Another path for Remus lupin

Rustling leaves

And for a second, it was like the world had slowed down, like Hope was just standing still and the rest of the world was continuing on, Hope didn't think, she couldn't think, she just stood there, her eyes resting on that ragged bunny in that boys hands.

And then, everything clicked.

Hope stumbled backwards, her mind dizzy, 

And, in a flash as her thoughts slowly connected in her mind, she ran to Remus's bedroom, she wasn't thinking straight, 

And as she opened the door and her eyes met the dusty, untouched, unclean room, her eyes drifted, also mechanically, to the bare spot on the ground, the spot, that for six whole years, Remus's rabbit, Binky had laid,

And, just like before, the rabbit was gone.

Hope stood still again, her eyes glued to the empty, rabbit-shaped outline on the ground, her mind racing back to the image of that boy, that beaten up boy, holding the blue rabbit, how his gnarled, bloody, dirt-caked hands held and cuddled the rabbit, the same way that her boy, Remus used to hold his, close to his chest as he drifted off into sleep,

Hope leaned against the door frame as she clutched her chest, taking deep breaths in and deep breaths out,

The boy was him...

The boy was Remus.

That boy was the one who stole Binky from her house a few days ago.

Hope swallowed the thick lump that had formed in her throat.

And even though she knew that just because he had the bunny, that didn't mean he was her son, she knew it was him, something deep down, some in her gut, told her that he was Remus.

And, that's when she realized.

The boy outside was a werewolf...

Did that mean her son was-,

But, Hope didn't care, she just simply didn't, she had reached that point of desperation that, she didn't care who or what her son was, she just wanted to hold his head in her hands,

Hope got up from the doorframe and walked to the backdoor, ready to hold her son in her hands after what felt like more than forever.

*****

Remus knew very well that the women that offered him that sandwich was his mother.

He didn't even had to be told that it was her, he just felt it, he just felt this weird sort of connection with her, he couldn't quiet explain it, but, it was like whenever he was near her, he felt safe.

As Remus held the ragged Binky to his chest, his entire body aching, it even felt like breathing was painful, he looked into the forest,

Should he run away?

Remus glanced at the untouched sandwich that sat next to him,

He supposed he could steal the sandwich and run into the forest.

But, for some reason, he didn't, he just stayed, he had tried to will himself to sit up and walk away, but, weather it was because he was too tired or for some other reason, he just stayed there, unmoving.

After all, if she found out he was a werewolf, she would have shouted at him to leave and probably get out the pitchforks,

"Remus? Remus is that you?"

Remus perked up and looked behind him, a lump forming in his throat.

He saw his Mum stumbling towards him, her chestnut hair messy and flying behind her, Remus just sat there, words catching in his throat as she sat down next to him, 

"Remus? Is that you?" she repeated,

No, who even is Remus, Remus was about to saw, the words resting on his lips, that's when he saw the look on his Mum's face,

The look of desperation, the look of confusion, but, the look of something that Remus's wasn't familiar with, the look of tenderness,

The look of Love...

"Mum?" Remus said, his voice breaking, 

The next few minutes were a blur, all Remus could remember was the rush as they both wrapped each other in there eyes, Remus could still remember the salty taste of tears as his mother wrapped him in her arms as he sobbed, pressing his face into her nightdress as they both sat there, leaves rustling above their heads.