"Remus, this is Mr. Gregory." Hope Lupin pointed at the tall, balding man.
Mr. Gregory gave Remus a tight-lipped smile. Remus's mother opened the door wide and ushered him in. She gestured for Remus to follow.
Remus desperately hoped that this visitor wasn't one of his father's 'friends'. Remus was sick of these strange people making him eat funny things, or forcing him to act a certain way.
He knew that his parents were trying to cure him of lycanthropy. He was now seven, and he understood his parent's actions much more than before. He knew that they were really hiring doctors to come look at him, to fix him. Nothing had worked. Remus knew that there was a large chance that nothing would ever work; he was conscious of the fact that lycanthropy was so far incurable.
He was feeling slightly frustrated with his parents at the moment; he was just getting over a particularly bad transformation, and they had already brought someone in. In wolfish form, Remus was strong enough to splinter the window. When he had awoken the previous morning, he found himself lying in a pile of broken glass. His father had repaired the window in an instant, but he and Remus's mother had exchanged worried glances. Remus had had to spend the morning pulling the shards of glass out of his skin.
Gregory was already in the kitchen when Remus arrived. He was pulling various objects out of his briefcase. Remus took a step forward to see the items, but his father threw out his hand, stopping him. Remus looked over his father's arm to see what he would be forced to do next.
There was a small vial of bubbling purple liquid, what looked like one long stalk of Fluxweed, and two sharp, small nails. Remus gulped. He silently prayed that he would not be forced to consume these, but was dismayed to see Gregory put all the ingredients into a small cup. He waved his wand over the cup, and the nail melted into a smoking, cream-colored blob. The stalk of Fluxweed caught on fire, than burned into a fine ash. They mixed with the purple stuff, creating a slimy looking beverage. Remus wrinkled his nose. It looked disgusting.
Gregory spun around, holding the glass out to Remus. He took it. His mother gave him a hopeful look. He raised the cup to his lips, tilting his head back. The liquid burned his tongue. It felt like acid had scorched his mouth. He tried to swallow. His stomach convulsed, sending the fluid back out. Retching, he ran to the sink, his body determined to get every last drop out of his system. When he immersed, he saw that his mother and father were gazing furiously at Mr. Gregory.
"What have you fed my son?" His father asked, his body shaking with fury.
"Dragon claw, Fluxweed, and Acromantula venom-" Gregory was cut off by Lyall.
"You tried topoison my son?" Lyall's face was contorted with anger.
Gregory smirked. "That's what I intended to do, and what would have happened, if he hadn't thrown it up! He is a monster, and he deserves nothing short of death."
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Lyall roared, pulling out his wand.
The wizard disapperated with a sharp cracking sound.
Lyall pointed outside to the garden.
"Go and play, Remus. Mummy and I need to talk."
Remus left the house. He squinted in the bright sunlight. He walked to the tall, metal fence that his parents had installed last summer. He put his hand over the flowers the sprouted on the edges. One daisy bloomed, then curled up, than bloomed again under his touch.
"What are you doing?"
Remus looked up to see a small boy, about his age, standing on the other side of the fence. Remus hadn't seen someone his own age in three years. He was forbidden to talk to other children. His parents were terrified that he would tell someone about his condition.
Remus didn't know what to do. He wanted badly to talk to this boy, but he knew that he shouldn't. He glanced backwards to the house. Through the glass, he could see his father gesturing towards the garden. He turned back to the boy.
"I'm making the flowers grow." He said, showing the boy the flower.
The boy looked fascinated.
"I'm Phillip. Who are you? I've never seen you at school before." He said.
"I'm Remus. You wouldn't see me at the school, because I don't go there. I'm homeschooled."
"Really? How peculiar." Phillip said, staring at Remus's hand.
Remus followed his gaze and saw that he was making the flower blossom and die at rapid speed.
"Remus? Who is that? Who are you talking to?" He heard his father's voice behind him.
Lyall turned the corner and saw Remus sitting by the fence with Phillip. All the color in his face drained.
"Remus, go inside immediately." He said in a shaky voice.
Remus got to his feet, confused.
"Why?" He said.
"Do as I say, Remus. Go inside." His father's voice was cold.
Dusting off his trousers as he went, he walked into the kitchen, his father right behind him.
"Remus, what did you tell him?" He heard his father say in a demanding voice.
"Nothing, he was just wondering why I can make the flowers blossom-" Remus was cut off by his father's yelp.
"Remus, go pack up your things. We're leaving." His father said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"But-"
"No, Remus. Go and pack. Now." Lyall waved his wand, and in the kitchen, he heard a thud as the silverware began to pack itself up.
Two hours later, the Lupin's house was bare. Every single piece of their lives had been crammed into boxes, which now filled their sitting room. Lyall placed an Undetectable Extension Charm on all the boxes, than put them into a knapsack.
Lyall grabbed Remus's hand, then linked arms with Hope. Turning on the point, they apperated.
Remus hated apperating. He loathed the feeling of being jammed into a small tube, with no air and no room to move. Just when he thought he couldn't possibly go any longer, that he would suffocate, he heard a small popping sound and was able to draw in great breaths.
He looked around. He was in an unfamiliar kitchen with his mother and father, who had already begun to unpack the knapsack. Remus ran to the window. With one glance, he knew that he was far, far away from his old home. Snow fell lightly on the ground, coating the plants.
"Mum, why did we leave?" He said, his nose pressed against the cold window. His breath fogged up the glass.
Hope Lupin shot a worried glance at her husband.
"It was too dangerous to stay. The boy you met, Phillip, already has too much information about us."
Remus's worst fears were confirmed. He was the reason they left. It was always his fault. He had been bitten, and now he could never make his parents happy.
Something occurred to Remus. Where would he transform in this strange house?
He got up from the window. He walked out of the sitting room and down a long hallway. At the end of the corridor was a tall metal door. He opened the door and went down the winding staircase. Remus unbolted a large wooden door and wrenched it open. He was horror-struck at what he saw.
He was in a spacious concrete room. There was one small window. He felt claustrophobic. He curled up in a tight ball on the floor, trying to control his nausea. He felt trapped.
Eh, not sure I like this chapter. I promise next one will be better.
xx
bandeall