Bitten

"Remus, please come back inside!" Eva Lupin called from the doorway in Welsh. From where he was standing by the ancient oak tree in the backyard, Remus could see his mother's hourglass figure silhouetted by the full moon. He stared at her for a moment before deciding he had better things to do than come inside for a stupid old bath. He wasn't that dirty--and the perfumed soap she insisted on using hurt the scrape on his knee.

Deciding that if she wanted him to come in she would have to call him in English, Remus started towards the small paddock behind their house. Climbing upon the rickety railing, he cooed something nondistinct to the old brood mare slowly grazing by the slatted fence in the moonlight. She looked up at him and waddled, Remus concluded, to where he stood.

Her breath was warm against his baby-soft skin and he giggled when she nuzzled his outstretched hand, looking for a sugar cube. She made a contented noise as he rubbed her muzzle, staring at her enlarged belly and imagining the foal soon to be running around after her. The moon light reflected off her dapple grey hair, turning it white, and Remus was content to spend his whole life like this: no worries, only childish joy that comes with an inherent love of animals.

On the other side of the paddock, Mr Lupin's prized stallion squealed loudly in the pale moonlight and reared, flailing his massive front legs. Remus froze, his hand resting on the mare's nose, her warm breath ghosting across his tiny palm. He stared at the stallion, trying to see what had spooked him. He saw nothing, but the stallion reared again, letting loose a frightened cry. The mare turned her head and nickered nervously. She looked back at the small boy on the fence, nuzzled him one last time and started to walk laboriously back to her the small stable.

The stallion reared again and Remus watched curiously. He cocked his head to one side--something big dog-like was sitting back on its haunches, snarling at the horse. Its fangs were bared and drool was escaping from its foaming mouth as the stallion continued to shriek. Remus could hear his father scrambling out the back door from the general direction of the house; his mother was calling something after him, half in Welsh, half in English.

"Remus!" his father called, the man's footfalls heavy. "Remus! Where are you?"

Remus turned and glared back at his father's wandering form, his five-year-old brow furrowed. He didn't want to go back in; the night was pleasant and he wanted to find out what exactly was frightening the horse. Without thinking twice, he climbed over the top railing of fence and fell to the ground with a soft 'thud.'

The dog-thing must have heard him because Remus watched, hypnotised, as it turned its head and stared at him with violent yellow eyes. It snarled and lunged at the horse, pulling it to the ground, blood spilling from the horse's majestic neck. It screamed wildly before falling forever silent; Remus suddenly felt sick and saw his supper again. He couldn't help the hot tears that streamed down his face as he stared up at the monster before him.

He hated the dog-thing all of a sudden, but before he could try to scale the fence again it lunged at him, knocking him to the ground and crushing his small body with its heavy one, scratching at him, its breath stinking like rotten flesh.

"Daddy!" he called wildly as the dog-thing bit down on his shoulder, shaking his small body with its great muzzle. He screamed out in pain, wishing the thing would just go ahead and kill him. Remus could feel blood trickling over his torso, down his sides, and slowly seeping from the claw marks on his cheek.

As realisation struck him, a flash of light knocked the werewolf off of him and sent it sprawling into the fence with a sickening "crack". Remus heard his mother scream and felt strong arms lift him from the ground. He felt increasingly dizzy as stared unseeingly up into the heavens; the Dog Star twinkled solemnly like a beacon of hope against a blanket of black. Before consciousness abandoned him, he could have sworn he heard the werewolf chuckling in an eerily dog-like manner as it slowly slunk back into the forest that encompassed the surrounding countryside.

******

When Remus came to, all he could think about was how cold he was and that his left side hurt. He tried to sit up, but gave up when he realised it was too great an effort. He lay back on the harsh hospital sheets none too gently and started to sniffle. He turned his head, ashamed of the tears he couldn't keep back, and saw his mum and dad, grave faced, talking to a Healer. His mother was sobbing, muttering to herself under her breath. His father mumbled something meant to be comforting to her. Remus could tell it didn't help by the way she shrugged his father's arm off her shoulders.

Turning back to the Healer, the man said, "Are you sure there's nothing you can do?" It was barely more than a whisper but Remus heard it as though amplified by a charm.

The Healer shook his head and softly said, "I'm sorry. It's lucky he survived. Most people die within an hour of being bitten. Be thankful for that." Without another word he turned on his heel and left, his lime green robes billowing behind him.

Remus saw his mother glare at his father. "This doesn't have anything to do with that Greyback fellow, does it? I told you not to cross him--Auror or not, Gareth!"

Remus' father didn't say anything, merely muttered, "Merlin, Eva, you have no idea how horrible I feel!"

Remus winced when his mother slapped her husband hard across the face and he sobbed as he pulled the covers over his head. After a long moment, he felt Eva's soft, awkward embrace as she leaned over his small shaking body. Remus was immediately over come by her heady perfume and a new wave of tears washed over him--it reminded him of the soap she made him use. He should have taken the stupid bath instead of staying outside, he thought, and cried even harder.

"There, there, babanod," she cooed as she sat down on the side of his bed, rubbing his back gently. "It's going to be all right. Mummy's here. Shh, hush now."

Remus threw the blanket off his head and crawled into her lap, letting her rock him and sing a lullaby until he feel into a fitful sleep filled with wolves, horses, and tinged in deep crimson.