The Cursed Creature

Chapter 4

The First Transformation

Remus didn’t try to think of that awful night that made him fear for his very life. Being attacked in his own home, in his own bed was a harrowing experience for him and he didn’t know how to feel afterwards.

His family was always close by and he felt somewhat safe again but he hated to sleep alone as he was vulnerable and he felt weak for it. Most of all he missed his friends, especially Pierre. He wasn’t allowed to invite him to his birthday which made the highly anticipated day considerably less pleasurable.

Remus didn’t want to be ungrateful, for he could see how worried his mum and dad were, but he really hoped he would get to see at least Pierre again soon. Nevertheless, he got a fantastic chocolate cake, to spend time with all his grandparents in one day and some great new books about friendly magical creatures, dragons and some interesting magical plants.

He just loved the moving pictures in magical books and his mum has started to teach him how to read on his own. Remus did enjoy reading with his mum and was extremely proud that he could already identify some of the smaller words and pronounce them right.

The days following his birthday, Remus felt badly tired and his muscles seemed to hurt without any strenuous previous activity. He mostly kept to himself and withdrew to his bed or one of the armchairs in the living room with his new books.

Remus didn’t miss the worrying glances his parents threw in his direction every now and then and finally grew irritated. That was a feeling he didn’t really recognize in himself but he also didn’t feel like his parents were keeping secrets from him before either. “Mum? Dad? What is wrong with me?” he asked more snappily than he had intended.

After a short stunned silence in which his parents exchanged another quick glance, they came to sit on the sofa opposite him. “Remus dear,” his mum began, “you remember the night a few weeks ago, when that bad wolf came into our house and attacked you?”

How could he not remember that? It had been dark and he certainly hadn’t recognised that thing as a wolf but that night was hardly an event he would ever be able to forget. His mum looked so sad, though, that he just nodded silently and waited for her to explain what that had to do with how he felt sick right now.

“Right. Sure you do. So, the creature that attacked you was not a normal wolf dear.” Here, his mother darted a pleading look to his dad who continued the explanation.

“You were bitten by a werewolf, son. Do you remember what a werewolf is?”. Remus frowned at that. He had heard about many magical creatures but except from the Boggarts and Poltergeists in his dad’s work stories, the only really dangerous creatures he got to hear about were sea creatures and dragons.

The one time he could remember hearing the term was when his dad was ranting about something at work, but he hadn’t listened closely back then and it had been a while ago. It was something about “People turning into wolves?” Remus asked triumphantly at having remembered the important thing.

His parents shared another sad glance but his father answered in the affirmative. “Yes, Remus. Werewolves are men or women who are cursed to turn into a wolf one night each month during the full moon. They will not be in a state of clear mind during their transformation and will attack every human being that is close like an aggressive animal would.”

Remus thought about this. “So, was it an accident then? The human-wolf did not really want to hurt me?” Now, his mum actually started crying and even his dads eyes seemed suspiciously wet. Remus was upset and confused. How did his original question lead to this?

His dad drew his mum close to embrace her and cleared his throat. “No, we don’t think that this was an accident. Some of these people wait close to other peoples homes or villages before their transformation with the intention of hurting someone when they have changed their shape into the wolf-form.”

That was bad, Remus thought. Though he still couldn’t see the connection to his sickness. “Was the bad man-wolf sick then dad? Is that why I’m feeling like this?” His parents seemed both to struggle with giving him a clear answer to his question. This was a first and it frightened Remus more than the memory of the attack did.

What was so horrible that they couldn’t just tell him? Was he dying? His own eyes started to tear up and he asked pleadingly “Just tell me what is wrong with me. Please?” His mum took his hands and drew him over to sit between his parents while his father answered.

“The thing with werewolves is that they are not necessarily born the way they are. It is a curse, like an illness with symptoms that will appear every month shortly before the full moon until the person transforms and this repeats itself every month for the rest of their life. The curse is spread by biting another human and if they survive they’ll be cursed as well.”

Remus had some difficulty following what his dad was saying because his mum was crying again. He had never seen his parents like this. He hugged his mum tightly and when what his dad said made it through his jumbled thoughts he started sobbing as well. “So....I’m…a…a ...a … monster…now?”

Remus didn’t know what to think. In the one conversation he heard his father having about werewolves it clearly sounded like he hated them. Would his dad hate him if it was true? Would they throw him out? He didn’t want to be like the thing that frightened him and he didn’t want to hurt anyone. He just wanted to be a normal wizard like his dad.

His parents held him tightly, his mum stroking his back and hair while they all grieved together. He wouldn’t be dying, but his life would change for the worse. When he had calmed down a little his dad explained that he would have to spend the next full moon night in a different place and they would have to lock him in for other people's safety and silence the place for his own safety so no one would find out that he was bitten.

It was all a bit much for five year old Remus and his parents agreed that they would plan everything else, continuing the future after they see how the full moon goes. If they were really lucky maybe Remus would not transform after all, though neither of his parents seemed to think that very likely and since Remus already felt bad with the full moon a few days away he didn’t dare to hope.

The evening of the full moon everything felt unrealistic for Remus. His dad brought him to the small garden shed he and grandpa John had built and Remus could feel the magic surrounding it. Inside was a mattress, a pillow, a blanket, a waterskin and an old plushie. He frowned and looked up to meet his dads eyes.

His father smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, Remus. We could only put things inside that could be easily repaired and wouldn’t hurt you if you were to rage in the wolf form. One of us will stay with you all night, so you won't have to go through this alone. We just have to stay outside the wards but I’ll make sure to keep warming charms up and your mum will read you a story if you like.”

His dad looked up to the sky and then back to him. “We should have about an hour or two before the full moon rises. Do you need anything else before I add the last wards that will keep you inside until the morning? Something to eat? A walk to the toilet?”

His dad seemed so unsure, he was almost unrecognisable to Remus. “I can always eat chocolate,” Remus answered with a shaky smile. This actually got his dad to laugh. “I’m sure you can, boy, I will see what I can find when Hope comes with your books.”

When his mum was in the middle of rereading him his favourite Tale of “The Fountain of Fair Fortune” and he had just finished the last of the chocolate his dad had brought him, Remus felt that something was changing. His whole body started to shake and hurt. He screamed out and curled himself into a ball, whimpering and sobbing.

In the corner of his eye he saw that his mum tried to reach him but his dad held her tight so she couldn’t enter the shed. He wanted them with him but more than that he wanted the pain to stop. Instead the pain grew worse continuously and he writhed on his mattress from the overwhelming feeling. “Make it stop!” he screamed. “Please make it stop!” It just hurt too much.

Then he heard and felt one snap after the other. His bones were breaking and he screamed even louder. His throat was already sore and somehow he had landed himself on the ground but he didn’t care. He couldn’t do this. How long would he have to feel the hurt? His face and body seemed to stretch themself and luckily, finally he stopped feeling anything.

When he woke up the next morning he was lying in his own bed, in his own room, which was a relief. Though, when he tried to sit up, he felt that last night hadn’t been just a nightmare like he had hoped. His whole body was covered in bandages and every movement hurt.

The pain was less than last night but that didn’t make him feel much better. Moving his head to the side, he saw his parents sitting in chairs next to his bed. They looked tired and had red eyes like they had cried as much as he had last night. He wanted to say something but his throat hurt too much. “Water” he croaked.

His mum hurried to hand him his water glass from his bed stand. Reaching him, she thought better of it midaction and raised the glass carefully to his mouth. He drank the whole glass before he settled back down into his pillows. “I don’t want to do that ever again” he whispered finally. “It hurt so much mum.”

He saw her eyes were already filled with tears again when she answered: “ I know darling. I don’t want that either. It was horrible to watch you go through that without being able to do anything about it.”

Crestfallen, his dad added: “Your grandparents and I will look into anything that could help you with the pain and we will investigate if there is anyone out there working on a cure. We will do all we can to make it easier for you Remus, I promise. If I could, I would go through the pain so you don’t have to.”