Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) Book Three (Marauders Era)

Chapter Three - Muggle Day Out

Author's note: CW for cis teen boy problems, and internalized homophobia. Also this chapter contains post-moon scenes (for new readers that means there will be some gore, blood, and wounds). Also for anyone confused about the first chapter, it was a flashback prologue. All first chapters (prologues) for the SL books will take place before the actual book is set. Sorry for any confusion!

-x-

The first full moon after coming home was rapidly approaching, and Remus was dreading it. Every single morning when he left his bedroom to go upstairs he had to pass by the door to his wolf room, making him sick. When he crossed another day off his calendar, he kept looking at Saturday. The first night. At least this month it would only be three nights locked up inside the tiny room... in August he'd have four.

Wish I was at Hogwarts, he thought on Tuesday morning as he trudged past his wolf room. Sometimes he thought about opening the door, to face the darkness before he was locked in it. But he didn't. He made up reasons for it. There was no point, it'd look no different than the last time he saw it, etc, etc. The truth was he was a little afraid. Afraid of the upcoming moon. Afraid of transforming in the little room.

It had been a long time since he had a 'proper' moon in the room, as over the Easter holidays it rained most of the time, giving him only one night as a wolf and even then not for a full night. As far as he knew, while the weather section of the Daily Prophet called for rain Thursday and Friday night, the couple of days after that were supposed to be crystal clear. Herbologists and Potioneers get ready, it'll be a clear one for all your full moon needs!

There had also been a tiny section warning the residents of Chudley that a possibly feral werewolf had been sighted nearby. There was a photograph of an exhausted looking man who appeared to be in his seventies. Remus had carefully cut this out and put it in a desk drawer where he was collecting articles about werewolves.

After Lyall left and Hope and Remus cleaned up the dishes, the two of them went into her garden out back. It was a fairly large garden, surrounded by a rather high stone wall. A new addition had been made since his Easter holidays: a very small water feature. A tiny little pond surrounded by moss-covered rocks. He sat next to it, a book open in his lap to read as his mother worked.

"Remus?"

"Yes?" He shut his book, assuming she needed help.

"I was thinking..." Hope knelt a few feet away, one gloved hand clutching some shears. "How would you like to see a film?"

"A... film?"

"It's been a long time," she said, going back to her work. "I know we sold our television ages ago but I was thinking it might be nice to go see a film. Two, actually. Would you like that?"

Remus stared at his mother. "In a... cinema?"

Hope giggled. "Of course."

"What kind of film?"

Hope wiped her forehead off, leaving a streak of dirt. "They are playing a few different ones from throughout the years. I thought we could go to two. One for you, one for me. They have a Marilyn Monroe film I've never had a chance to see."

He wasn't sure who Marilyn Monroe was, but his mother seemed excited at the prospect. "Yeah, I'd like that," he said.

She smiled very happily. "Wonderful! It starts this weekend—"

"Mum!" He nearly dropped his book. "We c-can't—"

"I know. Let me finish, darling, please," Hope chided. "It starts this weekend and runs all week so I was thinking next Wednesday. That will give you time to recover. They're playing the one I want to see that day and I think they have a... a science-fiction film playing that day too, for you. You like that, right?" She bent down, digging into the dirt. "Marilyn Monroe was so beautiful. It's been eleven years but it's still such a tragedy."