An Unknown World || george weasley

Chapter Ten - The Mistake

[This chapter contains mentions of blood and gore]

Edwin and George were halfway through their holiday in Scotland when Edwin was awoken to an odd noise coming from outside. Edwin, of course, loved all creatures and wanted to know if the animal was in distress. He slipped out of bed, careful not to wake his sleeping boyfriend and left the cottage.

Edwin's body shuddered as he stepped outside to investigate the noise coming from the forest just behind the cottage. Although there was a heatwave taking over Britain, the full moon made the night's air crisp. He took a torch and his Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them book, just in case the noise was coming from a magical creature. George had told Edwin all about the magical creatures that he had encountered during his school days in Scotland and Edwin was hoping to finally catch a glimpse of one, he didn't mind which creature, whether it was a pixie or a gigantic Welsh Green Dragon (although he knew that was very unlikely). He would be foolish to approach a magical creature, especially those classified XXX and above, he just wanted to admire from afar.

He slowly approached the trees, shining his torch just a few meters in front of his feet, the last thing he wanted was to spook the creature. Whenever he heard a rustling that wasn't him, he'd stop in his tracks and wait a few seconds before resuming his search. He was now at the outer layer of trees, the moon's cold glow couldn't reach the land here, it was pitch black. The atmosphere surrounding Edwin had changed, with the loss of sight (his torch felt a lot dimmer in the woods), he now had to primarily rely on his other senses.

He heard the sound of scampering very close, he wanted to show the creature that he was no threat, even though he wasn't entirely sure which creature he was dealing with yet. He backed up into a tree and stood there and waited for the creature to now approach him. A growling noise came from behind the tree which he was pressed up against and Edwin now started to shake. It was as if he had suddenly come to his senses, what on earth was he doing hunting for magical creatures in the dead of night, without even letting George know.

Edwin felt like he was stuck to the tree, he needed to make his way back to the cottage but it felt miles away, he was less than 100 meters into the forest but it was so dark it felt the edge of the woods was nowhere near. The growling noise became louder and he could feel panting on the back of his neck. This was all he needed to become unstuck from his position near the tree, a surge of adrenaline flowed through his veins. Edwin was now running as fast as he could in the direction he believed the cottage to be in. Back to safety, back to George.

He didn't bother to look back to see if the creature was still behind or if it was even a dangerous creature. He could now see the cottage, a light had been turned on, thank God. He finally reached the edge of the woods, he was safe, he thought. The creature swiped at his leg and he instantly fell down, he turned around to face the creature. The torch and his book were now across the garden and he was left with nothing but his fists to fight off the creature. The glow from the cottage light hit the creature and Edwin could finally see what it was.

A werewolf.

He punched and punched the beast until his arms grew weak, he knew this was the end. He had a slash to the face, the back of his legs and he felt the wolf sink his teeth into his arm. He finally let out a horrific scream as a final attempt to ward off the creature but it was no use.

He heard the door behind him burst open, and he could see a ray of artificial light hit his face. He wasn't sure if this was real or if this the way to the afterlife. Please be real, he thought, please please please. A tear crept down his face as the wolf stopped slashing at the helpless boy. A powerful stream of red light hit the wolf, it whimpered and the beast darted back into the woods.