Chapter Text
Oh very young, what will you leave us this time
Your only dancin’ on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now
They will vanish away like your dad’s best jeans
“Mum! Look at me!”
A very small Remus Lupin hopped up and down, grass shards tickling his bare feet. His mother sat in a woven rocking chair, humming as she looked down while she fiddled about with yarn and needles.
He groaned when her focus wasn't deterred, and yelled again, “Mum!”
“Okay, okay, I'm looking!” Came Hope Lupin’s voice, muffled by a chuckle.
Remus grinned. Face contorting in concentration, he firmly planted his feet into the ground, lifting his arms close to his ears, stepping forward, bringing his hands to the ground and rotating over them.
The world in this view for just a split moment always gave the young boy a sense of freedom. His surroundings would flash by very quickly, the noise by beings nearby were muffled by the air that wooshed past his ears, the same air that threaded itself into his hair. It was truly the free-est a little child could ever be.
As gravity brought him back to his feet, he looked expectantly to his mother, “Mum! Did you see me!?”
But, instead of finding her grey-blue eyes, he saw the back of her sandy-brown hair. She was facing the back door of their little cottage, most likely talking to Remus’s dad, as he saw Lyall Lupin’s head popped out of the door frame.
Remus immediately felt the euphoria disappear, and frustration took its place. He hated it when his parents failed to see him when he needed them. But he could only watch with a frown on his face as his mother’s shoulders shook with laughter.
“I'm sorry, honey.” She said, her eyebrows creased, after the door shut with a soft click. She shifted her body so that she was facing him all the way, her posture open and inviting. “Okay, I'm watching now— hey! I really am.” She professed, in response to Remus’s huff.
“Promise?” he pleaded with big eyes, not being able to stay mad at his mother for long.
“Promise.”
And with that, he took a big breath and went back to his spot. He planted his feet, his arms close to his ears, took a step forward, and brought his hands to the ground. And his body soared over them.
But when he went to plant his air-borne feet back into the ground once again, his right foot slipped on the slick grass, causing his leg to turn on an awkward angle.
The rush of senses stunned Remus for a second, but when his mind came back to its steady thrum, his first thought wasn't of the pain in his leg. It was brittle, sharp frustration. The kind that only came when you failed in showing your parents something. Of course, the moment when his mother was finally paying attention, he failed. A sour feeling crept up his throat, and his nose began to sting, as tears pricked his eyes.
“Shhh… it's okay, Remmy, mummy’s here.” a comforting voice, said, rescuing him from the haze of his own tears.
Remus blinked, confused, as he felt arms around him. It was only then that he realized he was on the ground. Hope Lupin’s face at that moment was one that would be imprinted into his mind for a long time. It was more creased than usual, lines pulling at her eyebrows, and eyes filled with something deep. Her expression was one that could only be housed by a mother. The fierce maternal fear that could only be born when harm came to their child.
It was at this moment when he felt a sharp piercing in his leg. It was the pulse of pain, and soon his eyes were filled with tears of physical hurt.
The world soon blurred in and out of focus, the liquid of his tears contorting his sight. That face, the one of his mother, was the last thing he saw before darkness greeted him.
_______ _______
When he woke again, it was to the citrusy scent of a hospital. A scent, mind you, that Remus would become very familiar with in his future years.
He croaked as he opened his bleary eyes, which was an effort, because they felt as if someone was trying to hold them shut.
“Mum..?” he called out, somewhat feebly. One could say that the resemblance between him and a newborn kitten were not that drastically different.
“M’right here, sweetheart..” Came his mother’s soothing voice, instantly calming Remus’s quickened heartbeat. A warm hand rubbed his arm, and the contact made Remus feel warm inside, like he was finally safe.
The feeling didn't last long though, as the hand snaked back to his mother’s lap, her eyes resting on her latest knitted creation.
Remus couldn't help leaning over, curiosity taking over him. You could barely ever find his mother without yarn and needles in hand. She was a crafty woman, always taking the chance to diy things by herself, instead of purchasing things from stores; she even did these things without the aid of magic. She would always say how doing such always reminded her back to when she was just a girl, and would do such projects with her mother, since she grew up a muggle.
“What’re you making?” he asked. He was rarely not interested in her work, and he had made a whole big deal out of making her promise to teach him one day.
Hope’s face brightened instantly, her eyes gleaming. Even at his young age, Remus noticed that she always wore her heart on her sleeve. Her eyes were piercing, like the sun on a hazy day, but instead of being unsettling, they were quite comforting, and always encouraged him whenever he felt hesitant about something. And he could always rely on her smile, which felt like the warm rays of the sun on a cold day, and was like receiving a hug, even if she made no move to comfort him by touch.
Woah. He thought. She held up a beautiful crimson, hand-made scarf. The red yarn seemed to glimmer in the fluorescent lights, shadows creating cracks in the texture. It was adorned with small, yellow stars that ran throughout the piece, catching Remus’ eye, like a hook on yarn.
Hope grinned as she watched her son reach out in wonder to touch the scarf, cooing when the soft yarn brushed his fingers. “It was supposed to be a birthday gift for you, but I suppose you deserve it now, don't you?” She said, laughing when Remus tugged on it, trying to take it into the hospital bed with him.
“Not yet, not yet, dear. Mummy’s not finished!” Remus pouted.
Hope laughed again. “I promise I’ll give it to you once I'm done.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”