Through a Child's Eyes

Through a Child's Eyes

Raising children is never easy but it becomes more difficult when your child is cursed with a terrible affliction. For Joseph and Catherine Lupin, life was so happy until two months ago. Their five year old son, Remus, was more than anyone could ever ask for in a child. He was well behaved, polite, quiet, and able to be taken anywhere, friendly with everyone and one of the happiest little boys. All that changed when that werewolf bit the sweet, sandy-haired boy. The poor child became sad and withdrawn, fearful of people's reactions when they find out about his lycanthropy.

For two months now, the Lupins did not welcome the days prior to and after the moon, when their poor Remus would become dreadfully ill with nausea, fever, chills and a wretched cough and so frightened when his father had to lock him in the shed to become the wolf. His parents' hearts broke each time when they locked away their sweet little boy as he cried desperately for them. When the sun arose and the wolf had withdrawn, Joseph and Catherine went back out to that damned shed to collect their son's frail little body from the bloodied mess and into their loving arms. The ever loving parents tended their son's self-inflicted wounds with such gentleness and doted on him in anyway they could as he recovered.

At the beginning of the third month, Remus' parents began to notice changes in their son's so-called friends. Catherine watched out their living room window as Remus was coming home from a play date at a neighbor's house. She was horrified when she saw the pack of children swarm Remus and knock him down onto the sidewalk. She heard such vile things coming from those children as they pelted him with rocks. She frantically called for her husband to save their poor baby from this hell. Joseph quickly ran out of the house to the unruly mob of children and picked up a crying Remus and brought him inside.

"It's okay now, buddy. We won't let them ever do that to you again." Joseph whispered soothingly as he rubbed Remus' back to calm his son's tears.

Catherine had tears in her eyes that she refused to let fall when she thought about what those children had said. "They called him a freak that didn't deserve to live. They said he should be put down like a sick dog." sheexclaimed frantically as she saw the pained look in her husband's eyes. His one-time closest friends now taunted him and threw stones at the 'freak,' leaving poor Remus crying himself to sleep every night and feeling so alone. His parents knew several things had to happen now. Joseph and Catherine wanted to be able to share their feelings and fears with other parents of lycanthropic children and eventually, they would have to move to keep their son safe.

As the month of July progressed, the Lupins began a frantic search. Joseph searched the Ministry's Werewolf Registry, as a part of the Werewolf support unit which was only open to people with Lycanthropy and their immediate family, for any other families near Londonand struck pay dirt early one morning when he found Charles and Elisabetta Knight. They had two children, a seven year old boy with Lycanthropy and a five year old girl. He excitedly showed the listing to his wife and did not hesitate to write them when he saw the smile on her face. Joseph took out some parchment and a quill as the family owl, Octavius waited on the desk to deliver the letter.

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Knight,

I am writing to you since we have something in common, we both have lycanthropic children. I found your name in the Werewolf Registry and I hope you could help. My wife and I have a five year old son who was bitten three months ago. People are just starting to figure it out and they are starting to alienate our poor boy and treat him like he is a third-class citizen. We have no one to talk to about this. We can't even tell our relatives about our son. I saw you had two small children of your own and maybe my son could get to meet them. My wife and I would really like to get to become friends with you and your family. I know this may sound dreadfully forward but we are desperate.

Sincerely,

Joseph Lupin

He swiftly attached it to the owl's leg and sent it out the window as he saw his sleepy son coming down the stairs.

Remus slowly padded his way down the stairs in his pale blue summer pajamas. His hair was all askew and he rubbed his eyes sleepily as he walked into the kitchen and climbed up to his chair. The moon was only two days away and poor Remus was already beginning to feel it. Catherine placed a bowl of porridge in front of him as she kissed his forehead to wish him good morning. Both of his parents watched how Remus, who normally devoured his breakfast, picked at it and ate very slowly.

"Don't you feel well, sweetie?" Catherine asked, even though she already knew the answer when she placed a gentle hand on her son's forehead and found it slightly warmer than it should be.

"I'm hot and my tummy doesn't feel good," Remus replied quietly, almost as if he was embarrassed.

"It's all right, buddy. The moon is in two days and is already affecting you. You don't have to finish, just eat as much as you can," Joseph said gently, not wanting his son to think that he was in trouble because he didn't feel well.

After a little while, when it was safely assumed that Remus wasn't going to eat anymore, Catherine gently scooped her son up into her arms to take him into the bathroom to give him a bath and get him dressed. Remus laid his head against his mother's shoulder as she ran the cool water in the tub to help with his fever. Catherine's mood was lightened a bit as she watched Remus play in the water while she bathed him. She was glad to see that he hadn't succumbed totally yet to the moon. Once Catherine finished giving Remus his bath, she got him dressed and let him play out in the living room with his toy cars and action figures. She could tell he was feeling a bit better after the bath but it still wasn't her usual Remus.

As Remus was playing quietly by himself, Octavius flew back in the window and perched himself on the couch next to Joseph, hooting happily and sticking out his leg with the note attached. Joseph untied the note and was thrilled when he saw the name on it. "Cathy! They wrote back!" he cried out to his wife as he opened the letter. Catherine came in quickly when she heard her husband cry out and her face lit up with a smile at the quick reply.

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Lupin,

Your letter was not at all forward. It was actually a very welcome sight. Like you, we don't have many people we can talk to and we love meeting people. My husband and I would love to have you over to our house the day after tomorrow. We are aware that it is the day after the moon and your son may not feel very well after but, together, we could help our children through this dark period together. Come by floo, broom, or portkey. The House is easy to find. We look forward to seeing you.

Sincerely Yours,

Elisabetta Knight

Joseph quickly wrote a reply saying that they would be there after Catherine okayed it. Now all they could do was wait. The next morning, Remus was bedridden with a severe fever, harsh coughs, shivering, and nauseous feelings. Another full moon. Catherine sat by her poor baby's bedside all day long while he slept, bathing his forehead with a cool cloth and rocking him when he had a nightmare, and keeping as calm as possible before that evening. When the sun went down, Joseph came in to Remus' bedroom to get him to take him down to the shed. He gently picked up his sleeping son in his arms and started outside to the back yard with Catherine following behind. He slowly opened the shed door and laid Remus down on the mattress they had put in there for him. Remus woke up when he was laid down and became very frightened when he saw where he was.

"Don't want to stay here, mummy. Wannago back inside." Remus cried with little tears running down his face as his mother began to undress him.

Joseph was already backing towards the door to leave as Catherine was finishing with Remus. "I'm so sorry sweetie but you have to tonight." She whispered as she kissed his little cheek. "We'll come and get you as soon as we can," she finished as she stood up and walked out the door, closing it behind her and locking it. As they walked back to the house, tears were running both Catherine's and Joseph's faces as they heard Remus crying inside the shed.

As usual, Remus' parents did not sleep that night out of fear and worry. As soon as the moon set in the early dawn hours, they ran back out to that shed to get Remus. When they opened the door, even though they knew what to expect, they braced themselves for what they would find. Joseph and Catherine found their poor Remus curled up in the corner, crying softly as his wounds bled. As they walked inside to get him, they saw that he had thrown up near where he was laying. But none of that was important now as Catherine picked Remus up and wrapped him in a blanket to carry him inside the house. Once inside, Catherine rocked Remus to sleep while Joseph cleaned him up and placed bandages on his wounds, which were thankfully not that bad this time. After they finished all of this, Catherine laid Remus down in his bed, in just his underwear because his pajamas would have been painful, and let him sleep until they had to leave to go to the Knights.

As Remus slept, his parents began to get ready to leave to meet the Knights. They had the terrible decision to make of which way to travel. Broom would be the most gentle but difficult when one of them has to carry Remus. Portkey could be too jarring on Remus and scare him. By floo would be easy and quick, but may make Remus throw up again when it got spinning. The opted for the floopowder and would just have to take their chances. By late morning, they were ready to go except for one thing, Remus. Catherine crept quietly into his room to get him dressed. She rubbed his back gently to wake him.

"Remus, sweetie...you have to wake up for just a bit and then you can go back to sleep. We just need to get you dressed," she whispered as Remus stirred a little bit with a few whines at being woken up. Catherine could tell that he was just barely awake enough to listen as she dressed him in a t-shirt and cotton shorts, nothing that would hurt his injured skin. By the time she had finished dressing him, Remus had fallen back to sleep against his mother's chest. Catherine was not going to wake him again at the moment so she wrapped his favorite blanket, dark blue with various animals on it, around him and carried him out to the living room and handed the poor boy to his father. Joseph could hold him tighter to make sure that he didn't get tossed around and get sick again. As they gathered up their nerves, Catherine threw the floo powder into the fire and screamed out their destination.

Charles and ElisabettaKnight were sitting quietly in their kitchen, making their own recovery from the previous night. Stephen, their son, was safely tucked away in bed and Domenica, their daughter who everyone called Dory, kept herself occupied in her room with her toys. The Knights were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Lupins but had no idea when to expect them since they knew that they had their own sick child to take of. Before they could get a second cup of tea, their questions on arrival time were answered by a cloud of smoke from the fireplace. They quickly stood up to greet their guests. They first saw a tall, thin man with sandy-colored hair, pale skin, and brown eyes carrying a sleeping child. They assumed that it had to be Joseph Lupin. Then a woman with light brown hair and blue-gray eyes appeared and took the sleeping child from her husband's arms and resituated him in her own. Charles was the first to approach.

"Charles Knight and this is my wife, Elisabetta," he said in a friendly tone as he offered his hand to Mr. Lupin.

Joseph shook Charles' hand pleasantly as he introduced himself. "A pleasure to meet you, Joseph Lupin and this is my wife, Catherine and my son, Remus," he said as he pointed to the sleeping child and the woman holding him.

"Please, have a seat, relax. There is no need for you to stand there and you probably want to get your son more comfortable," Elisabettaoffered to Catherine as she motioned towards the couches.

"Thank you very much," Catherine said as she sat down and moved Remus so he leaned against her chest. Now the Knights could see Remus. They could see he looked very much like his father with the pale complexion and sandy colored hair. They noted he was a very slight boy that did not look like he was five, but younger. The little boy stirred in his mother's arms and his blue-gray eyes fluttered open. Catherine felt Remus moving in her arms and she turned her head slightly to see if he had awoken. "Hi sweetie," she said gently to the sleepy child in her arms. "Remus, I want to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Knight."

Remus opened his eyes and looked around the house. He saw his father with Mr. Knight and Mrs. Knight was next to his mother. "Very nice to meet you," he whispered politely.

"Nice to meet you too," Elisabetta responded to the little boy with a smile. "He's very polite," she addressed to his mother.

"We have always taught him manners," Catherine responded, taking pride in her son even when no one else did.

"Let me call my daughter down here. I think she and Remus would get along quite well. I would introduce my son as well but he had a particularly bad transformation last night and he is never at his best after that," Elisabetta tried to explain, not wanting to be rude. "Charlie, could you go get Dory?" she suggested to her husband.

Within a few minutes, he had returned and was being followed by a little dark haired girl with sparkling chocolate eyes and pigtails. She saw the new people in the room and was immediately curious. She ran over to her mother and crawled up onto her lap while her father sat down on a chair opposite from Mr. Lupin. "Mommy? Who is everyone?" she asked happily.

Elisabetta smiled at her daughter's never ending curiosity as she straightened her out on her lap. "Dory, this is Mr. and Mrs. Lupin and their son, Remus. Remus is the same age as you," she said happily.

Dory looked over at the boy sitting on his mother's lap and smiled at him. "Can Remus and I go play?" she asked hopefully to both mothers.

Elisabetta looked to Catherine and gave her an approving look as Remus looked up to his mother, looking for her approval. "I don't see why not," Catherine replied as she let Remus get up and run off with Dory. 'They are very cute together, don't you think?" she directed towards Elisabetta.

"Very. It would be funny if in the future they end up as a couple from this small meeting. It would be a powerful union because my daughter is very strong magically. She has the gift of pyromagia. It's what happens when a witch or wizard has nearly cosmic control over fire and can bend it to their whim. Dory comes from very ancient bloodlines where this was first found and she inherited the power, which makes her very strong. Sometimes, when she gets upset, she has trouble harnessing it and it goes off. But when she wants to use it, it can be very useful. When she goes to Hogwarts in a few years, she will learn how to control it. I would think her and Remus would be in the same class there, wouldn't they?" Elisabettaexplained.

"I hope they let him in. It has been our hope that his lycanthropy would not prevent him from getting the best wizard training. He has already shown some signs of magic."

The afternoon continued quite splendidly. The four parents were talking about everything, about how do deal with the illness around the moon, the alienation, and how to make their children happy. They also discussed happier topics of conversation in the wizarding world, such as Quidditchand the staff at the various wizarding academies, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. They watched Remus and Dory play together all afternoon on board games, checkers, and with any other toys they could find. Life was looking better until a brown owl flew into the window of the Knights' living room with a letter addressed to the Lupins. Charles removed the note and handed it to Joseph.

He opened the note and his joyous mood immediately disappeared. "Cathy, the ministry wants to see us at once," he stated flatly. A look of horror glazed over his wife's face when she heard this.

"We don't have anyone to watch Remus. This may take a while and he isn't feeling well."

Charles and Elisabettaheard the Lupins' problem and knew they could help. "We could watch him for you. He is an absolute pleasure and it would be no problem," Elisabetta suggested. "And I don't think Dory would want to give him up yet. I think she has grown quite attached to your son," she continued as she pointed to the two five year olds playing on the sun porch.

"I don't want to impose. He won't be much trouble?" Catherine said worriedly, not wanting to give a bad impression.

"Just get some of his things and we will take good care of him for you," Charles suggested warmly.

Joseph and Catherine could not help but feeling relieved that someone who had experience with lycanthropic children was watching their precious son. "I'll just apparate home and get his things. I'll be back in just a bit." Catherine stated as she vanished.

"Are you sure this isn't an inconvenience for you?" Joseph persisted.

"Joe, I'm telling you...this is perfectly fine," Charles reassured his new-found friend as Catherine reappeared with a small suitcase in her hand. She handed the case to Elisabetta and then proceeded with the usual instructions.

"I usually put him to bed around 8 or 8:30 after his bath so he is really relaxed. He may not eat very much right now because his stomach sometimes doesn't do very well after a transformation, but you are probably familiar with that. I packed enough stuff for him for several days, including his swim suit since I noticed you have a pool. He can swim but he is still learning," Catherine explained as she caught her breath. "I don't think there is anything I missed."

Elisabetta took careful note of what Catherine was saying as she took Remus' case. "If you forgot anything, Remus will probably fill us in. Don't worry, he'll be just fine."

After that reassurance, Joseph looked at his wife and hinted that they really should get going.

"I just have to say good-bye to him," Catherine responded to the look her husband gave. "Remus, come here please," she called. At the sound of his mother's voice, Remus stood up and walked into the living room where his parents were, followed quickly by Dory. "Remus, sweetie...Daddy and I have to go away for a few days but Mr. and Mrs. Knight are going to watch you and you are expected to be on your best behavior for them."

"I will. Bye-bye," Remus said as he gave his parents a quick hug and then ran off with Dory again.

Catherine and Joseph smiled at how their son had truly returned and they didn't worry as they apparatedout.

A few hours later, the Knights were sitting down to dinner. Elisabetta made a soup so there would be nothing too harsh on Stephen's or Remus' stomachs. Charles took a tray up to Stephen, as he was the only one who could handle the rather nasty seven-year-old after a transformation. Elisabetta sat with the two five year olds as they carefully sipped their soup. She did take notice that Remus was eating very slowly but he was eating. After dinner Remus and Dory went into the living room to watch a few Muggle programs on the television. As she cleaned off the dishes, she noticed that Remus was laying down on the couch almost curled into a ball. She didn't have time to be curious though because Dory walked back into the kitchen.

"Mummy, Remus says he doesn't feel good. He said his tummy hurts," Dory explained.

Elisabetta didn't waste anytime with discussion on the matter. She walked over to the couch and felt Remus' forehead, which was a little warm. "You don't feel well, sweetie?" Remus nodded as he wrapped his arms around his tummy. "Do you feel like you're going to get sick?" Remus nodded again. "Okay sweetie, let's get you to the bathroom, just in case," she said gently as she sat Remus up so she could guide him in. But as soon as he was upright, he lost whatever control he had over his stomach and threw up.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he looked up with teary eyes.

"It's okay, Remus. You can't help you're sick. Let's go get you cleaned up and then I'll tuck you in bed. Sleep will help you to feel better," Elisabetta saidever so gently as she muttered a quick cleaning charm to clean up the mess. "Dory, you stay here for now. Once I get Remus ready for bed, I'll come back to get you." She directed her daughter, who was instinctually following her. Dory nodded and went back to watch TV while her mother helped her new best friend.

Elisabetta took Remus into the bathroom and started running a bath for him. She sat him down on the toilet and wiped his face with a washcloth to get rid of any of the remnant of his illness. As the tub filled, she got him undressed and placed him in the warm water when it was ready and gave him a few tub toys. Elisabetta washed the frail little boy very carefully as he played in the water. When she was done, she helped Remus out of the water and wrapped in a warm towel that covered from his head to just below his knees. As she dried him, she called out "Accio suitcase!" and Remus' suitcase appeared to walk in the door. Elisabetta opened it and got Remus' pajamas out as well as underclothing and dressed the little boy. Once he was finished, she sent Remus to sit on the couch for a little while as she repeated nearly the same task with her own daughter. Once both children were clean and ready for bed, Elisabetta took them upstairs to Dory's room. Dory quickly climbed into her canopied bed while her mother transfigured her chair into a small bed with sheets and blankets for Remus. First, Elisabetta tucked her daughter in and made sure she had her stuffed bunny to sleep with and then she turned to Remus. She saw his little lip start to quiver and his eyes start to fill with tears as she tucked him in.

"What's the matter, Remus?" she said gently as she wiped away his tears.

"Mummy forgot my bear," he replied with a few sniffles.

Elisabetta knew exactly what the matter was now and she had an idea. "Do you think another animal may be able to fill in for now?" Remus nodded hopefully as Dory's mother turned to the pile of animals on the floor and picked up a stuffed tiger from the floor. "I think he will be able to keep the bad dreams away, don't you?" she said as she tucked the toy under the blankets. "Now you two better sleep. Good night, kids," Elisabetta stated as she left the room and turned out the light. After hearing no noise for a few moments, she knew Dory and Remus were sound asleep.

The next morning Dory was the first to pad her way down the stairs to see her parents at breakfast. Her father helped her into the chair as her mother placed some small pancakes in front of her. Now Dory was not the type of child to beat around the bush when she had a question and when she had something on her mind, she said it.

"Mommy, is Remus like Stephen?" Dory asked innocently. "Is he a werewolf too?"

"Yes, sweetie, he is," Elisabetta replied simply, fearing what he daughter's reaction would be.

"Ok. I still like him. He's my bestest friend."

Elisabetta was not at all shocked by her daughter's reaction. It was obvious that since her brother had the same affliction, she understood it quite well and accepted it without prejudice. She saw her daughter's face light up once again when a sleepy Remus came into the kitchen and began to eat breakfast, clearly feeling much better because he was eating more and faster and looking far less sickly.

Yet another day was spent with Remus and Dory happily playing with each other. The Knights didn't even mind that the two five year olds tore up the house slightly. Then the mood became far more somber when the Lupins returned.

When Joseph and Catherine apparated in, they left the children to play while they met with Charles and Elisabetta to discuss what happened with the Ministry.

"They are making us move," Catherine stated sadly as she watched Remus and Dory play happily together. "They said it was for Remus' safety and our secrecy."

"That's terrible. Where are you planning to go?" Elisabetta replied, knowing how badly this would affect the children

"I have family in Wales. We're going there for now," Joseph replied. "They also said we have to use a weak memory charm on Remus and Dory. Not so they forget each other entirely but so it is less painful for them. We all know they will get back together at Hogwarts in six years."

Charles sighed deeply at this notion. He couldn't believe that the Ministry had found out that Remus and Dory had met so soon. "If it has to be done... Maybe we should get them together so they could say their good-byes,"

All four parents silently agreed as they went into the living room. Joseph summoned Remus' bag and waited by the door. "Buddy, it's time to go now. Say good-bye to Dory."

Remus sadly looked over to his parents and then to the Knights as he hugged Dory good-bye. "Can't wait to see you again," he whispered as tears came to his mother's eyes.

"Me too. Bye-bye Remus," Dory said sadly as the hug broke and Joseph picked up his son and headed for the floo. Remus gave one last wave good-bye before he disappeared into a cloud of dust.

That was the last time Remus and Dory saw each other until a fateful day in September of 1971 when Domenica Knight and Remus Lupin became first year students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.