Written for the house competition
House: Ravenclaw
Category: Drabble
Prompt: Folder
WC: 516
Lyall looked up as Remus burst into the house and ran upstairs to his room. Setting aside the Daily Prophet, he followed him upstairs. Remus' bedroom door was shut and Lyall could hear light sobbing through the door. He knocked lightly and immediately the sobbing stopped. Lyall heard a slight scuffling from inside the room and Remus opened the door before running back to his bed, and hiding his left arm behind his back.
"Remus, what's wrong?" Lyall asked.
"Nothing," Remus said, using his right hand to rub the tears from his eyes.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Lyall said. He leaned against the doorframe.
Remus nodded. "I was down by the beach and there was another young wizard and he wanted to play, but I didn't want to so he grabbed my arm and saw my scars and then he pushed me," he said, still trying not to cry.
"Are you hurt?" Lyall asked. Remus began to shake his head, but stopped and slowly nodded. He pulled his arm from behind his back as Lyall approached.
Along the back of his arm was a scratch, not a very deep one, but deep enough to bleed. Remus stared at his lap as Lyall used his wand to clean the scratch and heal it. When Lyall was done Remus drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.
"What's wrong?" Lyall asked, crouching down to look Remus in the eyes. Remus turned his head and shrugged. "Remus, I can't help you if you don't say what's wrong."
It was several moments before Remus finally answered. "Am I a beast, Daddy?" he asked.
Lyall's brow furrowed. "Of course not, why would you think that?"
Remus crawled over to his pillow and pulled a folder out from under it. He held it out, and Lyall took it. Immediately he recognized it as the folder that held Remus' documents from the Ministry of Magic. Remus reached over and opened the file to the last page and pointed to the red stamp that marked the document as from the Beasts division of the Ministry.
"The ministry's wrong, you're not a beast, don't ever believe anyone that says otherwise," Lyall said earnestly.
Remus continued staring at the folder, and Lyall's heart sank. How could he make his son believe something that he himself only stated believing a year ago? It would be impossible.
"Tad," Remus said, "can you please go back downstairs?"
Lyall felt like he had been punched in the gut. "Of course," he said, standing up slowly. He turned and started towards the hallway. When he reached the door he stopped and turned around. "You're not a monster, Remus. You're my son, and I love you. Nothing can change that, especially not the Ministry. Okay?"
Lyall walked up to his son and gently embraced him. Remus didn't move and Lyall let go. He was partially down the stairs when he heard Remus' door shut. Lyall turned and his heart sank as regret for what had happened flooded him. It was all his fault.