Huntress | Remus Lupin

1 - Night Terrors

The room was dark. The kind of dark that makes a young boy's imagination run wild. The shadows looked as though they were creeping around, baring menacing teeth at the boy who was sat up in his bed; eyes wide and bright. Every creak was some unknown beast and the only thing keeping him from crying out in fear was the soft light creeping in under the door and the quiet chatter of his parents coming from the room next to his own.

Suddenly, there was a deafening crash, and the boy jumped in fright. The window had shattered into thousands of tiny shards of glass that were twinkling in the light that his curtains had previously been blocking. There, stood in his window, framed by the light of the moon, stood a monstrous figure. The boy could do nothing but stare, so afraid that not a single sound escaped his soft lips.

Moving towards the child, the creature bounded onto his bed and stood above him menacingly. Its body was covered in matted hair, its mouth filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth, and its eyes an angry yellow. On the verge of tears, the boy swayed gently in his bed, trying not to attract the attention of the wolf and was putting in an enormous effort to calm his throbbing heart down. It was like he was trapped in a bubble; he couldn't hear anything except the noise of his heart bouncing around his chest, and the feeling of it in his throat. It was then that he couldn't hold it in any longer and he started to cry, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks.

The wolf-creature moved back from his face and ripped away the duvet, leaving it tattered on the floor. It opened its jaws wide and sunk its jagged fangs into the child's side. Searing, white-hot pain shot through his leg. His back arched off the bed as he gasped for breath. Along with the pain came blood. It was pouring from his wounds, staining the pale blue covers beneath him. The huge creature began ripping through the thin pyjamas the boy was wearing and tearing through the flesh like paper, taking chunks out of his body.

The young child's eyes widened further, and he began to scream at the top of his voice. Instead of deterring the beast, it almost seemed to encourage it in its actions, and it continued to rip through his flesh.

Barely seconds later, his screams died as he began to slip out of consciousness, the room slowly fading into black.

Remus Lupin sat bolt upright and wiped his forehead. Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks and his breathing was heavy. Quietly he pulled the covers back, clambered out of his bed and walked to the bathroom where, after casting a quick Lumos, he looked in the mirror. Staring back at him was a ghost; skin pale, scars alarmingly bright, sweat dripping from his forehead, and a haunted expression. He knew that he couldn't let his friends see him like this. They'd only worry.

He turned and closed the door softly, then made his way to the shower and turned on the tap. As the water began to heat up, he stripped off his sweat-soaked pyjamas and shoved them in the laundry basket. By that time, the water was at the perfect temperature and a familiar smile began to tug on his face as he admired the beauty of the magic that had been woven into the building itself, thousands of years ago.

When he stepped into the shower, the feeling of warm water was refreshing, to say the least. It was as though the nightmare was disappearing with it, down the drain and through the catacombs of pipes that ran through the walls of the castle. Normally, it didn't take Remus long to shower but today, with the stress of what had been an awful nightmare, he decided to let himself relax. He let the droplets of water drip onto his face and down his back, relishing in the tranquil peace of the morning. After his period of ease, Remus lathered his hair and body in soap, washing the final effects of the terror he had endured during the night from him.

After he had changed, he found himself wandering back over to the now steamed mirror and wiping it clean with the end of his sleeve. The reflection that looked back now was more human, the skin still pale but with a tint of rose within the cheeks and the scars not as prominent as before but still, unfortunately, noticeable.