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#his hand aches a lot but. the turning to gold (active transformation) is most painful.
mnm-inc-miles · 3 years
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OCTOBER 31, 2020
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“It’s been 19 years since the last full moon on a Halloween night. What’s more amazing, it will be a blue moon which hasn’t happened on Halloween since 1944, that’s 76 years ago.” A woman with dark hair walked the length of the classroom. Her blue green eyes were sharp, aware of everything around her. Her face was covered by a mask but you could tell by her voice she was smiling. “Tomorrow we will have buckets of fun under the light of the moon.”
There was a small ruckus from the cuckoo clock that marked the end of today’s lessons. A hand went up as most of the kids cleaned their desks. “Ms. Bridget, will we get to dress up and go trick or treating?”
The teacher laughed, “We’ve arranged for a scavenger hunt at a local cabin I was lucky enough to rent out.”
All the children froze, the few who had made it out the door trickled back in. One of the smallest of the children, her voice tiny as a mouse, chirped, “You mean...we get to leave the orphanage?”
A lot of jaws dropped as they stared at their teacher, waiting. She was smiling and her eyes could not hide the truth. Yes, for the first time in a couple years, even before corona, the children would be allowed to leave. Bridget called it a vacation. She nodded and the children screamed with excitement. She had given them hope.
When she left for home that day her boss stopped her with a wave, “I heard the children today,” he smiled warmly. He was in charge of the children at the orphanage. “Bridge, you’ve really outdone yourself.”
“Dean, how are you. Yes, they were very excited to finally get the news. Thank you for allowing it to happen.”
“You’re the one who made it possible,” he smiled. “I try to do right by these kids. They’ve been through enough. But I can’t allow the group to leave unless they’re with someone I trust to care for them. The plan you laid out in my office...” he shook his head and laughed. “I may dress as Satan for Halloween, but I’d have to be the devil himself to say no to that.”
Bridge smiled, “It’s lovely talking Dean, but I must go. I’m headed to the cabin now to get it ready for tomorrow.”
“Bless your heart,” the man nodded and went back into the orphanage.
After decorating the cabin, Bridge settled into an armchair with a cup of tea and a crackling fire. She closed her eyes and took a sip, the warm spreading to all her joints and limbs. Soon she found herself drifting off to sleep.
A nightmare crept into her brain, though perhaps it was better described as a memory.
A young girl called out for her older sister. “Alexa,” she shouted.
The Chung household was stressful, despite the parents affection for their two children, they put enormous amounts of pressure on their success. Bridge was younger, and though she was adopted she only received slightly less slack than her older sister Alexa. What the Chung’s didn’t understand, was their daughter Alexa was fragile, almost broken.
The young girl, a glimpse at her blue green eyes reveal her identity, slowly pushed open the bathroom door. Inside was a scene from the stuff of nightmares. Her sister was floating with her head above the water, on her side, lifeless in a pool of blood. Her eyes, glazed over with a film of white.
Bridget snapped awake. Her breathe was fast and shallow as the image gnawed at the front of her mind. It was ever looming most days, but often tucked into the back of her thoughts. She took herself to bed where she would have a restless night.
She left the cabin and drove to pick up the school bus she would be renting for the day. The driver met her with a gruff voice but friendly eyes. She climbed on board and they proceeded to pick up the children. Bridge was excited to give them a night they wouldn’t soon forget.
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“Did you finish your wolfsbane,” Newt questioned, sincerely curious in his statement and not patronizing. Of course Remus remembered, the act of forgetting it was permanently trained out of him. He never wanted Levi to rewind time for his mistake again.
Remus nodded, “Yes, are you leaving soon to see Lucky?” Remus looked at the clock. It was just an hour before sunset.
Newt gave a nod. “Will you be okay? I know Sirius had to leave for a job last minute.”
“It’s okay, yeah...I’ll be fine. Plus you set up that nifty wolf-cam, so if something happens you can come...right?”
“Absolutely.” Newt made brief eye contact and offered an awkward smile. Eddie of course, was the one to set up the camera. He was more familiar with the technology, after all. There was one for Remus and one for Lucky, because Newt promised Dylan a camera to see her father. “Well, I must be going, I’ll keep an eye on you. Goodnight.”
As the sun set Remus began to pace, naturally his nerves worsened the closer to transformation he got. Sometimes tempered by the wolfsbane, though tonight his joints and muscles ached more than usual. He shut the curtains and curled up on the couch in a ball, as if these steps would help eliminate a transformation. It never worked.
His body began to twitch and he felt the terrible pangs of the wolf in him coming to the surface. He cried out in agony because despite growing up with the affliction, the transformation was generally painful, especially without wolfsbane. And as he felt the stretching of his bones and the pulling at his skin, he realized that something was wrong. The wolfsbane must not have been made right...and upon that realization he glanced in horror at his phone, followed by the wolf-cam, and then he was gone. In his place, a full fledged werewolf remained, howling in distress.
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This would be the third full moon that Newt would spend with Lucky. They normally started with the endless request for cuts of raw steak, and ended with the clutching of a photograph and sleep. Tonight when Newt came over, Lucky was eagerly awaiting the visit, he was becoming accustomed to their routine. He was also relieved that someone would be there when he changed into this darker version of himself. But the night wouldn’t last long this time.
While Lucky was eating Newt took a moment to check in on Remus but found the room empty. He was worried but didn’t panic until he checked less than an hour later and he was still gone. “Pardon but...I must be going.”
“What?” Lucky growled and reached for him, wrapping a tight hand around the others wrist. His nails were digging into Newt’s skin and he winced.
“Let go,” Newt demanded but Lucky did not. He pulled him closer and demanded he stay, feed him more and keep him company. At this point Newt watched as blood dripped from his arm where the other gripped him insistently. He sighed and pulled out his wand, “Petrificus Totalus,” then glanced at the camera knowing Dylan was likely watching. “Sorry...” and he disapperated and reappeared back in London at the house.
The door was knocked off its hinges and a few belongings in the house were displaced. Casting a spell, he watched swirls of gold materialize and follow traces of recent magical activity, the scene revealing itself. “Episkey,” he whispered as he watched the flecks of gold dance around the room. The small cuts in his arm healed and when the gold stopped Newt grabbed the shirt Remus has been wearing and pointed his wand, “Avenseguim.” The shirt began to float and whisked out the door. Newt quickly followed after.
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Bridge and the children sat around the crackling fire pit, roasting marshmallows and giggling about their evening. There were classic games like bobbing for apples and corn hole, plus the candy scavenger hunt. They played twister and wink murder too. As the festivities came to an end, they sat around the fire pit and told spooky stories while eating candy and s’mores.
A howling was heard in the distance and some of the younger kids got scared. “It’s a werewolf,” one little girl said.
“Sure is, and it’s gonna get ya...”
“That’s enough Brett,” Bridge spoke playfully. She glanced at the bus driver and smiled, “It’s getting late, do you mind sitting with the older kids while we tuck the little ones into bed?”
“Sure,” he gave a nod then bit into his s’more.
Nodding at her colleague, Dennis, the two gather up the handful of youngens and ushered them inside. Some were more willing than others, who protested through yawns that they were not tired.
The orphanage was small, that’s how Dean managed to provide such good care for the children. The ages ranged from five to seventeen. At the current time there were twenty kids total. Though Dean had as many as thirty in his care before. Of the twenty, nine of them were under 10, seven of them were between 10 and 13, and the rest were over 14. The four of the oldest got to sit outside with the bus driver while Bridge and Dennis put the little ones to bed.
Another howl was heard, and some of the children jumped. “Ms. Bridget...it sounded closer...are there really werewolves?”
“No darling, no. They’re just stories.”
“Then...what is it?”
“Just normal wolves I imagine,” Dennis spoke matter of factly.
Bridge rolled her eyes, “They live in the woods but don’t worry, they keep their distance.” Another howl and this time it was followed by a scream. “Dennis stay with the kids...” and Bridge bolted back down the stairs and out to the yard.
The bus driver stood in front of the children shouting to seem threatening. He was immensely overshadowed by a tall furry creature. Bridge froze for a moment, wondering if somehow she’d slipped into some nightmare. But another howl brought her back to reality as she watched the creature stalk closer to the children.
“Hey!” She suddenly screamed. “Get away from them...” she picked up a rock and threw it hard at the creatures head. Growling it turned and looked at her. Glancing at the larger crowd it deduced one person was easier to kill unharmed than a multitude of people. “Run, get the children inside, hurry!”
She waved her hands and beckoned the beast toward her. He came at her fast, leaping into the air and tackling her to the ground.
“Ms. Bridget!” some of the children cried out, but the bus driver urged them inside. A couple ran willingly, scared out of their minds, one was frozen in fear, and one wanted to help, picking up a stick and tossing it at the beast.
The werewolf didn’t flinch, instead it lowered its jaws and took a bite at Bridget’s neck, shaking to break it, then ripping free her vocal chords and devoured them. Screams echoed into the night when a loud clap happened and suddenly Newt was there watching the scene unfold.
He shot a jinx at the werewolf and knocked him off his feet, but the beast stood quickly and advanced on the frozen child who stood screaming in horror.
“Remus!” He shouted but the beast didn’t respond. Not even a hint of self awareness. He tried to petrify him but the werewolf was simply too strong. Suddenly a ring of fire wrapped around the child and the werewolf howled in pain from brushing the flames and backed away. The child fainted.
More screams were heard from within the house and the werewolf responded by following their cries. As he approached the window, Newt noticed he stood under a glass awning and begrudgingly had to act fast.
“Finestra,” he spoke and the glass shattered, raining down upon the werewolf’s head. It howled in pain and with every step, it’s feet fell upon more glass. It stumbled backward and turned its attention to the person it had already killed, feeling content to settle. Newt knocked the werewolf back with another charm but he was persistent. “Sorry...” Newt sadly huffed as he hurled one last spell at the beast, aiming for his arm. “Diffindo.” A large gash tore into his arm and the werewolf cried out in anguish. It turned, whimpering, and retreated to the woods.
Desperate to follow and provide him with aid, Newt knew there wasn’t much to be done while he was in his wolf form. So he focused on the dilemma at hand. There were a bunch of muggles who were just terrorized by a werewolf and likely to suffer intense trauma if he didn’t Obliviate them.
He cautiously approached the lifeless body on the ground, knelt down and checked for a pulse. He knew she was gone, but Eddie insisted. Newt noticed humans often insisted on physical proof when the evidence was clear enough already. Then he turned and doused the flames around the fainted child. Walking closer he pointed his wand and whispered the spell to erase the bad memories. Then he stood to address the others and saw once again, the body of the woman the wolf had slain.
‘What about her...’ Eddie asked him, his voice was trembling. ‘Surely the children...’ Newt sighed heavily and returned to the child and erased any memory they had of her too. ‘Newt...you can’t just...’ but the wizard interrupted him. “I’m going to have to ask you to restrain from comments right now, please...I...I’m sorry, but this is how it has to be.”
Then he walked inside and gathered all the frightened muggles into one room. It wasn’t hard since everyone wanted to know what was happening. Questions were hurled at him, and Newt felt very overwhelmed. His heart was racing and he felt himself beginning for freeze. Eddie asked to help and Newt relented.
“Please everyone,” Eddie spoke loudly. “Please just be quiet a moment. I know what happened just now is tragic, but if you’ll just take a moment to breathe...” the room grew quiet. Newt took over immediately and softly whispered, “Obliviate,” directing it at the entire room and erasing the bad memories of the night and taking any and all memories of the woman who was killed.
‘That’s not going to be enough...’ Eddie said to Newt. The wizard sighed. “I will call Albus to help...we will have to implant new memories instead...” Newt walked back outside to look at the slain body. Eddie continued, ‘and...all the other lives shes touched...her family...’ Newt gave a nod, “Albus will handle it...” and he proceeded to clean up the shattered glass, blood, and the body. People disappear, Newt thought, it happens all the time. Upon that note he could hear Eddie start to cry. So he busied himself with searching for Remus.
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Moony: Curse of the Full Moon
A curious three year old boy, a grudge against a name, and the watchful moon’s silent gaze. The 27th of February,1964 the full moon shone down on a small house in Wales and a curse was brought upon the family that would change them forever. Remus John Lupin, only a small child when everything was taken from him and his family. Now the threat isn’t on the outside; it is him.
Note from The Author: This is a story I started back at the end of the my sophomore year of high school. It centers around Remus Lupin, a poor boy that had a terrible curse thrust upon him. When I started to write it, my motivation had been the fact that I really loved Lupin and I wanted to get background before I thrust him into a story about the Wizarding War.
Most of my original ideas have been lost to time but I am trying to pick it up again. This collection is the first three ‘books’ as the younger me dubbed them. The Bite, First Year, and Second Year. I have gone back through the chapters and edited/rewrote them to live up to my current writing level.
READ THE ORIGINAL VERSION HERE: FF.NET SLOWLY BEING RESTART VERSION HERE: Ao3
Moony: Book 1 - Chapter 2
Saint Mungo’s Hospital London, England 10 March, 1964
It had been nine days since the attack. In those nine days his face had been healed to the healers' best abilities with something the child thought smelled funny. The once large gashes had been slowly transformed to minor cuts that made it a little uncomfortable to move his face certain ways. It was like having a the sticky stuff of a band-aid forever on his face and it would be forever. The head healer had explained to him that they would fade into scars and there was no way for them to get rid of them.
The bite wound seemed to be in the same boat. It was healed up to the point of not life threatening but it ached when he moved his right arm and the bandages kept him from lifting the arm over his head. The bandages also made it hard to turn to the right so he had very limited mobility. At least this had a positive reaction of him learning how to do things with his left hand. Maybe in the future he would have two wand arms and could dual wield. That would be awesome.
Also in those nine days Remus had come to terms with the idea that he would be staying in the hospital for awhile. It took a day or so for him to be able to walk around again but once he did he was exploring every corner he was allowed to go and most he was not. Technically he was only allowed to walk around on his mother and father’s visits but a few rules broken were not going to hurt anyone. Especially when he got to hang around in his favorite place in the hospital for as long as he wanted.
This place was the gift shop. A little store where wizards and witches of loved ones could get something for their ailing relative. There was lots of toys and candy there even though he could not buy any of it he liked to look around and admire what was there. All the tiny sugar treats; sugar quills, chocolate frogs, every flavored beans. Tiny cakes that had tiny magical words scrawled on them in frosting. The lady behind the counter would smile and explain what they all were to him when he asked, even explaining how she made them. It really was the best place in the too white building that was St. Mungo's.
The most important part of those nine days was not any of this. No the most important part of that long stretch of time was the date it landed on in the end and that was the tenth of March.
It was a very important day in the young boy's life and it all started with Remus waking up to his mother's bright smile.
"Mummy!" The toddler was instantly up. He ignored the pain in his side for the sheer joy that warmed his heart at the sight of his mother. It was very rare when his parents could come and see him early in the morning. He threw his arms around his mother's neck and hugged her tightly.
“Happy birthday, my big man." Hope Lupin laughed and kissed his cheeks, "The healer said you are well enough to go walk around London with me. How's that sound for a birthday present?"
Remus gasped and pulled back from the hug to stare at his mother with wide eyes, “Really? I get to go to London?”
An even larger smile spread on the boy’s wounded face and he let out an excited laugh when she nodded. He fell back onto the bed with a small squeal.
"This is gonna be the best birthday ever!"
Hope smiled warmly at her child's excitement and puled out a present wrapped in gold paper.
“Well we better start this best birthday right with the first present of the day," she said and held the package out to him.
The four-year-old took the box out of her hands quickly. He tore the paper apart and let it scatter around him on the hospital bed. A little fairy tale book laid inside, colorful pictures decorated the cover and were surrounded by gold accents. The Tales of Beedle and the Bard was written on top.
“I found it in the gift shop," his mother explained, "I thought you might like it. I can read you stories every night when you get to come home.”
Remus pulled his eyes away from the stories to look up at his mother.
“Can’t we go home now?”
The look on his mother's face made the child regret asking the question. Hope looked away from him sadly to regain some composure before she turned back to him with a soft smile.
“Not yet,baby. The healer’s want to make sure you are fully healed before you can head back. So you are nice and strong.”
Remus bit his lip to try and contain the tears that wanted to form.
He refused to cry on his birthday. He was four now; practically a grown up. He was not a big baby that cried because he couldn’t go home. The healers were going to take care of him and then he could go home, just like his mother said. And when he got back he could play with Silver and his father in the back yard. He would be able to sit in his bed and beg his mother to read him one more story though the sun had long since set. No hospital rules, no disgusting potions, and no too white walls.
Remus let his mother wipe away a rebellious tear before she helped him out of the bed. The happiness of the day soon came back to both of them once he was changed out of his pajamas. His mother helped him pull his jacket on before she took his hand and they left the room.
They made quick work to leave the hospital. They only paused so Remus could wave to the nice woman behind the counter in the gift shop while his mother checked him out for the day. The boy did not notice the dirty looks that were sent his way by some of the medi-witches and wizards that walked by. If he did he would not understand why they were doing that.
Both him and his mother left the hospital without much trouble beside the looks. Remus blinked at the natural light when they finally entered the city. Behind them stood an abandoned building. They seemed to have stepped out from a whole in the wall of the building; a clever tactic used to trick muggles it was a normal abandoned building. The only way Hope Lupin could have gotten is was with the assistant of her husband.
Hope led him away from the building and onto the busy streets of London. The whole place was bustling with more activity he was used to back at home. There were kids around his age walked with their parents, people in suits hurried past with a look that said they were late for work, and some people looked like older kids skipping school for a trip around the city.
He looked up at his mother with wide eyes. This was a little more overwhelming than he had realized it was going to be. He almost wanted to go back into the hospital and just spend the day with the gift shop lady but his mother pulled him along. His hand stayed tightly connected to her's as they walked. She was right, even in silence, he was going to make this a good day. A crowd was not going to stop that.
Remus' birthday was mostly window shopping and admiring sights he did not get to see in his home village. The buildings were a lot taller than he was used to, the sounds were different and he was not sure if cities were always this loud, and the smells were very interesting.
He got his confidence back about two blocks from the hospital and started to drag his mother to interesting places. They did go into a toy store just before lunch and Remus had browsed the shelves wanting everything his small hands could touch. His mother ended up buying him a toy stuffed dog. Lunch was amazing as well. Remus got a free ice cream cone for his birthday and his father met up with them just as they got out of the building.
Remus sat on his father's shoulders as they walked back into St. Mungo's. The ache had returned in his side but he could care less about it. This had been the best birthday ever. He sighed as he was put back on the ground once inside the hospital. The little boy leaned against his mother as his father went over to make sure Remus was checked back in.
There was a different witch at the desk then the one that had been there this morning. She did not even look over at the toddler as she wrote his name down. Lyall pretended that is did not bother him, especially when she did not bid them a good day and pretended they were not even there. He just moved back over to his wife and son so they could head back to Remus' room.
Remus could feel the happiness slowly start to drain away from him as they entered that too white room again. He tried to keep the smile on his face as he was placed on the bed. He was happy to have had this day with him but was sad that it was so close to ending.
"Mummy can you read me a story?"
It was a last ditch attempt to keep them both around longer and was plainly obvious but it worked. His mother sat on the side of the bed with a kind smile and took the book from him.
"Of course I can. Long as you help me."
The room fell into the story that Hope told. Lyall sat next to her and Remus was snuggled between them. Remus could see every character and laughed at the funny voices his mother gave them. The young boy was happy to be with his family again but sadly it did not last.
The end of visiting hours came and his parents had to leave. They had to leave him alone in this place. His mother promised that she would be back as soon as she could.
He watched them go sadly. The ache from the bite more prominent now that they were gone. It had not been there all day, but it was there again; taunting him for going outside and bringing this on himself.
Remus sat on his bed and flicked through the new book silently. He could not read many of the words. He almost jumped out of his skin when the door opened. The young boy looked up to see the lady behind the gift shop counter was there with a little cake.
“Heard someone had a birthday and I couldn’t deny my favorite customer a treat.”
She sat down on the bed next to him and showed off the cake in her hands. It was a chocolate cake that had white icing all around it and was decorated with little chocolate flowers. The words "Happy Birthday" were piped in the middle and had been enchanted to change many different colors.
Remus stared at it, a little joy bubbling back up in his chest when she put four candles on it.
“Thank you," he whispered and looked up at her in awe.
The woman smiled at him and flicked her wand to light the candles, “You are welcome. Now, make a wish and blow out the candles.”
Remus closed his eyes quickly at the request and thought long and hard about his wish. He took in a deep breath when he figured it out and made his wish. He wished to go home soon and that this whole thing would blow over soon. He opened his eyes after he gave his breath and smiled up at the gift shop woman.
Remus and the gift shop lady, or Lucy as he learned later, sat in his room and ate the cake. He relayed to her the stories his mother read him today as they ate. Lucy was a very good listener and asked questions at all the right times. She was quickly becoming his favorite person in the hospital.
The cake party did not last either. His healer came in just as they finished the last slice and asked her to leave so he could check on his patient. His voice was almost in a distressed tone that the witch had been alone with him. Remus did not understand why but Lucy seemed to understand the request.
She left the room without complaint; taking the plates with her and leaving Remus alone with this wizard.
Once she was gone, the healer began his work. He changed the bandages on Remus' bite wound. The progress in the healing seemed to make the man very happy.
There was only silence during this process. The healer did not want to start a conversation and Remus just decided to let his mind wander. The boy waited patiently as the man tightened the bandages and finished up for the night. As soon as the wizard was done, Remus pulled his shirt back on and flopped back on the bed with his stuffed dog. He snuggled down under the blankets and sighed as the lights were dimmed in the room and the door closed.
Even if this was a great birthday; the small boy could not help but feel a little put off about how it ended. He was still stuck in this dumb hospital room that was too white and too far away from his home.
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