End Of Beginning
February 12th 1965:
When Hope Lupin entered her small home, in Cardiff Wales, it was eerily quiet. She expected the quiet as she had to work overtime at the local hospital today. She should of been home at 5pm, but at last her she was. Entering the hallway of her home at nearly 11 O'Clock at night. She silently cursed herself as she remembered she had promised to put her son, Remus, to bed tonight. She sighs as she makes her way towards Remus's room to check on him but as she gets closer a sudden stench hits her. She gags at the awful smell but soon her face turns pale with recognition. Rotting corpse. Hope herself was all too familiar with the smell of rotting corpses, it was a unfortunate side of being a nurse that was always overlooked by new nurses who had just finished school. Then the new nurses would witness death first hand and realise what they have gotten themselves into.
As Hope opened the door to her son's bedroom the smell got far worse. Then she saw the source of it. Her husband laying on the floor of their son's room, blood slowly seeping out of him while some parts of his flesh looked to be torn apart. Hope can only just stare at the rotting corpse of Lyall Lupin for a few minutes before she is brought with a realisation. Remus. Where was he? It didn't take long for her to spot the small fragile body of him in his bed. She quickly steps over Lyall to get to Remus but gasps at the sight of him. He had blood over his face and hands, it looked like it was smeared onto his face rather than an actual wound but his hands were dripping in blood. Hope takes Remus into her arms and quickly tries to find his pulse. She waits for the beat of his heart for what felt like years.
Until a small beat can be felt and she all but crys in relief at it. Her son was alive. But how? Hope checks over Remus's body, but when she lifts up his t-shirt is when she sees a bite bark. Too big to be human but too small to be a large animal. Hope looks between the broken window, the corpse of her husband and her son for a moment before she hears something outside. Howling. She realises then what has happened and looks down at her son. Her werewolf son.
She had been working to save other peoples' lives while the love of her life had lost his and her son had had his ruined. He was only 5. He was only a boy. But now he was a dark, evil creature her husband had told her about. Hope Lupin didn't know how to deal with this. She hadn't even fully registered what has happened yet. But she does now that she has a body to remove, a lot of cleaning, a boy to heal and once that it all over. And only once that is all over will she crack and break down.
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February 27th 1965:
It had been 2 weeks since that night. Remus was nearly fully healed from his minor injuries, minus the wolf bite which continued to hurt but was slowly scaring over. But Hope knew this would all be over soon. It was the full moon. She sucked in her tears that nearly escaped as Remus crys about his limbs hurting, that everything aches and he doesn't know why. It hurt her to see him hurt. She was secretly grateful that Lyall had died so he would never have to see his son in so much pain, but she also wished he was alive to help her know how to help Remus. As it approached midnight and and the moon slowly rose higher in the sky, Hope picked up her aching son and put him in the basement. As she carefully climbed the stairs down to the basement Remus opened his mouth and spoke. "Why are we down here? Whats happening?" he whined through tears as he sobbed in pain. Hope gently kissed his forehead as she opened the basement door, "I'm sorry Remmy. I know it hurts sweetie but..." she couldn't bring herself to lie to him.
What was she ment to say? 'It'll be okay' or 'It'll stop hurting soon' when she knew those were lies. As she set him she finally let the tears slip. "I''ll see you in the morning." was the only thing she managed to choke out before leaving the basement and locking the door. Tears covering her eyes as she sits infront of the door. As she hears her sons voice cry.
Years later Remus's transformations would grow to become even worse, but this night always will stick with him. He will remember crying and screaming for his mother to help. That it hurt so bad and he didn't understand why. He didn't understand where father had gone. He would remember this night as the last time he saw his mother. And she had lied to him. Her last words he remembers of her were lies.
It would always be this night that Hope Lupin finally gives up. She knew she couldn't raise Remus now. And after hearing his screams and crys as he transforms into a beast for the first time in his life. As she hears the growls and howls that come from what she guesses is her son. It all but confirms that she couldn't handle looking after a boy filled with magic and now turned into a monster.
So the next morning, while Remus is still unconscious, she carries him while she Floos to Hogsmeade. She carries him while she walks down past all the cottages and carries him while she stands outside the front door of a cottage home that houses two of Lyalls friends from school. She knows they both work in Hogwarts and she knows Remus will be safe with them. It is only as she lays him down on the 'Welcome Home' door mat and tucks two letters into the top of his trousers does she finally let him go. Remus J Lupin was no longer hers but free to have a better life then what she can offer him.
One addressed to Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey. The other too Remus J Lupin.
Hope knocks on the cottage door before running down the street to the closest fire place she can Floo home too. Then she can pack her stuff and runaway from her life with Lyall and Remus. Maybe one day she will see her son again but she doesn't know. She just knows she needs to get out of his life.
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It was pure coincidence that both Minerva and Poppy had decided to spend the weekend away from their dorm in Hogwarts but instead in their cottage in Hogsmeade. It was a chilly Friday afternoon when the door knocks. Both women look at each in surprise as no one usually bothers them while they are in their cottage. People make up for it by never giving them peace in Hogwarts. "I''ll get the door." Poppy tells her wife as she gets off her spot of the sofa and opens the front door.
What she wasn't expecting to find was a unconscious small boy on her door step. "Oh my!" She gasps before calling over her shoulder. "Minnie, we have a problem." Minerva quickly appears behind her "What do you mean we have a problem-" her question was quickly answered once she see's the boy on her doorstep. Minerva quickly pulls herself together and starts the action. "Poppy go get the healing kit while I get him onto the sofa." she orders while her wife nods and goes to retrieve her kit. Minerva McGonagall may be in her mid-forties but she was far stronger than she looked.
By the time she gets the boy onto the sofa, Poppy returns with her medicine kit. While Poppy worked on making sure the boy was healthy, Minerva took out the two letter. She read who they were addressed too, she opens the one addressed to her and her wife while setting aside the other one. She quickly reads what the letter is saying and has too hold back her own tears at the story. "He's Lyalls son. Remus Lupin." Minerva tells Poppy as she watches her wife work on Remus. Poppy turns away from the boy and up at Minerva "Does that mean..?" she does not need to finish the sentence before Minerva nods.
"Killed by werewolves. His wife, Hope, wasn't there when the attack happened. Apparently she doesn't know what exactly happened but knows Remus was bitten." Minerva says, the usual sternness of her voice replace with something more gentle and sad sounding. Poppy gasps as she realises what this means for Remus "You can't mean...No. He's so young to have to go through so much pain." Poppy tears up as she rubs the boys hand. She feels the need to comfort him even if he wasn't awake to hear it.
"Hope says she can't give him what he needs. But hopes we can..." Minerva's voice trails off at the end of her sentence when she puts the pieces together of what this means. And when she looks at Poppy she knows she has put the pieces together aswell.
"Well. Looks like we have a son." Poppy declares, getting a nod of approval from Minerva in return.