Prelude
Life isn't fair, and for some in the world, they'll suffer more than those around them. Sometimes people are very unlucky, and that was the case of Remus Lupin. When he was just a mere four years old, his life was altered for the worst.
Fenrir Greyback was a savage and evil werewolf; he and his gang had made it their mission to infect as many people as they could with lycanthropy. However, Fenrir's specialty was children. He took pleasure in destroying the lives of young children. He set his target on the young Remus Lupin. After his father, Lyall said that all werewolves deserve death. From that moment, Lyall had signed his son's fate. Fenrir had managed to enter their house while the young Lupin slept. He bit the sleeping child, and perhaps he would've done more had Lyall not used powerful spells to drive him away. It had been too late. His son was now a werewolf.
From that day onward, Remus felt like a monster. He didn't understand why it had to be him, and his parent's never explained it. His father had been racked with guilt; if he had kept his mouth shut, then maybe his wonderful child would've been spared from the cruel disease. From that moment, his parents guarded him the best they could. They wanted him to have a normal childhood but were fiercely protective of their young son.
All Remus wanted to do was play with friends; he was so young. But those that had been his friends turned away from him. The ones in the wizarding world knew, and the muggle children didn't want to go near the pale child with scares and bruises. His parents could do nothing but watch their child's life unfold in front of them. Their rambunctious boy had become more withdrawn. They worried if he'd be able to make friends, and if he did, wouldn't they think it was strange when he disappeared every month around the full moon? Eventually, he had a very lonely life. He was laughed at by children his age. However, that changed one Sunday afternoon when he was seven years old.
One cloudy Sunday morning in October, as he sat on top of the monkey bars deep in thought, he felt a presence beside him. He was startled by how close the person was to him. The children in the playground tended to avoid him, but not today. When Remus finally looked at the figure beside him. He saw a messy-haired girl with a big grin on her face. Her dress was a little dirty from playing, and her hair disheveled. He was taken aback by the girl's broad smile; no one had smiled at him like that since before that fateful night. She stuck her hand towards him with enthusiasm, "My name is Lizzie! What's yours?" she beamed. Remus couldn't help but smile, at the vibrant girl beside him, "Remus." He replied. "That's such a cool name. I don't like my name, so I go by Lizzie." The girl replied, vigorously shaking his hands. He couldn't help but laugh; he felt happier than he had in a long time.
The girl stopped smiling as she looked at his face; Remus tensed; he expected her to question him, or worse, run away. Suddenly she reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a plaster. She opened it up and placed it on his cheek where a mark from his previous transformation lay, not completely healed. "There, all better! I always carry plasters with me in case I hurt myself playing. You should carry some too, that's what my mummy says." The young girl pulled a handful of crumpled plasters from her pocket and pushed them into Remus's chest. There must've been more than 15 of them. Remus couldn't help but smile back at her. This was one of the few times that someone hadn't been rude about the scars that covered his hands and parts of his face. The girl looked at the scar on his jaw. She touched it, and Remus took a sharp breath. "You look like a superhero. My daddy has scars like this too. I think he's like a superhero." He touched that scar. He'd never thought of it like that. To him, they were a painful reminder of what he was.
For the rest of the morning, they played together, swinging together or chasing each other. Remus observed how carefree Lizzie was; she didn't care if her dress got dirty or fell over and hurt herself. She'd pick herself up, smack a plaster on and keep going. She was just alive. Her contagious laughter attracted the children around her, and for one day, Remus was just like the other kids. He didn't feel judged. Remus just had fun. The other boys played with him as if they didn't care at all. He was one of the boys.
His mother looked on in pure delight, she had been worried when she saw the girl examining his face, but it melted away when she saw the girl's sweet gesture. A lady stood beside her, "Is that your little boy?" the woman asked. Hope nodded, "Is that your little girl?" The woman beside her smiled and nodded. The two women struck up a conversation about their kids, "You know my boy doesn't have many friends; I haven't seen him this happy in so long." Hope spoke quietly; she panicked for a second wondering if the woman, Mary, would enquire further. The women let out a soft chuckle, "Well he's certainly caught the attention of my little girl…She loves to make friends." Hope smiled as she watched the two children play on the monkey bars, pretending they were monkeys. Hope hadn't seen her boy laugh this much in so long. She suddenly felt nervous; maybe, just maybe, she could ask Mary if they could make playdates for the kids. She just wanted her boy to have a close friend. "Would you mind if our kids played every week?" Hope spoke, her voice almost a whisper. Mary smiled at her, "I think both the kids would love that." With that, Hope had secured her son, his first friend.
Eventually, it was time for him to go. His mother was calling his name. He walked up to Lizzie, who was laughing and running around, "Hey Lizzie, I've to go." She stopped running and hugged him. She was such a carefree girl. "See you next time." She smiled. As he was leaving, Lizzie called out to him; she ran up and grabbed his shoulder, grabbing the rest of the plasters from her pockets. "You should always carry them with you, okay?" Remus nodded and waved goodbye.
They continued to see each other in the playground for the next few months. Not only had the children grown close but so had the mothers. However, one sunny morning in June, both Mary and her daughter arrived, looking a little melancholy. The group set up a little picnic to eat breakfast together. Remus saw how quiet and sad Lizzie was looking. "Lizzie, what's wrong?" the girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "Daddy got a new job in Ireland, we're moving there in two weeks." She replied, tears running down her face as she tried to rub them away.
Both Remus and his mother looked lost. Then Remus started to cry, holding onto her, "Please don't go." He sobbed. The mothers left the two alone; they needed to talk. Remus was devested. He didn't want to lose his best friend. Eventually, the two stopped crying, and Remus stood up. "I guess since we don't have much more time together since I can't come next week. So I guess we've got to make today count." He extended his hand to her, and she accepted; the two made their way over to the play with the other kids. The mother decided to spend the whole day together; they couldn't bear to separate them.
The day was ending, and the families had just finished dinner; they gathered outside the restaurant. The mothers were hugging each other tightly and talking; the two kids started walking towards the playground. They climbed up onto the monkey bars, the place they had first met; the two held hands, "Promise me that you'll write." Lizzie demanded; she didn't want to lose him, she had made many friends in her life, but she realized how many friendships just disappear. "Of course… you're my best friend, Lizzie… I've never had many friends, but you are the best friend I could've asked for." Remus started to cry, and she hugged him tightly, "Best friends forever?" he smiled, "Best friends forever."
The first couple of years, the two sent each other letters, and then they stopped. As Remus struggled with himself over his lycanthropy, she became a distant memory. His transformations became more painful as he grew, and the two became distant. He hadn't thought about her much, at least that was until he was in Hogwarts.