A/N: Again, I do not own. I forgot to mention this last chapter, but this story IS NOT SMUT! It is rated M for reasons that will eventually become apparent. If you think that anything I write is stupid, immature, or whatever else, I really don't care. All credit to the correct grammar and spelling goes to K-Chan, my wonderful beta/best friend/person thing. She is the bestest beta ever!
I was three the first time I transformed. All I can remember is a lot of pain, a thirst for human flesh, and my parents arguing over whether or not to send me to the magical orphanage for creatures like me. Creature. It was my mother that had said it, and that made it all the worse when my father said that they would be pitied for having such a child, and rewarded for keeping it. It. My father had called me it. That was one of the worse pains of that time for me. Not the painful transformations that always came after that, once a month. Not the beatings I would get when my father was out of the house for "choosing" such a way of life.
The first time I met anyone in my family, I was four, and they came a week after the full moon. My aunt, uncle and older cousin (a ten year age difference) all came to visit, and possibly to make sure that I was being treated right. My aunt argued with my mother that it wasn't my fault I was a werewolf, and that if she his me one more time, she would see to it that my mother was locked up. My mother seemed to think she had a liable excuse, and told her sister-in-law, "I'm discipline the creature, Clara, that's all. Nothing more. And everyone will accept my logic, they won't want it running around untamed, wild, ready to kill." Something in me died that day. I now know that it was the hope that, deep down, my mother did love me, and that she would change. My aunt never came back after that, but my cousin, Kingsley, did. Every month, before and after the full moon, he would bring me chocolate, and we would share it.
I looked forward to Kingsley' visits so much because they were the only show of affection I received. I went to the local magical primary school, but made no friends. It was no secret what I was, and people feared me because of something I had no control over. Five months of spending time with my cousin had at least convinced me of that, and it gave me strength to survive whatever came my way. I found that out soon enough.
One time I was severely beaten by my mother because I had gotten the courage to speak back to her during a discipline session. She left me there to go out with friends, left me there to die. My father had snuck around my mother to get my godfather down here to see me, and they discovered me on the floor of the kitchen, broken and bleeding. When they got me to the hospital, I was still alive but barely. When I woke up, my mother was shouting at my godfather, "It's none of your business how I choose to discipline my daughter. Do you understand that? She deserves every bit of what she gets, ruining my social life like that, and I won't let you stand in the way of that!"
I started sobbing uncontrollably, coming to the realization that my mother would never love me. The sobs brought my godfather, Remus Lupin into the room. He smiled at me gently, and sat on the edge of my bed, stroking my dark hair. He sighed. "I'm sorry. Your mother's pregnant, and she's using that as an excuse not to be thrown in prison for abuse and neglect. I don't really know when I'll be back, she made it quite clear that I wasn't welcome. But first, because you deserve to know, and your mother will never tell you. You weren't bitten, like she tells you. Your grandfather is the most powerful werewolf in the world, and the gene skipped your mother, and it hit you. This just so happens to be your mother's sick, twisted way of training you for your inheritance. His name is Fenrir Greyback, and he very much wants you in his ranks, Cleo. He'll do anything, even let you rule over Egypt's werewolf as alpha." He stood up as Kingsley entered with an entire basket of chocolate.
"Wait. Here." I handed him a large bar of chocolate, hoping to help him. He had made life easier in a small way, and I could only hope to do the same.
A/N: *sigh* I almost forgot. Cleo has dark black hair, medium tan skin, and midnight blue eyes. I'll try and find a link to post on my page, so that all of you can see it.