Moony

Lupin Household
Ewole, Flintshire, Wales
10 March, 1970

Remus felt like his life was starting to become repetitive. Circling around the moon's will and the wolf's. In his spare time he walked around this house so he knew every nook and cranny, every spider web, and every moon he had ever endured.

So far he had gone through seventy-four moons; adding together the first moon and the two blue moons that happened. He hated the moon, but with nothing to do in their small house for so long he had to add up everything she did.

This brought the young werewolf back to the day at hand, he was ten today. Some tiny spark in him made him smile at that; a delusional part told him he was a year away from being able to learn spells and magic like his dad at Hogwarts.

The reasonable part told him otherwise and had many facts telling him why that was never going to happen.

One, the day he turned eleven was when he was supposed to go with his father to the Ministry and legally register as a werewolf. He would be marked as a child, but he was of legal age then; at seventeen is when he would be marked an adult. Not that his parents had told him that, but the conversation he had overheard still run in his ears.

The second point was that his father was already getting things ready to help tutor him in simple spells and enchantments. Lyall was prepared to give his son some education in the wizarding ways, while his mother still sat him down and homeschooled him in mathematics, literature, science, and history.

The third fact, he hadn't shown any signs that he had magic since before the bite. No accidental hair growth, or something flying to him, or him ending up in a weird place. There was nothing.

Remus feared that he had just, lost it all; that the wolf had taken away the thing that he was sure would make his father proud of him no matter what he was.

He frowned and rolled onto his side; staring around the darkness of his room. The ticking clock on the wall read 1: 13 am. He had been ten for an hour and thirteen minutes and he didn't feel any different, he just felt like he had survived one more year of a war zone, and fooled his parents into thinking that he was happy.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Remy~"

"Mum!"

"Happy birthday to you~"

Hope smiled wide as she planted a nice kiss on his cheek as she set the small cake down in front of him, the ten candles glowing brightly, waiting to be blown out by the boy in front of him. His mother smiling down at him.

"Now blow out the candles, and make a wish."

Her careful hands moved the hair from his face, tucking the bangs behind his ear.

Remus bites his lip, his mind racing for the perfect wish, a small piece of impossible that he could let himself have for as long as the candles burnt and dripped wax onto the icing. With a small nod, he leaned in and blew them out, watching as they all went out in one go.

I wish… I wish I could be normal. Just for a day.

He heard his mother clap and move to get the knife to cut the little cake.

"You better not tell that wish, it won't come true then."

"The likely hood of any wish coming true is pretty low already, mum. Especially that one."

Hope looked up at him, her eyes filled with a flash of sadness and pity before they brightened up again. She reached over and placed the cake in front of him.

"Don't be silly, that is the joy of birthday wishes, the almost always come true in time."

Remus looked at her for a moment, his eyes wide and a little frown on his face before his mouth turned up in one of his small shy smiles. He took a bite of his piece of cake; a second wish running through his head.

I wish dad could have been here today.

Lyall had cursed his luck, today of all days had to be the day that he needed to work overtime that everyone needed his help in some way. It was like they whole Ministry was against him getting home and celebrating his son's birthday.

He huffed a sigh and leaned back in his chair; running a hand over his face. His mind going over what he was going to tell his wife, and how he was going to have to make this up to his son.

Remus would just give him an almost sad smile and shrug it off; pretending it didn't hurt him that his father wasn't there but it really did. Hope would give him a talking to outside in the back yard, the only place they knew Remus wouldn't be able to overhear their conversation.

His eyes moved over to the clock, hopefully Remus would be getting ready for bed now, though Hope was probably letting him stay up and finish off the cake she made for the small party. It was all Remus could have, just his two parents, a present or two, and a cake.

Adding in as much love as they could give him.

A knock on his door tore him away from his thoughts and he shifted.

"Come in."

"Sir, I have the finale reports of the day. Two boggart attacks on muggles, all dealt with, a poltergeist had been reported in a muggle home and is being dealt with accordingly."

A young woman walked and sat a file down on Lyall's desk.

"They just want you to look over these and give advice the best course of action on how to deal with the poltergeist."

Lyall nodded and flicked through the paper's in the folder.

"Course, thank you Maria."

The woman left without another word as Lyall started what he hoped would be the last of his word for the day.

Lyall exited the floo network at around ten at night, heavy weight on his shoulders and the stinking knowledge that he would have to go back there tomorrow.

It was only Tuesday after all, and he still had the rest of the week to go.

Quietly he made his way out of the sitting room and into the kitchen, searching only for a bit of food and a drink. What he came across made him stop.

Remus was sitting on the floor, his eyes closed and breathing slow. He was in his pajamas, a blue jumper over the shirt, and two fuzzy socks on his feet. Right next to him sat a small plate, a slice of the marble cake sitting on it happily waiting for the person it was intended to be given to.

Carefully, Lyall kneeled down and picked up the cake, reaching up to set it on the counter. With gentle arms he picked up his son, cradling the ten year old's form close, as he stood up and carried him down the hall to his bedroom.

He opened the door carefully, moving into the darkened room to lay him down on the bed and pull up the covers. He stared at his child for a moment, moving the bangs out of his face and letting his eyes trace those scars that would forever mar his pale skin.

As Lyall moved away he felt a cold, small hand latch around his wrist.

"Dad?"

"I'm here buddy, I'm sorry I couldn't make it."

He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the still half asleep Remus, the child's grip on his wrist not loosening.

"You get your cake?"

Lyall gave a little laugh.

"Yes, I got my cake. Thank you for saving me some instead of eating it all."

Remus' eyes closed again, a yawn escaping the birthday boy.

"Wouldn't… wouldn't be fair if you didn't get any."

"Well, I thank you buddy, now you get some sleep."

Remus gave a little nod, his hand letting go of his father's wrist and curling up into his blankets. When his breath had slowed down again Lyall's smile slipped off his face and he sat somber in the presence of his son.

The boy who's main concern on his birthday, was that his father who hadn't been there all day got some cake.

"Happy Birthday, Remus."