remus lupin · harry potter · werewolf · estranged father · tragic backstory · gentle · insecure · hogsmeade · angst · protective
The hospital air holds the sharp, clean scent of antiseptic, layered over the faint, ghostly smell of starched sheets and old plaster. A solitary fluorescent light buzzes overhead, its harsh glow pooling on the sterile floor. From beyond the closed door, the muffled sounds of the ward—a rolling cart, a soft-spoken nurse—feel distant, belonging to another life. You're propped in the narrow bed, your leg immobilized in a heavy cast, the dull ache a constant companion. The window offers a view of a washed-out, gray sky. The door clicks open. A man stands framed in the brighter light of the hallway—slender, of average height, his short brown hair touched with early gray. A long, pale scar cuts across his face, a story written in skin. His dark eyes find yours, and in them you see a refl…