CHAPTER FOUR

Of Chains and Teddys

The young boy sobbed once, and leaving the Merlin be damned contract on the the table he bolted for his bedroom, before flinging himself onto the bed he opened the door of the large built in wardrobe and climbed the bottom shelf to reach a dusty, fluffy object on the top shelf. He shook the large teddy bear and cuddled it tightly before launching himself onto the bed and crying his little heart out. The boy's sobs were punctuated with a fair few sneezes from the dust of his teddy bear.

"Cub," he whined at the bear. "They think I'm an animal, Cub they're going to kill me when I'm at school."

The bear didn't offer any advice, but the boy still hugged it tightly as he spoke.

"I'm not an animal. And being a w...thing isn't my fault." He argued the silent teddy.

"I don't feel like I'm lucky at all. Sometimes I think it would be much better if Greyback had eaten me." Remus said. Whatever the bear said back in the child's mind seemed to comfort him a little. And he could hear footsteps on the stairs. He looked at the bear and picked it up, getting off his bed and heading back to the cupboard.

"I have to put you away, Cub, you know I do, Pa says I'm too old for babies toys." He climbed the shelves in his wardrobe again and stuffed the large bear away, out of sight. "I'm sorry Cub," he called before climbing back into bed as his mother opened the door to his bedroom.

It was odd, her being there, she never came into this room, only his father, when he brought him his meals after the full moon. His mother actually spent more time in his second bedroom which was odd, because she would never come anywhere near Remus the day of or the day after the full moon.

"Are you okay Remmy, what that lady said about you was wrong, you know that?"

He nodded, but he wasn't any more cheerful than previously.

"They will still kill me, I know it. I can't follow all those rules all the time, I can't help it. Sometimes I mess up. I don't mean too but sometimes-"

She shushed him.

"It will be fine Remmy. Trust me." She said from the doorway. She took two steps into the room and left the contract on his desk. "Do you feel like lunch?"

Remus shook his head, glaring at the rolled up piece of parchment and she left his room, shutting the door behind her.

Remus rubbed his shoulder which was still sore, rubbing it didn't help, a large bruise covered his shoulder and part of his chest he climbed down from his bed and went to his desk pulling out a leather covered brown book and a quill and ink, then he sat on his desk expertly balanced the inkwell on one knee and the book on the other and flipped through the pages.

He drew things that he remembered from werewolf nights usually, he didn't know what the wolf actually looked like, he copied pictures from the dark creature books his father kept in the bookcase in the hallway.

This time he drew his fears, which happened on occasion. There was a faceless crowd surrounding a little drawing of himself. Pointing and laughing. The toad lady had stepped forward from the crowd with the shotgun that was mounted above his parents bed. It was obvious, even in the ten year olds still crude drawing style what would happen next. He went to his little desk and grabbed his child's wand, crawling back on the bed and looking at the picture. "Pictura movere" he said. The spell hit the picture and it began to move. It wasn't smooth like when his father cast the spell, the image was a little blurry, but the toad lady fired the gun and little Remus was blown to pieces.

He slammed the book shut and looked up at the sound of the front door slamming shut.

"Remus!" His father called. Remus picked up his wand and went downstairs. Remembering the man's fury from this morning he was considerably more reserved as he said "Hello Pa."

"A short lesson today, Remus. Before dinner." Lyall said, taking his usual seat at the kitchen table. Remus joined him.

"What are we doing today Pa?" The boy asked his father. Lyall leaned forwards.

"I want you to learn how to conjure chains." He said, "just in case you need them."

"Oh," Remus said, disappointed. He usually enjoyed his magic lessons with his father. But he knew he would struggle with this. He always struggled with conjurations.

"The incantation is ligaraunicus, and the wand movement," Lyall paused to show Remus how to flick his wand. "So, ligaraunicus!" Lyall cast with a flick of his wand towards Remus, thick iron chains leapt forth and wrapped around the eleven year old boy. Remus cried out in shock, the chains dug into his sore shoulder and snapped his arms to his side.

"Pa!" He said, pleading to be released. Lyall smiled, "that's what you're trying to do, Remus." He said, acting once more like a teacher. Hope walked into the room then, shock on her face at seeing her son all chained up, she looked as though she wanted to say something but stayed quiet.

The chains dropped with another flick of the older man's wand and Remus stepped away from him, Lyall gave his son a stern look.

"Come on Remus, this is something you need to learn, before you go to school." Lyall pressed. Remus gripped his wand tighter. "So," Lyall continued, "Practice your incantation first." He reminded, Remus nodded. "L-l-ligaraunicus,"Remus repeated, "ligaraunicus."

"Good," Lyall said, and demonstrated the wand movement again. Remus tried the movement. "Sharper," Lyall said, "And faster."

He moved his wrist once more, like an eight, like a link of a chain.

"Now," Lyall said, motioning his hands towards Remus, pointing out that Remus was the target here. "Try it," He said, shifting in his seat slightly. Remus nodded, and swallowed nervously, pointing the tip of his wand at himself. "l-ligaraunicus," the boy stuttered, there was a spark and the chains, thin chains, made of - of all things- silver launched against his chest before crumbling to dust. Remus dropped his wand stepping back and coughing.

"Excellent!" Lyall said, ignoring the coughs of his son and vanishing the dust. "Very well done son, try again."

Hope stepped forward as though she would stop it but the woman obviously changed her mind and took leave of the room, leaving Remus to try again and again, he made little to no progress, the chains stopped crumbling but then he could break through them, they burned where he touched his skin or were too short or not tight enough.

Lyall still looked pleased though. He clapped his son on the shoulder.

"Good, good," he muttered, "Go and clean up for dinner, Remus, you did very well today. Don't forget to practice."

Remus nodded and ran upstairs full speed. he coughed again and held his still sore shoulder. His eyes stung and his chest felt tight. Hope met him in his bedroom, her asthma inhaler in hand.

"Here Remmy, it should help a little with the dust." She said, he took the inhaler, the oddly plesant taste of the muggle medicine crashing against his tongue.

"Thank you mum." Remus said to her, and she nodded, then made her way to the door. "Dinner in fifteen, okay?" she reminded him and he nodded. going to the bathroom to wash his hands and face. He went to the kitchen to wait for dinner, noticing the table hadn't been set yet and he took the task upon himself, Lyall was reading the daily prophet, a cigar in his mouth. He didn't smoke very often, he must have had a very good day or a fairly bad one.

"I think, Remus this weekend we can go to Diagon Alley for your school things?" Lyall said, flicking the newspaper so it was straight and then folding it as Hope brought their dinner over. Steak again, mash and gravy.

Remus sliced his open, the inside was still pink.

"Shit, they're not done," Hope said, standing and scooping up her plate. "Lyall?" She asked, he shook his head. "Mine is fine dear, well done in fact. just how I like it."

"Mine too." Remus lied, even though his own steak was still bloody in the center.

"That's odd," Hope said putting her own meat back on the fryer. "They must have still been a little frozen in the center."

"So you're going to take me to Diagon Alley Pa?" Remus asked. Lyall nodded.

"I was just going to pick them up for you, but I guess you can pick your things." Lyall said, "And you need to have your uniform fitted."

"Is Mum coming?" Remus asked, Hope nodded from her place across the kitchen.

"You bet Remus." She said with a smile, plating up her dinner again and sitting back at the table.

The rest of dinner was spent with his father telling them all about his exciting day at work. Then the little family watched the news together before Remus was sent to bed. The moonlight shone through the window, the waxing gibbous moon flooding him with a sense of relief. He did cross off today on his calender, he'd forgotten it this morning. Before changing into his pyjamas careful of his still hurting shoulder and climbing into bed. Today had been a rough day, a very rough day for Remus and he was very tired and sore and more than a little upset. He laid there for a moment, then a long while before crawling out of bed and back to his cupboard, he pulled his teddy, Cub, out off of the wardrobe. He crawled back into bed with Cub in tow and with the teddy by his side fell asleep quickly.