Right, author's note... really, I don't know what's up with my sudden spurt of productivity recently. All I can say is that my muse is currently delighting in tormenting me with tiny scenes and ideas that I must then write about or go insane. The idea for this brief piece popped into my mind at an insane hour of the morning, waking me from a nice sleep. The song that is sung here is known as Suo Gan, and is an old, traditional Welsh lullaby that I have known since it was sung to me years ago. Please, be kind and leave reviews, as I would really appreciate knowing if anyone likes what I'm doing at all, or if I need to make changes - I absolutely love reviews, you know. Enjoy ~ Lone One.
A baby's cry broke the silence of the night, shattering the quiet that had spread over all of the sleeping occupants of the house. The woman woke quickly, sitting up with a quiet sigh. When would he sleep through the night? She looked at her husband - should she wake him, have him take care of the baby? No - he had to be at work early the next morning. She sighed again, and swung her legs over the side of the bed, flinching slightly at the shock of the cold floor on her bare feet. Stepping into her slippers, pulling a robe around her shoulders, she moved towards the baby's room.
"Ssshh, hush, love. Don't cry. It's all right." She scooped her son up into her arms, hushing his cries. "I'm here - you'll be fine. Ssshh." The baby continued to cry, but his sobs had faded a bit in volume; he always loved to be held, and that was usually enough to calm him when he woke at night. She thought he might be afraid of being alone. She understood.
Still cradling the baby, she moved to the window that looked out over the forest behind their house. It was early May, and the weather had finally turned warm. The garden behind the house was full of sweet-smelling flowers, while the small greenhouse in which she grew her magical plants, safe from the prying eyes of neighbors, was overflowing with new growth. The moon was very bright tonight, it's soft silver light illuminating the leaves on the trees, making the green areas look even darker than usual. It was a peaceful scene, and she felt herself relaxing as she stood there, rocking from side to side as she tried to soothe the baby.
It came naturally to her to sing to him the songs of her childhood. She had grown up hearing the very old lullabies; her own mother had sung her to sleep so many nights in words that she could not understand, the incomprehensible words lulling her to sleep. She sang now to the tiny boy still fussing in her arms; his eyes were wide open now, gazing up at her, their milky-blue color just starting to change - would they look like hers? No way to tell yet. Tears glistened on tiny cheeks, flushed by sleep and by crying, as little hands waved helplessly, striving to reach some unseen goal.
Huna blentyn ar fy mynwes, clyd a chynnes ydyw hon... The Welsh lullaby softly filled the room, and the baby's sobs faded further, becoming little more than ragged breaths. As she sang the old song, she thought of the words, and how they expressed exactly what she wished to reassure her child of. Sleep, my child upon my breast, where it is snug and warm, Mother's arms are tight around you, her heart full of mother's love... She had thought she had known what it was to love; she certainly loved her husband, but until she became a mother, she did not know how deeply her heart could cherish the love for another. For her child, she would gladly give her life, though she hoped it would not be needed. Still, these were rather dark times, and they all knew what it was to fear for their lives, to lose loved ones to dark forces. Not this one, though.
Ni chaiff fim amharu'th gyntun, ni wna undyn a thi gam - Nothing will break your slumber, no one will do you wrong, sleep peacefully, dear child... The soft sobs had stopped, and he was nearly asleep again. It always worked for this little boy; only three months old, but sometimes he seemed far too old for his age, looking solemnly at her with his wide eyes. However, he would always break the spell he seemed to cast by smiling gleefully at her, something he had begun to do far earlier than most children - you do have a mischievous streak, don't you love? And won't you be a terror at Hogwarts? But never unkind, never unfair - not my precious boy. She could imagine him at the school, a miniature version of his father, doing all of the things that she and he had done, and loving it. She never doubted he would be a wizard.
Hun'n dawel, heno huna, huna'n fwyn y tlws ei lun, pam yr wyt yn awr yn gwenu, gwenu'n dirion yn dy hun? Sleep fair o beautiful one, why do you smile now, smile so sweetly in your sleep? As if he understood the words she sang to him, he did smile, sleepily, as his eyes began to close. His face was peaceful now, the lines of care that had appeared as he cried having been smoothed away. She gently brushed at his soft hair with one hand, marveling again at the silky texture and sweet smell. His head was so small, and her hand looked huge resting upon it. So small, so helpless - and it was such a huge, frightening world out there. She instinctively cuddled him closer as she looked out the window again.
Paid ag ofni, ton fach ddiddig, sua sua ar lan y mor. Huna blentyn, nid oes yma, ddim I roddi iti gam... Do not fear, only a contented wave whispers on the sea shore. Sleep my child, there is nothing here to do you wrong... The scene outside the window, which had looked so peaceful and inviting a few moments ago, suddenly looked sinister. The shadows loomed under the trees, dark and threatening, and she might have sworn she heard a wolf howl, somewhere in the darkness. Clouds were drifting in front of the moon, further obscuring the light - so much could hide in the darkness, so much that might threaten the precious life she held in her arms.
And what would she do if anything ever happened to him? She could not bear to think of him dead or injured in any way...he was asleep now, but she found herself strangely unwilling to put him back in his bed. As long as she held him close to her, she could protect him from any danger that might lurk in the dark. But someday, she thought desperately, she was going to have to let him go. She had seen the older children play in the forest, and knew that their mothers must share the same fears that she did. Two of the neighbor children, dark haired and noisy, barely walking, tried all the time to wander into the forest together. It was a frightening place, but she could not hold her son back forever.
She shook herself nervously. Why was she so certain, all of a sudden, that something bad was in the forest, something that might hurt her child? It was a premonition of some sort, most likely - though she had not taken Divination very seriously at school, she recognized that these things did happen sometimes. I'll always be here for you, love, no matter what. Your father and I will always be ready to help you, and to protect you for as long as we can. Now he was truly asleep, and she had to laugh at herself. Nothing was going to happen to her precious boy; he was perfect and wonderful, and nothing would change that. He would have a brilliant career at Hogwarts, and he would be loved by most everyone he met. She could already tell that he was uncommonly bright - he would be brilliant. His life was going to be wonderful.
She placed him in his bed carefully, and he sighed, but did not wake. He lay still, and she stroked his head again, lightly, still unwilling to pull away from his side. "You'll be wonderful, love. Life will be wonderful for you." If only she could believe it... "Goodnight, my precious boy. Sleep now - nothing to fear." She finally made herself move away from the bed, towards the open door; she paused again in the doorway, restraining the urge to rush back and snatch him up and cradle him again. Nothing to fear...life will be good to him, this precious one... Her hand rested on the door knob, ready to pull it shut behind her as she left. "Sleep well, my darling - my Remus."