Crossroads | Marauders

Chapter 03: Feather White

— 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟖

        Ever since that day, you hadn't been the same around Remus. All of you painfully discovered that the wound in his arm was no ordinary bite; the man that attacked him was a werewolf. Your simple life had quickly transitioned to torturous nights that slowly dragged on with Remus' pained screams. Calendars filled with marks each month for the rest of your lives. And constantly having to move houses; never staying in one place for too long as it might arouse suspicions within the neighborhood.

        Three years had passed, and the guilt inside you never dissolved — always reminding you that it was you who caused Remus' lycanthropy. If only you hadn't been so angry, if only you listened to the gut feeling of danger, if only you weren't so clouded by anger. You saw the man's glowing eyes in the dark, yet you let it happen.

        You and Remus were out by a small meadow in the middle of the forest. You and his family had just moved into another house, but this time far from the nearest living person. His mother had suggested that the two of you take a break from helping with the boxes. You were about to head inside when Remus playfully dragged you to a nearby pond.

After the incident, he never once blamed you for it, and somehow became nicer to you even if you weren't to yourself. But you were always too distracted now.

        You weren't scared the first time Remus transformed. You were sad, angry, or a mix of both — at yourself. You weren't scared — never of him even when he hurt you by accident. And as he got older, it grew harder for his parents to contain him during the full moon, and thus ultimately needing to move somewhere more isolated from civilisation. And each month that passed by, you felt helpless; unable to do anything but hide under the covers while they tried to calm his howling in the basement.

        "Y/N, heads up!" Remus shouts, breaking you out of your trance.

        But it was too late.

        "Ow!" You exclaimed, the ball hitting your head as it bounced off into the pond behind you, "A  little warning could've been nice!"

        Remus laughs, his features softening in contrast to the scars around his face, "I did! You're the one who wasn't..." He trailed off as something in the direction of the house took his interest, "looking."

        You followed his gaze, and saw a tall old man walking up towards the porch of the house beside Remus' father. His silver hair and beard were long enough to tuck into his belt. He wore a long purple robe in contrast to his sparkling half-moon spectacles. The two men were clearly having a serious conversation judging from Lyall's firm expression.

        "That's Albus Dumbledore!" Remus pointed out in pure amazement as he stepped beside you, "The newest Headmaster at Hogwarts."

        You turn to him, "What? How do you know him?"