The Attack
Cardiff, Wales
February 1965
Lyall slammed the door shut behind him and ruffly shrugged off his scarf and coat before throwing it down onto the sofa and stomping into the kitchen.
There Hope was sitting quietly listening to the muggle radio while knitting and humming to herself.
But he ignored her and the now cold dinner on the stove and cracked open the firewhiskey that had been in the fridge for weeks by now.
He turned to look over at the wife and ever so patient and understanding, she waited for him to talk.
“They don’t respect me,” Lyall muttered, “ they don’t respect me or my work”. He shook his head and took a swig.
“Today, Greyback was brought in for questioning, ya’know,” he paused and sniffed “for the deaths of those two muggle children”. He watched as Hope flinched, she still wasn’t used to hearing about death and dark creatures so often.
He moved forward pulling out a chair to sit and leaned back.
“I told them, what he was” he took another drink “that he was one of those disgusting creatures and they just about laughed me out of the room”
“Oh, Lyall I’m sorry”, Hope had stopped her work and reached out to him. He grabbed onto her soft hand and let the warmth and comfort of it wash over him and ease his frustration.
“He’s been going after children you know” Lyall turned to look back out the window, the light from the full moon shining through and illuminating the kitchen, the only other light source being the candles placed on the counter. It sent an ominous chill down his spine and his grasp on his wife’s hand tightened.
A worried expression came across Hope’s face and she bit her lip in thought.
“You don’t think”, she paused and glanced around as if she thought someone else might be listening in “certainly he won’t come after Remus” she whispered.
Just hearing his son being mentioned in proximity to a man as foul as Greyback nearly made him sick. Not wanting to worry Hope he lies a little.
“Greyback probably doesn’t even know I have a son or where we live for that matter” he watches as Hope sighs with relief, “but we should still be cautious, I’ll set up defense spells first thing in the morning”.
This got Hope’s attention, she was fine with magic, loved the whimsicality of it but he knew talks of defensive spells put her on edge.
“ Lyall”, she started, “I don’t want to feel unsafe in my own home”
“Merlin Hope this is for our son's safety”
“I understand that but you said it yourself, Greyback doesn't even know where we live”
She was looking up at him with those sweet innocent eyes. God, Lyall thought to himself she doesn't have a clue. Choosing to move on, he changed the topic of conversation to Hope and how she and Remus spent their day.
“Oh just the usual, went to the market and got Remus a new book,” Lyall chuckled, the kid was already becoming an avid reader.
“I spoke with mam on the phone, she said she'd like us to visit sometime around Remus's birthday, it's been ages since he's seen her”.
After kissing her forehead lightly Lyall trudged up the stairs for a quick shower to wash away the stress and sweat the day had given him. He stopped by his son's room on the way, looking in.
Remus was strangely tidy for a four year old, all his toy trains set in rows, his books neatly stacked on top of his dresser.
Lyall crept closer to the sleeping figure laying on the bed underneath the window. Remus was completely perfect in his eyes, a perfect combination of him and hope. He knelt down and brushed the mousey hair from his forehead to place a light kiss there before rising back up, a little to quickly for a man who just downed half a bottle of firewhiskey, and headed down the hall to the bathroom.
Once sufficiently clean he stubbled into bed where Hope was already laying and halfway asleep. He inched nearer to her and whispered a soft "I love you" in her ear, which was responded to with a fond sigh, before rolling over to turn off the lamp on his side of the room.
Within minutes sleep was overtaking him, dragging him down until the worst sound he had ever heard startled him back into reality.
It all happened so fast.
Remus had let out an earth shattering shriek and Lyall wasted no time grabbing his wand and rushing to his son's bedroom, Hope frantically following behind him but it was too late.
He managed to cast a few spells scaring the werewolf off, but the damage had already been done.
Remus was sprawled out in his choo-choo train pajamas, this buttons were savagely ripped open and there was a large gash on his left hip were he had clearly been bitten. Parts of his bedsheets were soaked with blood and slashed open from the beast's claws. The bed which was meant for growing toddlers had essentially collapsed under the weight and force of the ravenous animal.
He was crying, loud. Remus had always been a quiet boy, only sniffling when he was hurt or didn't get his way. But now he was wailing and Hope couldn't help but rush forward and fling herself onto him, grabbing him and wrapping Remus up in her arms.
Lyall slowly made his way over to them, avoiding the shards of glass that littered the carpet.
He kneeled down at his son's bedside as he had done only an hour ago, trying to come to terms with what had just happened and how their lives, would be changed forever. How Remus would never have a normal childhood or life, he'd probably never be able to go to Hogwarts or find work.
"Lyall he needs help, we've got to get him to a hospital, st muggos or whatever its called" Hope chokes out, and with great shame and remorse he caresses her hair.
"I'm sorry darling, but it would be to dangerous and we might even be denied service"
"Then what do we do" she questions harshly, her face covered in tears.
Lyall thinks for a moment and then remembers...
"I know a guy, in Cornwall".