Written for:
Chocolate Frog Challenge: Carlotta Pinkstone - Incorporate a Muggle knowing about wizards/witches and magic in your story.
Writing Bingo: Lyall Lupin
Gringotts Prompt Bank: Jasmine Cooper (OC Name, Bonus), Moist (Bonus), "It's all true. The bogeyman is real and you found him." - Otis, House of 1,000 Corpses, Spiderplant, He hadn't meant to scare the child. (first line).
Words: 503


Angering The Bogeyman

He hadn't meant to scare the child. He'd meant to give a warning, yes, but he didn't expect the child to run inside to her mother crying. He rolled his eyes and did the grown-up thing, going to knock on the door to speak to her mother.

Five minutes later, he found himself sat on a sofa in a cluttered, homely living room with a cup of tea and a slice of cake, staring at a spider plant that could do with a pruning. Only in England, he thought, could you make a child cry and be offered afternoon tea for the trouble.

The little girl sat on her mother's knee, staring at Lyall as if he was the worst person in the world. It made him rather uncomfortable. But the tea was warm and the cake was moist, so he supposed the situation had its positives.

Jasmine Cooper put her tea down on the table and Lyall copied her, assuming he would have to start talking now. She fixed him with her beady blue eyes

"So, Mr Lupin, would you care to explain what my daughter was crying about?" she asked, face stern but polite.

"I'm terribly sorry about that. I was only trying to warn her," Lyall explained.

"About what?" Jasmine prompted.

Lyall sighed. He would have to give the full story, he knew. There was no getting a half-truth past Jasmine Cooper.

"There's danger out there. I… I upset the wrong person. A dangerous person. I have reason to believe he's coming for me. But he won't attack me… he'll come for my son. It's what he does. I'm worried that if he's not around, and your daughter is… she'll get caught up in the crossfire," Lyall admitted, stumbling over his words.

"What will he do?" Jasmine asked without a moment's hesitation.

Lyall took a sip from his tea as he thought about how to answer. There was no easy way. "He'll turn her into a monster. There's no easy way to explain it, but she won't be herself anymore. There'll be… complications."

Jasmine frowned. She knew he hadn't told her the full story, that was clear, but the look in her eyes… Lyall didn't think she wanted to know the truth.

"Explain," she asked, although it was more of an order.

"He's a werewolf, Jasmine. Everything I've told you; everything you laughed off - it's real, Jasmine, and it's dangerous, sometimes. Like now. The werewolf's fate is not pretty. Please understand," he begged.

She turned a shade of magnolia that matched the wall behind her.

"It's all true. The bogeyman is real and you found him. And you angered him. Now we have to suffer for that?" she asked, trying to understand.

"I'm sorry, Jasmine. I know it's my fault. I'm just trying to keep you safe," he told her.

She nodded in understanding. "You can go now."

Lyall sighed once more. He supposed he'd just lost a friend, but she'd heard him at least. That was better than nothing.