Simple in the Moonlight

Part 3

He walked quickly down the hall glancing at the different wards on each door; they told him exactly where he needed to go. Four doors down there it was, marked quite clearly with the werewolf wards, the same ones that now covered Tonks' door.

With a low growl he pressed open the door and stepped into the dark room. His eyes took in the space, landing on a crumpled form on the bed. Slowly he walked over to it, horrible things he would do to this man, running through his head.

As he stood next to the crisp white sheets, he looked down at the figure and gasped. Fully expecting a ragged older man, someone looking like Greyback, it was a revolting shock to find a young man's face lying there.

He couldn't be older than fourteen. It was an innocent face with old eyes. As he looked into the young man's face he saw himself so many years ago. The boy was staring out his window blankly; his hands were twitching every so often. As Remus shifted his weight the young man's head slowly turned to him looking up at him with those same ice blue eyes, empty of emotion.

"You're her mate." His voice was tired and just as empty as his eyes. Remus felt a tug on his heart as he opened his mouth to answer. "I remember her smell. I could smell you."

He stared at the boy, on one hand he was still angry; this boy turned her, caused her to go through the pain he'd sheltered her from; on the other hand he was a boy, he'd been unconscious of what was going on, controlled by something not of himself.

"Are you here to kill me?"

Remus stepped back staring at the child in surprise.

"Its alright, I have a little sister, if one of us bit her I'd want to kill them too. And I'm ready…" The last words came out in a whisper as he closed his eyes and raised his head; opening his throat to Remus.

Remus stared at the child's neck, the pale yellow-white skin inviting him. The boy was shaking slightly; his hands were clenched in the cotton sheets, though his posture was strong. With a tender hand he rested it on the small clenched fist.

"I'm not going to kill you." Remus whispered to the boy staring at the child in amazement. The boy looked up at him with confusion, his ice blue eyes wet in the moonlight. "I won't lie and say I hadn't entertained the thought…but you're just as innocent a victim as she is…"

The two stared at one another for a long while before the boy turned his head again. All was quiet for a long while and Remus realized his hand was on the boy's, he pulled away and sighed. "What's your name?" He asked quietly.

The boy continued to look out the window but in his drained voice he whispered, "Lyall."

"Lyall…" Remus whispered as the young man continued to look out the window. "Lyall," he said louder and the young man turned to him, his eyes a bit wide. "Where did you get that scratch?" Remus pointed to the side of his face where some of the dirty blonde hair had fallen aside.

Lyall's hand slowly reached up to the fading jagged mark on his jaw. His long fingers lightly drawing down the scar, his eyes were dull as he concentrated on it. He almost caressed it for a few moments before he looked Remus directly in the eyes. "I did it."

Remus could see the surprise in the boy's eyes, and having been the cause of most of his own scars he gave him a sad comforting smile. "It's alright, we all do it…"

"No, I did it tonight."

Remus didn't quite understand, and the confusion must have been on his face, because Lyall turned towards Remus, his hands shaking furiously. "I was punishing myself for what I did. I i punished /i myself." Lyall grabbed Remus' hand looking scared and confused.

Remus looked amazed. "You what?"

"Punishment, it was punishment." A hardened sob held back in his throat, but his grip on Remus got tighter.

As the boy buried his face against his pillow Remus watched his form shake, trying to keep in the tears. It was then he finally understood.

This poor boy, no older then fourteen, understood more about what he'd done, than perhaps even Remus did. He'd become a sire to another, he'd passed on his curse and felt her in him, forever. He hurt himself, most likely in the midst of returning back to human form, to get her out, to relieve himself of his crime.

"Lyall…" Remus leaned over and rested his hand on his shoulder. "Lyall, I forgive you, forgive yourself."

Lyall's head shot up to look at Remus. "What?" His voice asked, scratchy and drained.

"Forgive yourself."

A sharp anger shot through his icy eyes. "Could you?" The blue eyes were clouded with shaken fury.

Remus averted his own gold eyes, "no…"

Lyall stared at him for a moment and then jerked away from him. "Get out." His voice was harder and colder than Remus had heard it all night; and he understood, with a sigh he walked away with tarry a look back. As the door shut behind him he heard a thud of skin against—he guessed—wall.

Slowly he walked back to Tonks' room; Arthur and Kingsley were outside the door. When they saw him, Kingsley began to stand up and Arthur walked towards him. Remus waved at them both and walked into her room without a word; he had a wife to comfort; with a new compassion in his heart.

I hope you enjoyed this, Lyall Woolfe, as he is named will be in other stories of mine, as after I created him he became a constant meddler of my thoughts. I love him as if he was real, and I won't ignore him, so expect more about him and what the two of them go through because of the development, later.

Please don't forget to comment!