Written for the Hunger Games Challenge.

Prompts Used:

Word: Abandoned.

Dialogue: "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Setting: St Mungos

Word Count: 2000

Genre: Angst

Remus Lupin didn't understand what was going on or why he was in the hospital. All he knew was that he wasn't well. His body ached and he was in agony.

He tried to stop the tears from falling. Daddy always said that big boys don't cry when they're hurt and Remus didn't want to make a fuss.

He wasn't a baby after all. He was five, which made him a big boy, his mummy told him that all the time.

But his mummy and daddy weren't there to see how strong he was being. He had tried his hardest to stay awake when his eyes threatened to close. If he fell asleep, mummy and daddy might come and he'd miss them. It wasn't like them to not be there was he wasn't well. Mummy always cuddled him when he was sick, so why wasn't she here to do that now?

He lay in the bed, trying not to move as movement caused pain and he watched the door. He was sure they would be there soon.

And he waited.

...oOo...

Charlus Potter carried his sobbing son through St. Mungo's. James had fallen off his broomstick and Charlus had healed him, but he was worried that he had missed something with the way that James was clutching his arm.

Charlus was going to sue that broomstick company. They were only supposed to go a short distance from the ground. How James managed to get it nine foot up was beyond him. The brooms were meant to hold up against accidental magic.

A curtain was immediately pulled around James' bed as a healer tended to his son. It was about an hour before Charlus opened the curtains again, noticing a small boy in the next bed.

Charlus watched the door for a while as James read his magazines, but the only person who came was a mediwitch to bring the boy food.

After an hour, the boy fell asleep sitting up. Charlus went to fix him into a laying position, as no mediwitches or healers seemed to be bothering with him.

As he walked around the other side of the bed, he finally saw the boy's face and froze.

"Remus," he whispered, recognising the small boy.

...oOo...

Remus paid no attention to the upset boy in the next bed. Didn't the boy know that big boys shouldn't cry?

His eyes remained on the door, occasionally flicking to the open window. He had to watch it, that's how the monster got in the first time.

He was glad that his daddy got rid of the monster before it hurt him and mummy too.

As Remus tried to remember, he found he couldn't. The last thing he remembered was pain, agony. Then his daddy running in.

Then nothing.

What if the monster got his mummy and daddy?

He tried to stay calm. His daddy had a wand, so he would protect him and mummy.

As Remus struggled to stay awake, he wondered if his mummy or daddy were in hospital too. He knew when he woke up, he'd have to go and find them.

...oOo...

Charlus waited for his wife to turn up. She had been visiting with her brother, Marius, and Charlus had to leave her a note at home, due to Marius' family being muggles and knowing nothing of magic.

The moment she arrived, Charlus was up out of his seat. He looked at Remus and explained he knew the boy's father and had to go and see him to let him know his son was here.

...oOo...

Charlus had seen Lyall that morning around the Ministry when he had been in with James. Deep down he knew that Lyall would have been told his son was in the hospital, but Charlus couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Lyall was in work and not with his son.

He walked into Lyall's office, and Lyall glanced up at him.

"James had an accident and ended up in St. Mungo's," Charlus said, his eyes fixed on the man he thought he knew, the man who had doted on his only son.

Lyall stared back, before turning back to the document on his desk.

"You've seen him?"

"If you mean your son, then -"

"I have no son," Lyall snapped. "Not anymore." He held out some forms to Charlus.

Charlus reached for the forms and he glanced at them.

"So you want me to inform you five year old child that he's being abandoned?" Charlus asked, an angry curl to his lip as he locked eyes with Lyall.

"My son died three nights ago," Lyall growled. "Whatever you saw in that hospital bed is a Werewolf, a monster."

"You can't truly believe that?" Charlus asked in shock.

"You'll find that both me and Hope have filled the forms out. The law states that we can do this, and who are you to question the law? It's your job to escort these creatures to their new homes."

Charlus looked down at the forms again, hating the law. Any child or teen upto the age of seventeen that was infected with Lycanthropy was able to be given up without question to Child Services.

Charlus had met Remus so many times when the boy had gone to the Ministry with his father. Remus was a smart, kind little boy, and there was no way Remus was going to be abandoned like that.

Charlus knew what he had to do. He still had the forms somewhere in his office from when he and Dora thought they'd never conceive.

An hour later, he found the forms. He strode into Lyall's office and slammed them on the desk.

Lyall looked at them, then back at Charlus.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"You aren't me," Charlus snarled, having lost all patience with this man. "Wouldn't you rather know that he's with someone who'll treat him like their own son rather than locked away?"

Lyall sighed and stared at the paper for a long time before slowly pulling them towards him and signing his name. He turned back to his work, not looking back at Charlus.

...oOo...

When Charlus returned to the hospital, he spotted his wife shouting at a Healer. His presence didn't make any difference.

"You horrible little worm," she shouted. "How dare you say that to a five year old? I don't care what his condition is, you as a Healer and a professional should treat him as everyone else. You cold, cruek man. You could have broke it to him gently."

"Dorea?"

"The poor little boy," Dorea said, turning to her husband. "This disgusting excuse for a wizard came in and told the boy that his parents didn't want him anymore. That they weren't coming for him."

"Where is he?" Charlus asked, looking around.

"He cried something about looking for his mum and ran. Half the hospital are looking for him now."

Charlus turned to the healer, holding out the form Lyall signed, giving guardianship of Remus to him.

"As of now, I'm the boy's legal guardian. I want to see Remus back in that hospital bed and I expect you to act as a professional, is that understood?"

The Healer nodded and left to search for Remus.

"Legal Guardian?" Dorea asked, and Charlus turned back to her.

"His father is Lyall Lupin," Charlus explained.

Dorea's mouth opened in shock. "But he -"

"Hates Werewolves. He told me his son died three nights ago. He was going to give up rights to him and give the boy to the Child Services, and you know what that's like."

Dorea nodded. "But us?"

The doors opened, and the pair turned to see a boy fighting with the man who had a hold on him.

"He's a wonderful kid, and we always wanted another child," Charlus said.

...oOo...

"No, my mummy does want me," Remus argued, looking angrily up at the man who said otherwise.

"I'm sorry, but they are giving up their rights to you. As of now, you are no longer their son."

Another mummy began to shout at the horrible man, and Remus slipped out of the bed. "I'm going to find my mummy," he informed them, before slipping out of the doors.

Remus lasted about half an hour before a man found him and brought him back to the room. He had fought with the man. His mummy and daddy had to be in the hospital, he just knew it. They wouldn't just leave him.

He was lifted into the bed and his eyes fell on Charlus Potter.

"You're daddy's friend," Remus said, forgetting to fight at the sight of a familiar face.

Charlus nodded. "Remus, do you know what happened to you?"

"A monster snuck into my room," Remus whispered, his gaze falling to his lap. "It came in my window and hurt me. Did it get my mummy and daddy?"

"No, it didn't," Charlus confirmed and Remus looked relieved by the news.

"Remus, what do you know about Werewolves?" Dorea asked, trying to keep her tone soft.

"Daddy said that they are evil monsters that have no souls and all Werewolves should die."

Dorea looked at her husband before taking a seat on the bed.

"No, Remus. That's not it at all. Werewolves transform once a month. The rest of the time they are people too. There are some bad Werewolves just as there are some bad people. The rest are good. They have souls and they deserve to live.

"But daddy said -"

"Werewolves are cool," the boy on the next bed said.

"They are?" Remus asked, doubtfully.

James nodded his head. "Is that what you are? Are you a Werewolf?" Is that why you're here?" James asked him.

Remus went pale at the question, and Dorea took Remus' hand.

"Sweetheart -" she began.

"That's why daddy isn't here? Because I'm a monster now too." The tears were rolling down his face, and Dorea pulled the small boy into her arms, holding him tightly. He clung to her.

"Of course you're not a monster," she said, trying to comfort the sobbing child.

"They don't want me anymore, so I must be a monster. I'll try to be good still, tell them that I won't be evil, I promise I'll be good. I want my mummy and my daddy," he choked out through the tears.

Dorea held Remus as he sobbed for his parents, finally wearing himself out.

"Remus, would you like to come and stay with us for a while?" Dorea asked, when the tears slowed.

"Like... like a holiday?" Remus whispered.

"You'll be living with us," Charlus told him.

"Until my mummy and daddy change their mind?" Remus asked softly, his gaze moving to the door yet again.

The Potters shared a look. They both knew that Lyall Lupin wouldn't change his mind.

"Do you want some of my chocolate?" James asked, climbing out of his bed and climbing onto Remus'.

Dorea watched the two boys share the large bar of chocolate as James pointed out pictures in his comic. The only sounds coming from Remus were small sniffles as he tried to hold the tears back.

...oOo...

It took a long time for Remus to settle. At first he waited for his parents to come back for him. Once he realised they weren't returning, the Potter's had to deal with an emotional little boy who didn't quite understand the transformations each month, and strugged with his abandonment.

But it was James that truly helped Remus through it. James treated the quiet boy as a brother should. The pair could often be found sitting in the orchard together; James climbing trees whilst Remus chose to sit underneath them with a book.

They became inseparable.

The Lupins never returned for Remus, and Remus never forgot about them.

But as time passed, Remus came to realise that the Potters were his true family - the first people to accept him. Their family expanded as the boys began Hogwarts and formed the Marauders.

Exactly 2000 words. (Wow, that was hard to do.)

Review please :D

Again, thanks to Rayne for the help on this. :)