands. The frame slipped from his hand, clanked against the side of the stretcher, and smashed against the floor. Amelia rushed forward beside the stretcher, placing a gentle hand on Remus's forehead. "He's shaking like mad and he's suddenly gone hot. He wasn't like this before. Julie, what's wrong with him?"
"Blood loss, he's in shock. There's no time to waste. I'll have to get to work immediately." Julie moved Remus and the stretcher into another room. Edwin walked after Julie only to have her shake her head 'no' vehemently. "Edwin. Stay here; I need to work alone." Edwin moved to object, but the Mediwitch repeated her words. "Wait here, Edwin. I can't have you distracting me while I work. That goes for you too, Amelia." Edwin and Amelia looked at each other with anxious glances as Julie and their son disappeared behind the only barrier separating them.
The sun had long since risen and the moon had long since set, but the Lupins had just barely drifted off to sleep when Julie finally came out of the room. At the sound of the door shutting softly, Edwin forced his eyes open, sitting up quickly when he saw Julie. His sudden movement roused Amelia up as well, momentarily confused.
"How is he?" Amelia asked, her bottom lip trembling in anticipation.
"He's sleeping. The bite didn't do any permanent damage to his leg other than a nasty scar …" Julie's voice trailed off; she was unable to look the couple in the eye.
"But…" Edwin continued for her hesitantly.
"But… I have no doubt in my mind that that was no ordinary wolf that bit your son. It was a werewolf, and it did indeed pass the curse on to your son."
"S-so, Remus is a werewolf?" Amelia asked faintly, trying to remain calm.
"Yes, but that's not all. Remus is able to heal himself unnaturally fast. Even without my healing techniques the wounds on his leg are already healed. You could even take him home this morning without any worries--"
"Can we?" Amelia interrupted.
"But I wouldn't recommend it." Julie continued with a hard voice. "I have flooed the Ministry of Magic. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures will be here to see about the werewolf," She paused, "and your son."
"What?" Edwin bellowed.
Amelia laid a gentle hand on her husband's arm, turning toward the Mediwitch. "Why?"
Without answering, Julie turned and retreated back into her patient's room. Amelia raced forward, grabbing Julie by the forearm, her grip tight. "I asked a question. Why did you call the Ministry to come get my son?"
Looking over her shoulder only slightly, Julie looked past the couple as if they weren't there. "I didn't call the Ministry to come get your son. I called the Ministry to come get the werewolf. They asked why and how we caught it. I had to tell them, and that's what they told me, that they were coming and expecting to return to the Ministry with Remus."
Amelia let go of Julie's arm, shaking her head in disbelief. Edwin stepped forward. "Amelia," he said softly, but she wouldn't look at him. "Amelia, look at me" he repeated, this time using his free hand to cup her face. "I won't let anything happen to Remus. I promise." She looked at him without a response. She shook her head slowly. "Listen to me, Amelia. I'm not going to let anything happen. I'm going to try to contact Dippet. Then we can--"
"Dippet? What can he do?" Amelia asked in a small voice.
Edwin gave a small smile. "A lot more then you and me put together, that's for sure." He leaned down, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, before looking her in the eye. "Don't fret; I'll be back as soon as I can."
She didn't answer, but nodded her head furiously in agreement. Biting the inside of her cheek, Amelia watched silently as Edwin Apparated away. She turned toward the Mediwitch. "Can I see him?"
"Of course," Julie answered quickly, gesturing toward the door. "He's not awake yet, but I'm sure your presence will calm him." Julie watched as Amelia entered the room, taking the chair by the bed. Closing the door at the sight, the Mediwitch left the room for her office, giving mother and child their privacy.
It was half past noon when Edwin Apparated back into the magical clinic. He expected to be greeted by his wife or the Mediwitch, but neither was there. Edwin walked through the abandoned health care centre, the silence unnerving. He entered his son's room only to find it empty. His heart dropped with worry as he spotted Nylon perched on the windowsill, a letter attached to his leg. Edwin quickly crossed the room as the bird blinked up at him. He gave a small hoot and stuck out his leg, allowing Edwin to untie the letter when he got close enough.
Edwin skimmed the letter quickly. Spitting out a quick 'damn', he whipped out his wand and Apparated on the spot. He reappeared in the middle of the Main Lobby, quickly sprinting toward the lift and only pausing to thrust his wand into the inspector's hand and to get it back. He clenched his fist as he waited impatiently; the lift stopped at what felt like every floor. He was already heading out of the lift as it stopped on his floor, the doors barely starting to open. He rushed by several Ministry Officials, all of whom gave him dirty looks.
"Mr. Lupin?" The secretary called out as Edwin rushed forward. "Down the corridor and to the right, room three-double zero-four. Your wife is waiting for you."
Edwin gave a nod of acknowledgment in her direction before heading down the hall. A cold feeling quickly swept through his veins. He could see the picture signs of dark creatures, which hung above the doors, his heart dropping with each one. The numbers printed across the doors in big bold letters rose with each room he passed. Edwin kept his eyes on the doorknob as he came to Room 3004, refusing to look at the sign hanging overhead.
His wife sat in a chair with three Ministry Officials towering over her. He could hear her muttering to them as he came in. "There's got to be something we can--Edwin!" She jumped up from the chair and wrapped her arms around him.
"What's happened?"
"They won't let us see him, as simple as that. They just won't let us see him." Amelia shook her head in disbelief, her eyes looking strangely dead.
"Why not?" He moved his gaze from Amelia to the Ministry Officials.
"They wouldn't tell me, not until you got here. That's what they said." She gazed toward the floor as if she didn't believe her own words.
"Well?" He looked at the three officials, examining them for the first time. The one closest to him stood two heads shorter than Edwin. He was puffed up with importance, however. He had dark rimmed glasses and greying dark blonde hair along with a thin moustache. The middle official stood about as tall as Edwin with a big build. His long dark brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and his long goatee was braided; he held a pipe in his mouth that he puffed on every so often. The farthest from him was a woman who stood shorter then the second man but taller then the first. Her short golden brown hair was tucked behind her ears; her puffy red lips gave off a cruel smile.
The short man straightened his grey robes, cleared his throat, before addressing him. "Lorcan Kennedy. I'm one of the officials in charge of the case involving the werewolf."
"My son, you mean?" Edwin's voice was hard.
"He's no more your son any more than he is mine." The woman interjected as she stepped forward, a badge shining brightly across her pale purple dress robes reading ' Reilly, Treasa.' "He's been transformed into a monster. He may have been your son twenty-four hours ago, but I can assure you, he isn't anymore."
"Where is he?" Edwin tried his hardest to ignore the woman's comments. He put a hand on his wife's shoulder to silently calm her.
"He was your only son, yes?" Reilly asked as she circled them, her eyes looking them up and down as if examining her prey. "And he had no sisters, if I remember correctly?" She looked at them with stormy grey eyes. "Stop me if I'm wrong." Edwin looked down at his wife, catching her eye. Neither of them was going to say anything.
Kennedy snorted. "Seems you scared them good, Reilly. They won't even answer your questions." She smirked at his comment, taking a step toward the couple.
"Perhaps, but I still want answers—"
"Reilly." The tall man spoke softly in a deep voice, making Reilly start. "Don't." She turned around to face him, hands on hips. He stepped forward as if to take her place in examining them before taking the pipe out of his mouth. "You wish to see your son?"
"Yes." the couple chorused.
"Even though he is a werewolf?"
"Yes."
"Do you realize what this changes?"
"I do," Amelia said, standing up straight to look the man in the eye. "It changes nothing."
"It changes everything," the man said in a hard voice. He took a long puff of the pipe before giving them a hard stare. "It'll change your lives. It'll change your son. And it'll change you."
"It might change us," Edwin said, matching his voice level, "but it won't change what we feel for him."
"It doesn't matter what you feel for him. It matters what he feels for himself." He stuck the pipe back in his mouth. "You'd be helping him by giving him silver, but I can tell you won't do that. You want to see your son? Let's go."
"Prewett!" Reilly shrieked in shock. "That child's a monster!"
"He's their son--they'll take care of him. He's their monster now." He led them through the door to the left of where they'd entered. Reilly and Kennedy looked at each other in disgust before following him out in a proper manner with the Lupins on their tail. They appeared in a long dark corridor with seemingly no end and with no windows or doors on either wall. They walked in silence, Reilly's heels clinking against the stone floor.
Prewett walked up to a cracked brick along the wall, knocking his fist against it. Shaking his head, he walked forward to the next cracked brick on the other side of the wall, knocking again, He went to the next one just ahead, knocking against it; a 'thonk' sound echoed through the corridor.
"Here we are," he said simply, whipping out his wand. He tapped it twice; gold and silver sparks shot from the tip. The brick shivered and disappeared, then the bricks around it followed its example until an archway appeared. A faint glow of firelight emitted from the room as they entered. There were already two men present in the room, both of whom were leaning over something or someone—
"Remus!" Amelia gasped as she pushed past the men, to kneel by her son.
"Mum!" Remus cried as he was swept into a huge hug.
"Prewett!" the first of the two men barked. Edwin studied the man who had spoken. He was a short, chubby man with receding salt and pepper hair. Edwin was sure that he knew him from somewhere. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Edwin and Amelia Lupin." The chubby official kept a blank face. "The young child's parents."
"And by whose authority have they been brought in here?" Edwin heard the door open once again behind him, but he kept his eyes pinned on the official apparently in charge.
"This is their son," Prewett said in a hard voice. "They have the right to see him."
"And you don't have the right to stop them, Horus." The chubby man gasped as his eyes shot toward the door. Edwin followed his gaze, confusion immediately filling him at the sight of his old Transfiguration Professor instead of the Headmaster.
"Albus!" Horus gasped.
"It's been a long time. Since the fall of Grindelwald if I remember correctly." Dumbledore greeted everyone pleasantly.
Horus looked at the Hogwarts Professor, his nerve starting to waver. "Yes, I believe you are correct. After that, you went off to teach at Hogwarts and I went into the Ministry." He puffed out his chest with a proud grin. "You're still not Headmaster? What a shame."
Dumbledore seemed unfazed by his words. "And you, Horus: Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and on your way to becoming Minister of Magic. Quite a lot you've done since our last meeting. I just never imagined you as the type of man to use his power for his own selfish ends."
"Selfish ends!?" cried Horus in outrage. "Trying to get rid of the werewolf population is selfish!?"
"When it involves a young boy's life, yes." Dumbledore said, his voice now holding no sign of its previous pleasantness.
The Ministry official straightened out his cloak, his eyes toward the ground as he spoke. "That is no longer a boy: he is a beast. A monster. An evil creature. No matter what you call him, it's all the same. And nothing that you say will change my decision. That thing needs to be killed before it grows and kills us all."
"If you'd just give him a chance, Horus, you would see that not all werewolves are evil."
"That's preposterous!"
"Look at him." Dumbledore gestured toward Amelia and Remus. "Does he look dangerous to you?" He walked across the room to stand beside Amelia, giving the young boy a reassuring smile before turning back to the Ministry employee. "As the boy grows, won't he learn as well? Can't he learn how to be normal instead of a vengeful werewolf? If we treat him with hate, he will only know hate. If we treat him with love, he will only know love. Don't you agree, Horus?"
Prewett stepped forward. "After all, I've studied werewolves for many years. Usually they're so bitter and vengeful that most claim not to care if they've killed or bitten anyone. They say that their victims probably deserved it. I remember one case where a man had been bitten at age twenty-three. He'd been shunned and hated ever since. Not a spark of humanity left in him. Nothing to do except put him down. He had been engaged at the time and he lost his fiancée. It's because of hate that werewolves grow up with hate, and I tell you that Remus's parents love him very much. Maybe there is a chance for young Remus here."
There was a long pause. "So, what is your decision, Horus?" Dumbledore's soft voice questioned. "Shall we see together if a boy can live normally twenty-eight days out of the month, only being separated from the other people when the moon is full?"
Horus gave everyone in the room a disgusted look. His narrowed eyes landed on Remus, and he made a noise of revulsion before stalking out of the room with Reilly, Kennedy, and the other official at his heels.
Dumbledore's eyes glittered with delight as the door shut behind them. "Ah, Gideon Prewett, I never would have believed I'd see the day. You were always so loyal to the Ministry."
Prewett smiled stiffly. "I know when the Ministry is in the wrong. If the Lupins didn't love their son as much as they do, I would have let Horus do whatever he wanted with him. It would have been better for the bloke. I don't know what it's like to be a werewolf, but what I said was true. They grow resentful when they're shunned like they are, and that's part of the reason they're a danger: they think that's the only way out."
Dumbledore nodded in agreement, "We're all grateful that you stepped in when you did." Prewett gave a curt nod.
Dumbledore turned his gaze to the Lupins as Edwin took his place beside his wife. "Edwin Lupin, has it really been so long? Well, you've raised yourself nicely from the troublesome schoolboy I used to have to put up with."
"Thank you, sir." Edwin paused. "For everything. If they had tried to take my son, I think--no, I know I would have duelled every single one of them before giving him up. I'm quite surprised though, sir. I had called for Headmaster Dippet."
Dumbledore nodded. "I'm afraid to say that the Headmaster found other matters more pressing and wished to take care of those first." He gave a comforting smile, turning his eyes toward Amelia. "And Amelia James, always second best and always frustrated by that fact if I remember."
"You remember. I always did find that quite unnerving." Amelia said with a small laugh. "I must thank you as well. You saved my son's life, and there isn't anything else that can compare to that. You are truly a great man and wizard, everyone should be able to see that."
Dumbledore smiled kindly. "I didn't do it, Amelia." His eyes twinkled merrily. "It was the love that you and your husband share for your son." Dumbledore let his eyes travel from her to the small form in her arms. Remus's eyes were large with awe. "And as for you, young Master Lupin," Remus looked around as if to make sure that the silvery-haired wizard wasn't speaking to someone else, "I'll be sure to keep a close eye on you for I perceive great things from you."
End of Chapter One