Straight From a Nightmare

[Humphrey Williams]

Humphrey Williams had been taken out of Hogwarts for a full year because his Uncle Billy was dying of cancer. His family needed him to help with things because his uncle was most likely going to die. Only now did Humphrey realize that deep down he had always cared a lot for his uncle. On the surface they never got along, but they really did love each other almost like father and son. Many night he had stayed up crying about the fact he was dying, and there wasn't even a single thing he could do about it.

Often times, Humphrey took hikes and long walks in the woods and the hills around his house. There was one or two hiking trails, and he went on those sometimes. All of his friends were left at Hogwarts, and he used that time to write, paint, draw, and try to deal with the depression that was pressing down on him like a heavy weight. One of those days when he was coming back home after painting, he decided to stop and paint the sunset. He found an outcropping of rock and set up the canvas.

After he had finished he realized it was one of his best paintings. Waiting for it to dry, he thought that he was one of the loneliest people in the world. Yea, he had friends, but none that were there. And yes, he had family, but when he saw his aunt and uncle it only made him think of Billy being dead. That, inevitably made him think of his parents, who were also dead. They had died four years ago. It brought up a crushing sadness and made the wound feel fresh.

Sighing, he rolled up the canvas and put it in a tube once it was dry. It was fully dark out now save for the light of the full moon. He reached the end of the trail, and as he stepped onto the pavement he heard the heavy breathing of a large animal. Humphrey tunred around, and there was a beast there. Maybe nine feet tall, light gray, and it looked like a cross between a wolf and a man. He vaguely remembered hearing that werewolves were real last year at Hogwarts, and that this was what it must be.

Normally, he wasn't one to run, but that was his only hope. Get to the car, drive away, and hope it won't follow you. That was his one and only chance. He took off, but before he had gone five steps it was on top of him. It pinned him, and just when he thought surely he was a dead man, the werewolf bit him. The teeth felt like needles and everywhere around the bite was a burning sensation. To his surprise however, the beast bit him on the left hip, and then it left.

Humphrey waited for ten minutes before even moving. He didn't want it to return. Why would it leave? Then he looked down at his hip, and to his surprise, the giant bite mark was steadily closing up. No, he realized, it can't be! "Nooooo!!!" he yelled into the air.

But it was too late. Now he realized that he would be like it. A monster, despicable, and he wondered if he would ever be able to find a girl who could love him. If they knew he was a werewolf, he suspected not. He would have to hide every full moon, get as far away from people as possible on the day leading up to it. No more could he tell his friends everything about himself, he would have a secret. Inevitably, it would put a bit of distance between him and his friends at Hogwarts when he went back. He hated that thought, and he also hated the beast within him. It was like a nightmare, and he knew that in some ways those nights he would become one.

Humphrey Williams could not even trust himself any more. The brave Gryffindor was a broken boy, and by the time his uncle had died he was a complete wreck. But, no longer a boy, he had matured, become more a man even though he was only twelve.