Okay, I admit, I'm behind. But I never, ever expected to get this many reviews! Thanks a ton to everyone who reviewed, you're the best!

TelepathicPrincess – My faithful reviewer! I don't know about Waif Werewolf. It sounds too Lemony Snicketish, and less Harry Potter. Thanks for reviewing once again, and here's the long-awaited update!

PrincessMia737- Well, the update didn't come really, really soon, but it did come eventually… so sorry. I finally found my notebook! It was on a shelf in my house. Grrr. I wish I had found it sooner.

Deb-lil- I love new reviewers! Thanks for all the compliments. I'm hoping this story turns out alright, because it's very fragmented at the moment… here's your update!

moviegal3492- Thanks so much for reviewing! I'll tell my sister you told her to write more poems. I keep on insisting she should, but she never does. She did have an Umbridge one for a while… maybe I can convince her to finish it!

A/N: This is by far my favorite chapter up to now. I really like the scene and everything… yeah, okay, I'll stop being annoying and let you get on with it! I STILL NEED A NEW TITLE! Suggestions appreciated.

Disclaimer: I hate writing these, but they're necessary. I don't own Harry Potter, the books, movies, or anything except for the evil notebook that I write in that keeps getting lost…

"My transformations in those days were- were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf." –Remus Lupin, POA

Remus came home the next day. His parents didn't say a word as they signed out, or when they threw floo powder into the flames and traveled back to their house. Remus didn't push them for answers to his questions, but he was curious and did not understand the complications of the tragedy.

The days passed by, and Remus stayed home 'sick' from school.

"But mum, I don't feel sick. I'm okay. I wanna play with my friends!"

"Honey…" Mrs. Lupin sighed for the hundredth time and tried to give him an explanation. "Well… dear…. Oh…." Mrs. Lupin put a hand to her aching forehead and drudged over to her bedroom.

Mr. and Mrs. Lupin began to panic as the full moon approached.

"Where do we put him?" Mrs. Lupin asked her husband in a shaky voice. She had become a nervous wreck, breaking plates and shattering glasses; her knitting had become a tangled knot from her constant breakdowns. The Lupins had looked at the problem from as many angles as they could, but even after their brains felt like wrung sponges, they had absolutely no idea what to do with their son. If he stayed inside of his bedroom, he could destroy it. Outdoors was out of the question.

"I can see it now, the headline in the muggle newspaper: CRAZY BOY TERRORIZES VILLAGE. What do we do John?"

Mr. Lupin scratched his chin. "What about the cellar? If we remove some things…"

"No." Anastasia glared at her husband coldly. "The preservatives are all in glass containers, and if he breaks one…"

"Well, we could always move the preserve-" Mr. Lupin froze in mid-sentence with one look at his wife's face.

"You know why we can't move those."

Mr. Lupin sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. He walked to the window and looked out unto the moonlit landscape.

"It may not be as bad as we think. Perhaps he will be harmless…" Mr. Lupin tried to sound reassuring, but he didn't believe the words himself.

"Perhaps." Mrs.Lupin's lower lip trembled.

Mr. Lupin remained gazing out the window, but his wife retreated into their bedroom. She quietly opened the door to what had once been her closet, but now held her sleeping son. Mr. Lupin joined his wife, and they looked down upon the innocent boy, forcing themselves to believe he would still be this way when his hair grew longer, and his teeth became sharp.

"His room will do," Mr. Lupin whispered, "we can remove any valuables, just in case."

Mrs. Lupin nodded. "Of course, just in case."

Remus laughed merrily as he picked up the little white knight and watched it struggle in his hand.

"Remus! Don't touch your father's chess set!" Mrs. Lupin glanced at her son as she washed dishes (by hand, as she refused to let her husband clean them using magic).

"But mummy, look at all the funny little men!" Remus protested as the knight brandished a tiny stone fist at him. The chess set was in fairly good shape, despite the fact it had been handed down for generations within the Lupin family. Remus didn't know how to play, but he liked to push the pieces around the checkered board.

Mr. Lupin walked into the room and chuckled at the sight of Remus and his old chess set.

"Remus, that's not how you play wizard's chess," he said, with an amused smile on his face.

"I know," Remus said, without looking up, "but its fun to play with."

"Do you want me to teach you?"

The young boy's face lit up. "Yes, please!"

Remus listened closely as his father explained the rules of chess, and once he fully understood, they began to play. At first Remus only ordered pawns across the board, but soon his bishops and castles were advancing cautiously into the forest of black pieces across the checkered field. Mr. Lupin was more familiar with the chessmen, and they obeyed his every command without question. He had the upper hand the entire game, although Remus presented a challenge to his skill. The lonely boy had finally found something that interested him, so he invested all of his heart, soul, and willpower into winning. Mrs. Lupin watched them fondly as she dried the dishes, wishing the happiness could last all night.

Soon Remus began yawning and rubbing his eyes sleepily. Mrs. Lupin started to usher him to bed, but her husband held up his hand and she stopped.

"He deserves to stay up, just a bit longer. Its not like he'll get much sleep anyway." Mr. Lupin said it under his breath, trying in vain to shield his son from the words.

"Mum? What's happening tonight? Why won't I sleep?" Remus asked drowsily.

"Honey, do you remember what we told you in the hospital, and what the healers said?" Mrs. Lupin spoke deliberately slowly.

"Er…about werewolves?" Remus didn't notice his parents flinch as he uttered the word.

"Yes. Tonight is the full moon, Remus. Do you understand what that means?" Mrs. Lupin tried hard to keep her voice even.

"Means that monsters come out." Remus said quietly, as he remembered last month.

"We're going to lock you in your room," Mr. Lupin told his son. Seeing the alarmed look on his face, Mr. Lupin quickly added, "Don't worry, we'll be outside watching over you the whole night.

"But daddy, don't you want to go to sleep?" Remus asked, clearly puzzled.

Mrs. Lupin's eyes began to water and she angrily wiped them so Remus wouldn't see.

"He doesn't understand John. What do we do?"

Remus turned from parent to parent, the same quizzical look on his face.

Mr. Lupin sighed and bent over so he was level with his son.

"Remus… when you were bitten, what did we tell you?"

"I'm a werewolf now!" Remus chimed, as if he were a clock on the wall, and not a sleepy little boy.

At this Mrs. Lupin let out a choked sob and ran towards her room.

"Daddy? Why is mum crying? I don't understand daddy…"

Mr. Lupin silenced his son with a finger to his lips. "Come on, we have to go beddy-bye now."

Remus pouted and put his hands on his hips in an uncanny impression of his mother. "I'm not a baby-waby anymore, daddy." He let himself be herded into his bedroom all the same. Remus' 'bedroom'; really a closet in his parent's room, was tiny, but he loved it. The first thing he noticed as he stepped inside was that all his toys had disappeared.

"Where-" But Remus never finished his sentence. He felt odd, as if worms were wriggling around inside his stomach, a sensation he only recalled experiencing once before, right after he had realized his sister was gone forever. He took a few faltering steps towards the bed, and as he sat down his parents both appeared in the doorway. His mother walked over and kissed his forehead.

"Don't worry, "she said, "We'll be watching you the whole time. And remember Remus, whatever happens, we still love you."

Remus wanted to tell his parents that he loved them too, but his throat was all scratchy. The world began to get blurry and disproportionate, as if he were looking through a warped pair of eyeglasses. As if from another world, Remus saw the door shut. The worms inside his stomach suddenly felt like snakes, thrashing around like mad…

As the full moon began to rise in the sky, convulsions seized the little boy's body and he began to thrash around on the bed.

What's happening to me? Remus felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and his face felt as if it was stretching out like taffy.

"Mum? What's going on? DAD?" Remus began to panic as he felt the hair on his arms and head begin to grow…

Remus began to scream, and he was terrified to hear the sound of his voice begin to change into a growling yell…

The werewolf was gaining control.

"HELP ME!" Remus cried desperately as he dropped down unto all fours. "PLEASE!" He shook violently as his fingernails elongated and the transformation was complete. Remus Lupin no longer had a grip on reality. He was unable to speak, and the monster had absolute control over his wolfish body.

The wolf sniffed the enclosed space it was trapped inside, searching for humans… Reaching the bed, the werewolf smelled the little boy. It viciously ripped the sheets into small threads and tore the pillow until feathers filled the air, slowly floating back to earth. Finding nothing to bite, it threw his its shaggy head back in frustration and howled. Where is it? I can smell it...THERE! The wolf began to tear into its own skin, satisfied as blood appeared. But it wasn't a human's… it needed MORE!

Mr. and Mrs. Lupin sat outside in silence as they listened to their son's pleas. Their faces pale, the parents looked at each other, the same thoughts in their minds: He's dying…he's dying and I can't do anything…

"Open the door!" Mrs. Lupin screeched as she heard the pillow being torn apart inside the room.

"We can't! You know we can't Anastasia!" Mr. Lupin yelled mournfully.

"Yes we can! He'll kill himself!"

"If we open the door, he'll kill us." Mr. Lupin said grimly as he grabbed his wife's hand. "He can fight it out. Mind over matter Remus!"

The creature inside responded by slashing the door with its long claws. Remus' parents jumped up in alarm.

It could sense them…on the other side! If it could only get through and reach them… The werewolf let out a ferocious snarl and hurled itself at the door again. The wood was beginning to splinter, and it was rattling on the hinges.

"Let's go!" Mr. Lupin called to his wife as he began to run.

"NO! We can't just leave him here!" Mrs. Lupin braced herself against the door to prevent the monster from escaping.

"Ann, we have to leave," said Mr. Lupin, "Don't be crazy! We can't stop him!"

"HE'S STILL REMUS!" Mrs. Lupin began to cry. "HE'S STILL OUR SON!"

Mr. Lupin pointed at the door furiously. "LISTEN! LISTEN TO THAT! THAT'S NOT OUR LITTLE BOY! THAT'S A MONSTER!" Now he was crying too.

The wolf let out another snarl, and before either adult could react, the door fell apart and the creature burst into the room.

At first the werewolf was in shock, but soon it regained its bearings and began to creep forwards. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin stood as still as if they were in the full-body bind.

Breathing heavily, the animal licked its lips and circled the parents.

Mr. Lupin turned his head ever so slightly and whispered to his wife, "I can stun him."

He carefully pulled out his wand. Mrs. Lupin shook her head, causing the tears running down her cheeks to splash down unto the carpet. "He's still Remus," she repeated quietly, "I can't let my son be hurt."

The werewolf sprung. Mr. Lupin lifted his wand, only to feel it being pulled back down by his wife's hand. He shook her off and cried, "STUPEFY!"

The wolf fell to the ground, unconscious. Mrs. Lupin staggered back and gazed at her husband like she had never seen him before. "You…you…"

Mr. Lupin breathed a sigh of relief; then turned to face his shocked wife. "Ann…"

Before he could respond, both adults turned as they heard a low growl from nearby.

The wolf got to its feet, shaken but not defeated. It jumped.

"REMUS!" Mr. Lupin bellowed as the creature fell short and landed a few feet in front of him. "Remus Lupin! It's me, your father! Your daddy! Please Remus, remember me?"

The wolf regarded its prey with new curiosity, but the fathomless eyes remained dark and wild.

"Please!" Mrs. Lupin cried. But the predator was done stalking its meal. It wanted to attack.

"RUN!" Mr. Lupin yelled. The two humans bolted out of their room and into the hall. They slammed the door shut behind them, but the rotting wood wouldn't hold for long.

"What now?" Mrs. Lupin said, panicking.

"Find something to bar the door!" Mr. Lupin was already searching the hallway as he spoke. "I left my wand in the other room!"

"Here!" Mrs. Lupin dragged a heavy oak dresser into her husband's view.

Mr. Lupin pushed the dresser and moved it directly in front of the entryway. The thing that had once been an innocent little boy still smashed its exhausted body against it. Splinters of wood filled the air, but the parents were relieved to see it hold. Splashes of blood stained the sharp wood as it cut into the monster's skin. Soon its attempts to break down the door were feeble, and the werewolf lay down on the carpet, panting.

"Remus?" Mrs. Lupin asked quietly as she crept towards the door on tiptoe. A low growl issued from the other side. Taking a step back, the creature's mother huddled with her spouse in a corner and buried her face in his arms. The werewolf gave up the hunt and decided to find new prey. I can smell it…

The full moon high in the sky, Remus' parents sat together in the corner and wept as they listened to their son tear himself apart. Even thought the night was fairly short, it seemed like an eternity for the Lupin family. Finally, as the moon slipped below the horizon, the howls ceased and Mr. and Mrs. Lupin could hear their son's pitiful moans beyond the door.

Remus collapsed in a heap. The nightmare was finally over.

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A/N: Yay! Finally done! It only took forever to type! Sorry it took so long everyone. Review! Please!