May 18, 1965
"Pull down your hood!" Julius Lupin snapped at the hooded figure before him. "You want to say something to me, say it to me like a man!"
"I'm not a man," said the other. His voice was a low growl. Feral. Menacing. "That's the whole reason we're here, human. But I'll oblige." He reached up with his clawed hand and slowly pulled down the hood.
Julius Lupin frowned in disgust. The creature before him was filthy. Small, bloodshot eyes gleaned beneath bushy brows. Matted, muddy, mangy hair fell limply over his low forehead and misshapen head.
"Not pretty, am I?" laughed the beast, and Julius became aware of his breath. He imagined that he could detect the tangy smell of blood.
"You've been threatening me, Greyback," Julius said. Though his voice was controlled, a deep and deadly undercurrent of loathing bubbled beneath the surface.
The werewolf leered at him. Julius could almost see the bloodstains that turned the ivory brown.
"Well I'll have none of it. You make one move towards either myself or my family, and I'll have your kind eradicated."
Greyback laughed. "You think you could do that, human? Well, try. In the meantime," he licked his lips. "I will destroy you."
Julius suppressed a shiver. Greyback's smile widened. Julius knew that he could smell his fear.
"I don't care what you do to me," Julius stammered the cliché that all would-be heros stammered.
"But you do care what I do to your family, is that it, human?" Greyback's wild laugh ended in un-human howl. "Your son's name is Remus, isn't it? Wonderful name. For a wolf pup."
Julius's breath came fast and hot, a sickening, greasy sensation rising in his throat.
Greyback laughed again, softly this time, at his lack of response. "The one thing you fear, and I have it, Lupin, and I will use it. You can rest easy tonight. You're the lucky one. I want you to know that your life is spared because of what you named your son. When you see his mangled body the day after the moon is full, know that the name you cursed him with is what killed him."
Greyback twisted and disapparated clumsily, a deafening crack shattering the night's silence. Julius was left alone, his ears ringing, and his limbs shaking with fear.
He sat down heavily on a log a few feet away. Greyback had requested that their meeting place be a forest, as that was the terrain he felt most comfortable with. Julius was an able wizard and so had thought himself capable of defending himself against the werewolf, should the need arise, despite being in the wolf's home territory.
Julius massaged his temples wearily. Surely Greyback was bluffing. Both Remus and and Diana were safe at home, and it was a week still until the full moon. If Greyback really had the intention of biting Remus, woudn't he have kept it quiet? After all, now Julius had a week to prepare himself. Or maybe the wolf just liked a challenge...
Had the werewolf really picked Remus because of his name? It was the fashion in the wizarding world (especially among the affluent) to name children names used in antiquity. He knew a young man named Amos Diggory for example, and there was that young Lucius Malfoy, too. He and Diana had simply followed the fashion and indulged in their love of ancient Rome in naming Remus. He had never dreamed the name would be a problem for him.
Julius stood. He needed to prepare himself if Greyback really was targeting Remus. He and Diana must be moved to some place safe, and if that was not possible charms needed to be placed on their house, in the very least.
Julius raised his wand and turned on the spot. The last thing he saw before being sucked into the tunnel was the waxing moon, serene and beautiful in the night sky.