The Cursed Creature

Chapter 6

The Aftermath

It took Remus two days to get out of his bandages and he felt surprisingly alert and healthy afterwards.The only reminder of his transformation were some minor scars that his mum hoped would go away if they would continue to apply murtlap essence and other ointments.

After a great deal of persuasion Remus could even manage to convince his parents that he could see Pierre and the others again. He had to agree to tell nobody about the werewolf situation and if asked to say that he had been ill with a severe case of the Goblin’s Cough the last few weeks.

As he did not want to infect any of the other children in the neighbourhood, his family kept him at home until he was back to complete health. Remus didn’t like to lie to his best friend but he would do it if it was his parents' condition for him to go out and see his friends again.

His dad went over to the Moreaus’ the same day to explain the situation and Remus was immediately invited to stay the night. He was happy to hear that Pierre missed him just as much as he missed his best friend and looked forward to the sleepover. His parents, though worried, seemed happy for him too.

Mum packed his things and brought him to the Moreaus. Pierre flew into his arms as soon as he saw him and dragged him into his room. Their mums laughed at the scene but Remus couldn’t care less. He was just happy to have his friend back.

Pierres parents seemed to have already told him that Remus had been sick and just asked him if he felt better now, which Remus was glad for as he didn’t have to lie. After he confirmed they started playing with Pierres animated Dragon Reserve. It was great fun to watch the little Dragons breathe illusionary fire at both Pierre and himself as well as each other.

Afterwards they were called to dinner during which they got a variation of the usual lecture about the Ministry by Mr. Moreau. Remus didn’t even understand half of what the man was saying but he didn’t mind. He was just happy to spend time with Pierre and the food was delicious.

After dinner they were allowed one bedtime story before they should try to sleep. Remus was delighted when Pierre showed him his new Magick Storybook. After they got ready for bed they laid down and Pierre showed him how the charmed book worked. They would choose a story for the book to read aloud for them by opening the book and telling it the name of the wished tale.

Pierre wanted to hear “The Fountain of Fair Fortune” and Remus was happy with his choice. He liked the story and hadn’t been able to hear the end of it the last time he heard it. He had to suppress a shudder at the memory and busied himself with getting himself under the blankets. When the story began, Pierre’s mum came to extinguish the lights and Remus closed his eyes. He fell asleep with a smile on his face for the first time in over a month.

The next day’s morning after breakfast was spent with Pierre’s toy broomstick in the garden. Pierre and Remus first took turns and afterwards they tried to fly together, which had them stumbling over each other and falling on the grass repeatedly. They were laughing a lot and Remus had so much fun that he got the feeling time flew by way faster than the broom when his mum arrived to pick him up way too soon.

Reluctantly they said their goodbyes with the promise to see each other again in a couple of days. The rest of the day would be spent at his grandparents house and the next day he would meet up with Mary, Alan and David. He had seen them on the way to the Moreaus and they had practically begged him to join them as soon as he was back.

Some of the older kids had drawn a hopscotch field with chalk and they wanted to show Remus how to play it before the next rain would wash it away. He was glad that they didn’t want to play hide and seek this time around, since his senses had increased after he had been bitten and he would have a hard time pretending not to know where the others had run off to immediately.

The following weeks went in a similar fashion. He was occupied with improving his reading, playing with the kids in the neighbourhood, visiting his grandparents and meeting Pierre. It didn’t take him long to regain a sense of normality in his life and feel like everything was going well for him.

The only thing that seemed different in these weeks was that his dad would often be away from home. However, his mum told him that he was researching something important and that he had to work a lot. Therefore, Remus wasn’t worried. His dad had to travel sometimes with his work and afterwards he was usually at home with them for a while before he had to leave again.

About five days before the next full moon though, Remus started to feel anxious. He noticed that his body grew weaker with an accompanying tiredness he recognised from the previous month. The closer the day of the full moon drew the worse the symptoms got and he had to stay home so as to not arouse suspicions regarding his condition. Even if he had been allowed to go outside, Remus didn’t feel up to it.

His mind was preoccupied with the fearful anticipation of another night of horrible prolonged pain. He just hoped that his dad would come back in time with something, anything that would help him through this.