A Marauders Era Fanfiction

Tumblog for the fanfiction series. Home to chapter releases, fanart & author updates relating to the story.

[eldestwand-deactivated20170517]

The Marauders all died trying to protect Harry

[marauders-fanfic]

this is so important.

[marauders-fanfic]

     “Remus.”      “… That’s a lovely first name.”      “Lupin.” He finished.      “Cool scars, Remus Lupin.” Sirius said, making him fight the urge to mess his hair over his face. - The Book of Beasts -

[marauders-fanfic]

Chapter Five: The First Run

Remus dreamt he was walking around a old homes in desperate search of his own room when Peter’s snoring woke him the next morning. He kicked his feet over the edge of his bed and noticed the folded pieces of parchment on his stand during his stretch. He grabbed the papers and moved the bed hair from his eyes, skimming the pages to realise they’d been his timetables for classes, a map of the school, and a note, which he placed next to him.

He looked at the timetables sheet first to see History of Magic listed first thing in the morning, even though it wasn’t going to be for another hour and a half. Remus snuck out of his covers as quietly as possible to get to his trunk for his robes. With success, he was amazed to find all of his clothes were still neatly folded in their place but were altered just as they were the night before to his house colours. He set his clothes on the bed and began dressing himself, setting the map and schedule aside so that he could get a better look at the note that came along with them as he buttoned up his shirt.

 Dear Mr. Lupin,

                 Please meet us in the Gamekeeper Hagrid’s hut at 4 o’ clock this afternoon. We want to make sure all of the preparations are in place. The hut is just beyond the main doors to the castle. Just follow the path towards the Forbidden Forest. You will find it.

Professor Dumbledore

 As soon as his eyes trailed to the end of the note, the pieces of paper flew from his hands and folded itself into a neat square, then flew into his trouser pocket on the floor in the blink of an eye.

“I didn’t hear an alarm go off.” Sirius yawned, startling him. Remus smiled at the sight of him not thinking Sirius’ hair could be any more of a mess than it had been the night before, but was amused to be proven wrong by his bedhead. “Are we late?” Remus shook his head and jumped into his trousers, being careful not to lose the note from their pockets.

“No, History of Magic doesn’t start until—"

“Late? Wh— did someone say we’re late?!” Peter interrupted, jumping out of bed faster than Remus thought possible for him to move. He fumbled and tripped over his sheets and the thud of him hitting the floor woke the other boys, who were now just as confused and now grumpy from being woken up with a start. Peter scrambled to his feet and slammed his trunk open to grab his robes, rambling on about how he’d just had a dream he was late for their first classes and knew it would happen.

“Peter,” said Remus, trying to get his attention.

“Have James and Sirius already left? I hope they saved seats for us.”

“No, but Peter—“

“Good, maybe if we show up together we won’t get in too much trouble.” He said, now desperately attempting to fix his tie before he noticed a freshly awoken James and Sirius in stiches laughing. Peter’s face turned almost as red as the undone tie around his neck. “…We’re not late, are we, Remus.” Remus shook his head then shrugged.

“At least you got us all up on time?”

 The four of them walked down the tower and through the moving staircases heading to the classroom marked on the map in Peter’s hands.

“It will be… the first, no— second door on the left of the fourth floor corridor” He said holding the parchment to his nose as they waited for the set of stairs they were currently standing on to finish moving. Peter rotated the map in his hands as he struggled to read it. “At least I think that’s right…”

“Let me look.” Said Sirius, who snatched the map from Peter’s hands so quickly that the parchment flew from his grasp and over the railings. “…Oops.” He shrugged, making Peter whimper and bring his hands to the sides of his head, complaining that it took him forever to mark exactly where their classes were going to be all term.

“Hah! Nice job, butterfingers.” Said James laughing. “You lose our only way of getting around for the day and all you have to say is ‘Oops?’”

“It’s fine, we can just ask for directions until tomorrow.” Remus piped up.

“And risk looking even more like dumb little first years?” James said, now looking at him incredulously.

“Well we are first years… and better dumb and on time than dumb and lost…” Remus muttered. Sirius nodded, glad that someone was pointing out a solution rather than focusing on his blunder in dropping their map.

“He’s got a point.” He said quickly, Peter nodding along with him. Sirius smiled at Remus in thanks as the stairs came to a halt. They scurried down to the fourth floor as quickly as possible to avoid having the stairs change on them again, heading through the second door on the fourth floor as Peter said.

                   They had arrived comfortably early to choose their own seats, which was the initial plan. Remus took his seat in front of James and Sirius next to Peter in the middle of the room when he saw Lily walk in with another Gryffindor girl in their year who’s name escaped him. She smiled and waved at him just before he hung his bag of textbooks on the edge of his seat, making him drop them on the floor with a loud crash when he attempted to wave back along with James, who must have thought she was greeting him instead.

Peter shuddered next to him, making a comment about how odd it was that the classroom was kept so chilly when Remus crouched down to pick up his bag. While reaching for the straps, he noticed what looked like an outline of shoe floating in midair connected to an outline of an ankle leading up to and outline of a leg. Remus jumped realising when his eyes trailed upwards that he was looking at the ghostlike figure of a very old man, who was looking down at him through his large ghostly glasses.

                 “Was that you making all of that racket, boy?” He said, giving Remus the chills when he spoke, now realising a ghost was addressing him. He nodded quickly and picked up his bag to hang it on the corner of his chair without making the same mistake twice. “That’s quite all right. It served as a sufficient alarm to alert me of the start of class.” Though he had feet he floated away gracefully to his desk, hovering in the same spot until the other students arrived. Remus had never seen a real ghost before, even though his father told him they roam the castle. He didn’t want to be rude and stare at his semi-transparency, knowing himself how uncomfortable it feels to be stared at.

Once the final batch of students took their seats, the ghost introduced himself as Professor Binns. He spoke in a very monotonous voice during his introduction, which address the way he passed on to the satisfaction of those who had the question in mind. He droned on about how he died in the Hogwarts staffroom in his sleep and continued on to teach ever since. Now that he’d pointed it out, Remus spotted Professor Binns desk had been riddled with cobwebs and dust, looking as though it had indeed remained untouched for decades.

                 After his introduction he continued right into the lecture. In any other circumstance the idea of learning about the Dawn of Magic would have intrigued him for hours, but Remus felt himself getting drowsy the longer he listened to Professor Binns lull of a voice. He tried taking notes and concentrating on the Peter’s steady snores to keep himself alert, only to find that when class had finally ended that he and a handful of other students were the only ones who managed to stay awake. While everyone began trickling out of the classroom, Remus spotted Lily gathering her things and approached her. He figured if anyone would have a map marked like Peter’s it would be her, and maybe if he asked politely enough she would let him see it long enough for him to know where their next classes were.

                 “Hey Remus.” She said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Pretty exciting lecture, wasn’t it?” He couldn’t tell if she was joking or not, but he nodded anyway. “This is Marlene McKinnon by the way. She’s in Gryffindor too.” The dark haired girl next to Lily stayed focused on her bag until her name was mentioned, making her quickly turn her freckled face to look at Remus.

                 “Oh, hello.” He said after waving awkwardly. Marlene smiled back at him and returned the gesture, her eyes lingering on his scars for a few seconds before he fixed his hair again over his face. “I er, well… Do you think it’s okay if I borrow your map? We lost ours and Peter marked all of the classes— James doesn’t want to get lost so…”

“Sure, I don’t mind.” She reached into her own bag and pulled out a neatly folded piece of parchment. “I don’t think Marlene minds sharing hers for today. Promise to give it back later?” He nodded and accepted, prompting the girls to leave on their way to their next class. Remus walked back to the others and finally made their way out the classroom together, making sure he kept the map in his possession as to ensure it didn’t find its way down the stairs or hinder him from keeping his promise to return it.

 Potions had shown promise at first to be much more exciting than History of Magic, especially since their teacher Professor Slughorn was so passionate about his students. Their first lecture was less about the actual art of potion making and more about how he expected great and wonderful things from all of the students sitting in the class. The sentiment was encouraging but it made Remus feel tense, especially when Professor Slughorn’s eyes fixed on his for a few moments longer than others. The impression Remus felt in that instant wasn’t encouragement like he sensed with Professor McGonagall before the sorting, but of unease. It was as though there was an unspoken agreement between them that the Professor expected the most from him, especially since he knew that he was capable of the opposite. Perhaps it was the dungeon of a classroom that was making him feel so unsettled, or possibly the abundance of smells making his head funny and feel anxious when there was nothing to feel anxious about. He remembered what Professor Dumbledore told him when they first met about every teacher being on his side while he was at school and tried to keep the notion out of his head. It was only the first day after all; no one was expecting anything extraordinary right away.

Once he was finished up with his introduction, Professor Slughorn dove into the lecture. He started with how to identify different potions ingredients and the class took diligent notes on every word until the period was over and all were dismissed. Remus felt guilty for wanting to leave the room as quickly as possible, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of claustrophobia from being cooped up in that classroom. He waited outside until the others caught up, and walked with them all to the great hall for their lunch break. The room was still set up as it was for the feast with the four long tables filling the room and just like the night before, their empty plates filling with sandwiches and soups when they all sat down. Remus didn’t realise how hungry he was since they’d skipped breakfast wanting to make it to their first class earlier than usual. The others must have felt the same since there were no words spoken between sitting down and immediately scarfing down their sandwiches.

In the middle of their lunch feast, Remus spotted movement from the corner of his eye from the uppermost windows. He turned his head to get a better look when he saw owls flying in and swooping down to each of the tables, dropping packages or perching to deliver letters. The sudden thud on the table snapped his attention back again, noticing a shoebox size package in front of James. James tore at the paper excitedly, saying that he didn’t expect a care package from his parents for at least another week or so. Remus looked around the flock of birds still soaring around the hall to see if he’d be getting a package too. He didn’t mention it to either of his parents when he left as it never crossed his mind, and it was still only the first day of classes. He shrugged and brought gaze back down to his plate, only to be startled when he saw his father’s owl a foot away from his face. It hooted and held out its leg where a letter was tied, urging Remus to untie and collect it. Remus was happy to see the bird again, almost as much as he was that his parents took the time to write him a letter. While James, Sirius, and Peter were digging through the care package of goodies Mr. and Mrs. Potter sent, Remus opened the letter to the familiar handwriting of his mother.

 Dear Remus,

I hope your first day has been going well. Your father just received Professor Dumbledore’s owl last night saying you were sorted into Gryffindor, and we both couldn’t be more proud. Of course you know I had to have a full explanation of all of the houses from him, but from what he’s told me it sounds like it suits you perfectly. He says he was in Ravenclaw during his time at school, which if that makes any sense at all to you, explains so much.

Please write back soon! We want to hear all about your first classes and new friends you’ve been making. We’re still in London for another week so I’ll make sure to let you know about all of the fun we’re having here if you promise to do the same.

 Love,

                 Mum

                 P.S. Your father says the owl’s name is Ezra

 Remus looked up from his letter to find Ezra picking at his sandwich. He held out a hand and stroked the bird before it ruffled its feathers and soared off from the table.

“What’s the letter say?” Peter asked, trying to look over Remus’ shoulder. He quickly folded the note and tucked it in his pocket, where he’d almost forgotten the Professor’s note was as well.

“Nothing. Just my mother—“

“Awh, does wittle Wemus miss his mummy.” James said, now opening a chocolate frog his own mother sent him. Remus felt himself turn red and shook his head quickly, which only made him and Sirius giggle more. “You’re easy to wind up.”

“I just don’t like being teased.” He said quietly while looking down and fidgeting with his hands.

“I only tease my friends.”

 Transfiguration was their last class for the day, and Remus had never felt more intimidated in his life. Professor McGonagall gave a start of the term speech for her expectations like Professor Slughorn, but it was completely focused on conduct rather than expectation. She spoke with finality and stressed that she didn’t tolerate any foolishness in her classroom, especially since transfiguration was a very complicated form of magic. Not only was Professor McGonagall the Deputy Headmistress but she was also head of Gryffindor House, which meant that she was definitely a woman Remus wanted to stay on good terms with, as she was whom he answered to. She assigned them busy work for their first day, only letting them practice wand movements in preparation for their next class with her where they would start actually using magic. It would have been more exciting if she hadn’t assigned homework Remus thought, though he knew it would only make things easier once the hard work was out of the way.

                   The boys headed straight back to Gryffindor tower when class was over. From the dormitory, Remus listened to the others talk about how excited they were to use ‘real magic’ as he changed into his regular clothes to get ready for his meeting by the Gamekeeper’s hut with Professor McGonagall in an hour. He figured he’d get a head start and get there early since he wasn’t up to anything else other than homework.

                 “I’m ready for Defense Against the Dark Arts.” Sirius said. “I’ve heard the older students talk about some jinxes that I really want to try.”

                 “I think the idea is to not use them.” James said, twirling his wand in his fingers. Sirius scoffed and plopped himself backwards on his bed.

                 “I don’t care, I’m just ready for action. Peter agrees, don’t you?” Sirius asked.

“Of course I do.” Peter replied almost immediately. “But I-I think there’s plenty of time between now and then to try them out? For practice I mean.” The notion left them all silent for a few moments, save for Remus who was now slipping on his sneakers.

“What an interesting idea.” James responded with a singsong tilt in his voice, clear that trying them out on another student was a great way to prove himself. “Are you going somewhere?” He asked, stopping Remus in his tracks. He’d only just begun walking out the door when they turned his attention to him. They all waited for his answer and he knew he’d need to come up with something quickly.

“Yeah I was just… going to the library to start our homework.” He said. They seemed to buy it since as soon as he mentioned homework he heard Sirius shudder.

“Have fun with that.” James chuckled, making Peter chuckle along with him. “We can compare answers when you get back.”

 Remus walked down the staircase into the common room where he ran into Lily crawling in through the portrait hole with Marlene.

“Hello again, Remus.” He stopped in his tracks when she greeted him. He smiled at her and immediately slung his knapsack from his shoulder to open it. He reached around for the folded piece of parchment she gave him before realising he’d left it in the pocket of his uniform trousers. He looked up regretfully at her. “Oh, the map.” She said before he could apologise for leaving it. “You can keep it. We’ll just make another… plus it sounds like you boys need it more anyway.” Remus turned red as they walked off snickering and didn’t know which he disliked more, the boys or girls giggling at him.

“Thanks. I should…” He pointed at the portrait hole hoping it would be enough of a gesture, and the girls stepped out of his way to let him crawl through.

Travelling down the castle when classes were over was much easier than when there were dozens of students filling the staircases at once, and walking outside to the hut was a lot easier than he’d anticipated considering the maze of stairs and doors he went through earlier just to find the right classrooms. He eventually reached his destination from recalling the instructions on the note with another half hour to spare. The wooden hut was smaller than he imagined. He thought that someone as big as Hagrid would be living in something that resembled something much more of a house than a small cabin. He hesitated before knocking three times like the note said, hoping that he wasn’t intruding since he’d shown up early. There was a faint rustling on the other side of the door followed by small footsteps of something else trampling around the cabin. When Hagrid opened the door, he immediately looked down at Remus and beamed.

“Is’ you then isn’ it?” He asked, his eyes almost completely disappearing in his smile and mess of thick black eyebrows.

“Er, yes. I’m Remus Lupin, sir.” Remus responded holding out his hand, not thinking of the possibility that Hagrid could very well crush it right away. Fortunately the man knew his own strength and gently shook his hand with his.

“I’m Hagrid But you already knew tha’. Come in, come in! I’ll make us a cup o’ tea.” Hagrid opened the door wider for Remus to enter. When he stepped in, he got a better look around at the homeliness of Hagrid’s house. Aside from the smell it reminded Remus a lot of home in Wales, only much simpler. Hagrid kept all of his pots and pans hanging over his fireplace instead of in cabinets, and it was obvious he had no need to television or electricity. Everything from the chairs to the bed in the far corner of the living room was enlarged to accommodate him, so much so that Remus wasn’t quite sure how something that seemed so small out the outside could fit it all. He also noticed the lack of magical objects in his home and the impression dawned on him that Hagrid was probably not a wizard. Hagrid crouched over to his kettle over the fireplace and poured Remus tea in a much smaller cup he must have kept in case for guests. “Professor Dumbledore’s told me you’d be payin’ a visit today… great man, Dumbledore.  Milk and sugar?”

“Oh, yes please.” Remus replied as he dropped a lump and poured his cup for him. He took a sip after Hagrid presented him his cup. “Thank you… I’m sorry if I’m too early.”

“Not at all! I was hopin’ I’d get a chance teh meet yeh.” He replied. This caught Remus by surprise, but he was suddenly very aware of why he was asked to meet at the Gamekeeper’s house. “Vastly misunderstood creatures, werewolves. I think what yer doin’ is very brave if I do say so meself. It’s time everyone’s learned to not be scared of wha’ they don’ know, eh?” The sentiment made Remus smile warily.

“Thank you. I really hope so.” He couldn’t help but notice Hagrid refer to him as a creature, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Still, Hagrid meant no harm in what he said so Remus saw no point in getting upset with him about it. What bothered him more was the thought that people like Mr. Malfoy thought of him as just a creature as well. He decided to change the subject. “What sorts of things are in the Forbidden Forest?”

“All sorts. Yeh got yer centaurs, but they don’ like being messed with. There’s a couple o’ unicorns and those yeh don’t see to often either.” Remus could tell he’d started him on a tangent, but he was happy to listen while drinking his tea. “There’s a large colony o’ bowtruckles and quite a few trolls if yeh venture far enough.” He paused and took a sip from his own large teacup. “Every once in a while yeh run into a pack o’ werewolves—”

“Werewolves live in the forest?” Remus responded, cutting him off.

“Not werewolves like you, o’ course.” Hagrid said, still talking with an air of excitement. “The ones in the forest stay wolves. Beautiful beasts, they are. Sharp too. I tell yeh, I’ve met some grown wizards without as much common sense as them.” Hagrid winked. The idea that there were different kinds of werewolves piqued Remus’ interest, but before he could ask anymore about them there was a knock at the door.

 Hagrid put down his tea and excused himself to answer. Behind Hagrid’s chair there was a very large boarhound dog staring at Remus from its seat on the armchair. Without breaking eye contact, Remus took another sip before waving at it. Almost immediately the boarhound hopped from its seat and walked over to Remus, placing its head on his lap. He smiled and scratched behind his ears, while the panted happily.

“It looks as though Fang has taken a shine to you, Remus.” Professor Dumbledore said. Remus turned and quickly stood to his feet to see him and a woman standing on either side of Hagrid. He’d seen her the night before sitting at the teacher’s table during the feast. Her robes were different than the other professors, as she wore something more of like and actual dress or apron along with a long sort of bonnet on her head. “I always think an animal’s instincts are to be trusted, wouldn’t you agree, Poppy?”

“Indeed.” She replied. Remus felt his face flush at the compliment while Fang nudged his arm with his nose in an attempt to be pet again. Hagrid walked to the back door and unlocked it, letting them all know he was going to tend to his garden and make sure the coast was clear.

“Forgive me, I thought it was only fitting that our Matron of Hogwarts, Madam Pomfrey be your escort.” Madam Pomfrey smiled and removed her hat, revealing her waves of light brown hair reaching to her shoulders. “Hagrid has also graciously offered his home as a meeting room every month and Madam Pomfrey her excellent services and facilities which will without a doubt make our future endeavors much easier. I trust both with my life, and I can assure you that you are in excellent hands.” His eyes twinkled when he spoke. Remus believed him when he said Hagrid and Madam Pomfrey would be the best in looking after him, but he felt disappointed knowing Professor Dumbledore would not be joining them. Of course he understood why, as the Headmaster at Hogwarts had far more important things to be worrying about.

 Madam Pomfrey walked with Remus for what felt like miles until they arrived at large gnarled tree whose branches were long and thick enough to be trunks of their own. It wasn’t until Remus moved his hair from his eyes that he noticed the tree moved by its own accord and not just with the wind. When they approached, the movements became much more insistent until Madam Pomfrey pulled out her wand and pointed it at the tree, casting a spell that immobilized it’s arms. The tree quelled its branches and swayed them through the air as if suspended underwater, and she pocketed her wand looking rather pleased. She walked towards the base of the trunk with Remus following close behind and as they got closer, Remus noticed there was an opening near the trunk large enough for two people at a time to fit.

“This is the Whomping Willow, Mr. Lupin. She is aggressive to anyone who will approach so we must always be careful, but...” She reached out a touched a rounded bulge of root near the opening of the hole and the tree branches went from fluid swaying to a complete halt. “Prod the knot and the branches freeze. Just that one, there. You will need to be quick. I only used the spell because the willow senses me before it will sense you. It won’t last forever, but it will be sufficient enough time to climb through that.” She pointed towards the roots but Remus was still preoccupied with the tree, looking up at the frozen branches and shuddered at the thought of what might happen should the tree take a swing at him before he managed to hit any sort of freezing knot. He shook his head and refocused his attention from the tree to the hole at its base.

“What’s through the entrance, Madam?” He asked, kicking a rock into the darkness to listen to how far it went down. She lifted her wand again, this time a bright bulb of light shone from the tip as she headed him down the hole.

“A passage to your safe house.” She replied, being the first to climb down.

 The walk to the willow was nothing compared to the walk through the underground tunnel at its base. The pair walked for what Remus felt like forever, only now there wasn’t any indication of an end. During their walk the Professor didn’t speak much. Remus was thankful for this since it saved both of them from an incredibly awkward conversation to be trapped into. Every now and again she’d indicate they’d be arriving any moment until eventually they reached steps leading to a trapdoor streaming more light into the passage. Madam Pomfrey waved her wand and a lock clicked, making the door swing open. Dust settled into the cavern, and the first thing Remus thought of was how much of a fit his mother would throw if she knew he was walking into somewhere so dusty.

“This is the safe house.” She said as she closed the trapdoor behind them. She flicked her wand again and the candles across the room lit to life, giving it an orange radiance. The house was old and abandoned. The fireplace looked as though it hadn’t been touched for decades, and the broken furniture and old curtains were riddled with dust. The setting sunrays peeked through the boarded windows, highlighting the dust in the air and making the room look even more eerie. “It may not look like much, but the Headmaster, professors, and myself have spent the summer covering it with enchantments. It’s perfectly safe and completely capable of containing… everything.” Madam Pomfrey said as she put her wand away. Remus nodded and walked towards a wall that had bits of plaster missing, looking through the hole to see another room, larger than the one he’d been standing in.

“What’s in there?” He asked. “Is that where I’ll…?”

“If you’d like. No room is off limits to you. We wanted to make sure you had enough space for your transformations.” He followed the wall until he reached the door and opened it to the room beyond the wall to find an even more dilapidated bedroom. The windows were still boarded in this room, but allowed for much more light to enter through so that the twilight and candlelight mixed to give it a warm glow. The floorboards creaked with every footstep he took and even though Madam Pomfrey assured him that it would hold up for his transformations, he wasn’t entirely convinced. If he was completely honest, he would guess the whole house would collapse at any moment with just the two of them standing there. Regardless, he knew better than to question it, as he didn’t have much choice especially with the full moon only being a few days away.

                   With his head swimming and legs tired from the first official run of where he’d be going for his transformation, Remus found it difficult to relax. He spoke the password to the Fat Lady and moseyed into a mostly empty common room save for the few of his housemates settled into the sofas. He turned his attention to the clock and discovered he’d been out for much longer than he expected. He sat down in one of the empty armchairs by the fireplace and opened his knapsack to take out his books to start his homework and reading, but found it hard to concentrate. In between sentences on the pages he found himself wandering back to the Whomping Willow, the secret passage, and what Hagrid said about the other wolves in the Forbidden Forest. When he read the same line five times over, Remus sighed and moved his hair from his face to refocus his attention back to his reading. Even though he wanted more than anything to tell, he knew if he was going to be keeping secrets from the others, they would have been convincing, and only full nights worth of homework was going to do that. He comforted himself in knowing that at least while he was keeping secrets, he could brush up on his Transfiguration.

[marauders-fanfic]

Chapter Four: A Train to the Beginning

At eleven sharp, the train departed, leaving his parents as slowly disappearing dots through the window as he waved goodbye. Remus took a deep breath and peeled himself away from the glass to look for an open car to settle into, which took him towards the back of the train. He opened the sliding door and settled himself in next to the window, taking one of the chocolate bars from his knapsack to calm the rest of his jitters. 

He’d already started missing his mother terribly after her last words to him, and the chocolate she’d packed him only made the ache stronger. There was a tap at the door and Remus saw another boy was trying to get his attention. He had a round face and frame as well as oily sandy blonde hair that looked like it’d been pushed back with his fingers rather than a comb.

                 “Hello, Do you mind if I sit with you?” He said. Remus shook his head, and the boy entered, closing the door behind him. “Thanks. Everywhere else is full, you know. I didn’t know there would be so many students on the train, did you?”

                 “I guess not. I haven’t really thought about it.” Remus shrugged. His answer seemed to please him as the other boy made himself more comfortable in the seat across from him. Remus could tell he’d been glancing at his scars, and knew it’d be best to steer the conversation away from them. After all, this was his first chance of making friends with someone his age, and since Hogwarts was the long-term goal, he figured starting sooner than later would make things much easier. “I’m Remus by the way, Remus Lupin.”

                 “Oh— my name’s Peter Pettigrew.” He replied.

                 “Peter Pettigrew? Kind of rolls of the tongue, doesn’t it?” Remus said, with a small smile.

                 “Yeah well, my parents weren’t creative enough to think up a name like Remus.” Remus shrugged and broke off a piece of chocolate and tossed it over to Peter, who after a minor fumble was able to thank him. “Lupin though, I feel like I know that name from somewhere. You’re not muggleborn, are you?”

                 “No.” Remus answered back quickly. He’d come across the term in one of his father’s textbooks. It wasn’t uncommon for witches or wizards to be born from two muggle parents, even though Remus knew in his case he had at least one. “I mean, my mother is a muggle, but I’m a half-blood.”

                 He didn’t like the way he’d referred to his mother whom only been missing not five minutes before Peter walked in. Even though he knew it wasn’t intended, the word made her sound inferior. Peter was fascinated by the fact regardless, as he at up to the edge of his seat and asked Remus what it was like for him to have a parent who could not perform magic. He told him about his life in the non-magical community and having to move after it became obvious he was a wizard. Even though at the time the situations seemed so stressful, talking about it now made Remus laugh. Peter spoke about his life at home too, and how he unlike Remus had never set foot in a muggle community until that day to get to the train. Peter was a pure-blood whose family lived in Devon, and mentioned that he could trace his family back hundreds of years which was something he was quite proud of by the way he puffed out his chest in saying so.

                   The pair went back and forth for a little more than an hour, comparing and contrasting their vastly different childhoods. Remus found Peter incredibly interesting and knew he must have been an expert in magic already since he’d been around it his entire life. Peter seemed to be much more dumbfounded that Remus had already been going to school for years, claiming it was incredible the lengths muggles go through to make sure children know how to read and do basic maths. An old woman pushing a trolley full of colourful sweets and treats soon interrupted them.

                 “First round from the trolley! Can I get you anything, dears?” She asked. Peter jumped quickly from his seat and reached deep into his pocket for his gold coins as he walked up to the cart at the door.

                 “Oh yes! I’ll have, erm… three. Of everything.” He said, making the old woman giggle before carefully placing each of the different items in a bag for him.

                 “Three of everything?” Said another boy’s voice from the other side of the cart. “Don’t you think you should slow down a bit, butterball? You know there’s a feast after we arrive.” This made Peter’s ears turn quite pink, and Remus stood to his feet. He didn’t like hearing Peter get teased.

                 “N-not that it’s any of your business, but if you must know, I’m sharing with a friend.” Peter replied, not very confidently.

                 “Sharing? Count me in!” The boy came around from behind the woman still bagging Peter’s things and squeezes his way into the car with them as other first years started attracting to the cart. “Three is a nice even number for all of us I think.” The other boy had a long curly mess of brown hair that only just touched down to his shoulders, and had cool piercing grey eyes that he kept his hair out of. He smiled brightly at the both of them and plopped himself down on the seat. “Name’s Sirius Black by the way.” Once he introduced himself, Peter seemed to get even more nervous.

                 “I guess— I mean, it’s fine to share. You make a fair point about the feast; I’ve heard it’s more that enough food anyway. You don’t mind do you?” Peter said looking over to Remus, who shook his head knowing his say in the matter was gone the second Peter lost his grip. “I’m Peter Pettigrew.”

                 “Nice.” Said Sirius, who now propped up his feet on the seat across next to where Remus was standing. “What about you?”

                 “Remus.”

                 “… That’s a lovely first name.”

                 “Lupin.” Remus finished.

                 “Cool scars, Remus Lupin.” Sirius said, making him fight the urge to mess his hair over his face.

                   The older woman finished up bagging the haul, and had accumulated quite a now noisy line of other first year students in doing so. Clearly the noise had become too rowdy since another student wearing a dark green sash over his black robes most likely to be in his last year, ordered loudly at all of them to disperse and grab from the trolley one at a time like civilized people. Very quickly, the line broke and the students ran to the first available car as to not get yelled at again, including the one Remus, Peter and Sirius were currently sat in.

                 Only three more guests, two boys and a girl who now completely filled the car joined them. The girl sat next to Remus and one of the other boys she seemed to be friends with sat on the other side of her. The girl had fiery red hair, much more saturated than his mother’s but made him start to miss her again nevertheless. The boy next to her was pale in colour and had long hair like Sirius’, but it was much more kempt and was sleek black.

                 “We’re only waiting until the line dies down to get our sweets and go back to our car.” The girl said while tucking a bit of red hair behind her ear. Peter shrugged, still clinging to his bag of sweets in between Sirius and the other boy, who scoffed before speaking. His hair was just as untidy as Sirius’, but nowhere near as long or curly. He pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose and scoffed.

                 “Who does he think he is telling us all of like that?” He said, looking to all of them sat in the car, clearly hoping to build some kind of camaraderie.

                 “Probably the Head Boy.” Said a deadpan voice on the far side of Remus. “Was it not obvious?” The girl nudged him and lightly shook her head, making him shrug. The boy with the glasses folded his arms in a huff and sat back in his chair, still grumbling about how unfair it was that he was being made to wait for his treats.

                 With so many people occupying the room now in such a short amount of time, Remus began to get anxious. He was thankful for Peter who soon broke the silence by introducing himself as well as taking the liberty to introduce Remus as well, who self-consciously waved to all of them from his seat at the window.

                 “I’m James.” The boy with the glasses piped up. “James Potter.”

                 “I’m Lily Evans, and this is Sev.” Lily said, looking at all of them and smiling while the boy next to her sat up straighter, which made Remus notice the slight hook in his nose now that he had a good view of his profile.

                 “Severus is fine. Severus Snape.” He said in a proud sort of voice.

                 “Severus Snape?” Sirius said almost immediately in a playful tone. “Well my name is Sirius, his is Remus, and if yours is Severus, we should really think about starting a club.”

                 “I’ll pass.” Said Severus in the same blank voice he hit with James moments before.

                 “Your loss, Sev” Sirius said, making Severus roll his eyes and lean back into the seat. Sirius ran his fingertips through the ends of his hair, which made Remus smile slightly to himself and realise why it was probably so messy. “So I think it’s safe to say we’ll all be future classmates, right? No one is wearing their robes yet at least.” He nodded his head towards Remus. “What about you?” He asked, addressing him directly this time. “Where do you want to end up?”

                 “Er, well,” Remus started, already feeling his hands getting clammier. He thought about the crest in his letters being sectioned off into quarters, and skimming over it in his books. He’d wished he found the section on the Hogwarts houses more interesting now he was being asked about it. “I guess… Ravenclaw?” He said, pulling the name out of memory. His choice made Sirius (and as a result Peter) snicker slightly. He gripped his knapsack a bit tighter and was thankful his ears weren’t visible as he could feel them turning pink.

                 “I agree.” Lily said looking at him. It wasn’t until her eyes met his that he noticed they were a similar, but much more vibrant shade of green than his own. “I think Ravenclaw would be brilliant. It’s where the brightest witches and wizards end up.” Her response made him feel better, especially since it made their giggling stop. “And what about you, Sirius? Since you seem to be the most interested, you must have a house in mind.”

“My house is made up for me already, being a Black and all.” He replied, resting his arms behind his head. “My family’s been in Slytherin for ages, so that’s where I’m headed.” Remus noticed Peter and James’ reactions, as they were completely opposite. Where Peter seemed to be completely fascinated again, James only rolled his eyes seeming completely disinterested, still eyeing the sweets trolley. “How about you James?” Sirius said, getting his attention. “Where are you heading if you’ve got the choice?”

                 “’Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart’ like my dad.” James replied immediately, now having much more pride in his voice. His answer didn’t surprise Remus in the slightest. Even though they’d only met a few moments ago, he could see James belonging to a group of people Severus laughed under his breath, earning another nudge from Lily. “Got a problem with that?” He exclaimed defensively.

                 “No.” said Severus, “If you’d rather be brawny than brainy.”

                 “Better than being a sniveling prat if you ask me.” He replied, earning another ‘nice’ from Sirius.

                 “Hey—“

                 “Last call for something from the trolley.” Said the woman who was peering into the room with a smile, successfully interrupting any more rising. James stood to his feet and dashed to the door to put in his request. He turned his head over to Sirius to ask if he wanted anything since he was paying. Sirius perked up immediately and accepted, listing off a few of his favourite treats, which made Peter visibly uneasy.

                 “Not staying then?” he asked once Sirius was finished, being careful not to interrupt him.

                 “Nah, I kind of invited myself into your snacks… besides, now there’s more for you and Remus Lupin to share.” Said Sirius, with the same playful tone he used towards Severus. Remus felt a bit uneasy but knew he’d much rather be played at with his name than anything else, so he just gave a thumbs up to give his approval for the decision. Sirius gave him a pleased look. Once James had his bag, he beckoned Sirius to come with. “That’s me guys. See you at school!” And just as quickly as he’d entered, he’d left, leaving just the four of them sat together until Lily and Severus stood together for their own turn with the trolley woman. Severus spoke to for both of them in ordering.

                 “What? No more Cauldron Cakes?” He cried sounding incredibly disappointed. The woman apologized, explaining that the boy just ahead of them grabbed the last of exactly what he wanted. Remus felt sorry for him too. It seemed that Severus had been getting the short end of the stick since he stumbled into their car. He asked Peter if he could see his bag, and rummaged through the sugary treats until he found something that closely resembled both a cauldron and a cake. Once he took it out, Remus gently tapped Lily’s arm as she was closest to him, and held it out for her.

                 “Here you go. We have one more for each of us anyway, so if he wants it I’m happy to give it.” He said, not even realising it was the most he’d spoken to anyone except for Peter. Lily smiled and accepted, handing it over to Severus who looked marginally less disappointed but making Lily look much more relieved.

                 “Thank you Remus.” She said while tucking her hair behind her ear again when her eyes met his. He could tell she was nervous to look at him, even with his hair draped over his face Remus knew his scars weren’t completely avoidable. He was just thankful she didn’t address them like Sirius had. Once Severus nodded her to head back to their own car, she headed out the door as James and Sirius had. She stopped to close the door and waved goodbye to both of them. “See you later. Don’t spoil your appetites with all of those sweets, boys.”

                   Naturally, after a few hours the pair had gone though almost every single treat Peter snagged from the trolley. He’d been kind enough to give Remus a brief description of each of the sweets before tossing them over to him to try for his own. What he was most looking forward to were the chocolates, particularly the chocolate frogs he’d seen Peter take out boxes of. Remus took a small bite to taste each of the sweets as to be as careful as possible from filling his stomach, unlike Peter who started groaning halfway through from a bellyache. When he finally got around to the frog box, Remus pried open and the frog jumped just out of reach from out of the box to underneath his seat. Remus leaned over his knees to get a look of where it ran off to, when seeing his trunk reminded him of the time.

                 “You think we should get changed soon? Into our robes I mean?” He said as he sat back up straight. “It’s starting to get dark so we should be arriving pretty soon.”

                 “Do what you want, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to move for another hour or two.” Peter replied, lying down onto his mess of wrappers and foils.

                 “.... Well why did you eat—“

                 “Don’t.” Peter interrupted in warning, pointing a finger out to him. Remus chuckled and reached for his trunk to get his robes. He folded them over his arm and headed out of the car and down the hall into a vacant lavatory to change. Just as he arrived and reached for the door handle, it swung open and surprised him to another girl already changed into her robes and looked just as equally startled at him standing there. Her light blonde hair was tied into low pigtails, and her perfectly trimmed bangs were almost covering her eyes like Remus’.

                 “Oh! I’m sorry were you wanting to use it?” She said incredibly flustered. “I’m finished now, sorry.”

                 “I— yeah, it’s okay.” They awkwardly shuffled and switched positions in the confined space of the hallway.

                 “Oh, be careful if you’re going to wash your hands. I think someone was being nasty and jinxed the sink to soak first years trying to use it.” She said before he could thank her or excuse himself. “I moved out of the way in time, but that’s why the floor is wet. Sorry again.” She fumbled all over her words and multiple apologies then quickly turned on her heel and down the hall to her own car, leaving Remus standing in front of an open door and wet floor.

                   After taking a few minutes to carefully navigate around a sink trap and wet floor, Remus eventually made it back to Peter who was lying down exactly as he left him. He was enough of a warning that even though he’d been feeling quite pecking and anxious, that he occupied himself instead by cleaning up the mess they made. It was passed sunset now into twilight, and through the window Remus could see a massive dark lake surrounded by mountains. He noticed pinpricks of light on its surface thinking they were stars, until the outline of a castle became more solid as the train approached until it was completely visible. Hogwarts was more than he could have imagined, even seeing photographs of it in the books could not compare to the sight of the castle itself. It stood majestically on a mountain as though carved from its stone. If he didn’t know any better, Remus would have guessed the mountains were made for it rather than the other way around the way it fit perfectly in the aesthetic. He heard Peter rummage and move to get his robes but he remained glued to the window, still in awe of the sight, wondering if there were other people appreciating the view like he was.

                 “Which way to change?” Peter said, sounding much more coherent now that his stomach had settled. Remus pointed in a vague direction behind him, hoping it was enough for Peter to go by so he could finish enjoying the view for a little longer.

                   “Firs’ years teh me!” A loud booming voice said as the crowd of students all disembarked the train. “Firs’ years this way please!” Remus walked with Peter a ways down to follow the voice, to find it belonged to a man who stood almost twelve feet tall with long black bushy hair with a beard to match. Peter nudged Remus and whispered the obvious that the man was indeed very large, making Remus smile. The man beamed down to the group of first years once they were all rounded up. “Welcome!” He shouted, spreading his arms open. “I’m the Keeper o’ the Keys and Grounds, Rubeus Hagrid. But you lot can jus’ call me Hagrid.” He took a hanging lantern from a hook on the train and turned around to walk. “Follow me an’ try’n keep up now. An’ I hope none of yeh get seasick…” Hagrid led them down a path away from the other students, who were all boarding horseless coaches in the other direction. They eventually arrived at the bank of the great lake lined with a dozen boats. “Three or four teh a boat now, don’ be shy. Gonna be makin’ friens’ sooner or later, eh!” He laughed. Remus and Peter headed to the nearest boat in front of them when James and Sirius, who both looked pleased to see them again, joined them shortly.

                 “Looks like we lucked out since we’re already great friends, eh?” Said Sirius who was settling himself into the boat. James, who seemed to be in a much better mood followed shortly after him, patting Remus and Peter on the shoulders as he stepped in.

                 “Glad we’re sharing with you guys.” Said James. “We were just saying on the train how we’d hoped we’d bump into you again before we were sorted.”

                 “Thanks. Glad you were able to get your hands on your sweets.” Remus said climbing in shortly after Peter who was still moving sluggishly. After they were all settled, Hagrid gave a command and the boats set sail on their own. They glided over the lake to the castle, which only got bigger and more impressive as they approached. James and Sirius were chattering on again about the sorting, and Peter seemed to finally have enough energy to join in after a few moments of listening. Remus enjoyed listening to their back and forth about how clearly Gryffindor was the house to be in, even Sirius who already knew he’d be placed into another house. He didn’t care much where he was placed, as he had vastly different priorities.

                   The boats pulled into a tunnel beneath the castle to an underground harbor lit by torches all across the carved stonewalls. All of the first years filed from their boats and grouped near a large staircase that undoubtedly took them inside Hogwarts itself. Hagrid led the group up the stairs and a direct path to the largest set of double doors Remus had ever seen, and a witch standing at its base. She stood tall in dark green robes and pointed hat, and her long black hair was done in a braid over her shoulder. She held a stern face with a scroll in her hands and Remus knew that unlike Hagrid, this woman was most definitely one of the other professors. He wasn’t sure whether she made him feel eager as he was now looking at the only other person in the room who knew his secret, but it was for certain that her sharp smooth features made him feel intimidated. Her voice was exactly as he would have imagined a Scottish heroine leading soldiers into battle.

                 “Welcome students. In a few moments you will enter our Great Hall of Hogwarts and be sorted into one of the four noble houses of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. I will call your name from a list and once you are sorted, you will take your seat among your fellow housemates.” Remus caught James snickering nudging Sirius with his elbow from the corner of his eye, then nodding his head towards Severus and Lily, who were stood towards the middle of the mass. “Your housemates will be your family during your time here. As a family you will be rewarded points for individual achievements, and as a family you will be revoked points and disciplined for any rule breaking.” Her eyes followed to James and Sirius who immediately ceased their giggling. “Respect your prefects as well as your head of house and Head Girl and Boy, all of whom you will meet during the festivities.” Her eyes travelled across all of their faces once more as she spoke, eventually landing on Remus’ and lingered. He felt his cheeks grow warm until she darted her eyes away. After her speech, her face shifted from a stern frown into a pretty smile. “We are ready for you now.”

                   The Great Hall was indeed great. The first years all walked through the middle aisle between four long tables where all of the returning students sat towards the front where they were met with a stool in front of another long table which housed all of the other professors. Professor Dumbledore sat in the middle of them all in the Headmaster’s seat, exactly as Remus remembered him. Professor McGonagall stopped them before reaching the stool and retrieved a bundle of cloth that was placed on a podium just behind it. The cloth unfurled itself into the shape of a hat onto the stool and lifted its brim as though it were stretching. The hat yawned through a seam and bellowed out a song that echoed through the Great Hall:

 “I may come as quite the shock

To all new students sitting,

For I know I’m not an average hat,

For an average Sunday fitting.

 You’re quite a mess, the lot of you

And that simply will not do,

So it’s my job to quarter out

And quickly sort you through.

 There are no secrets from me here

There is no use in hiding

So keep your minds as clear as day

As it helps in my deciding.

 You may think my song is silly

Or my appearance quite amusing

But all before and yet to come

Are at the mercy of my choosing.

 I’ll sort you into Gryffindor,

Where true courage finds its home,

Or perhaps in Hufflepuff,

So the strong won’t be alone.

 Of course there’s always Ravenclaw

Where cleverness is king,

Or last but not least Slytherin

If glory is what you bring.

 Take pride in your new houses

For my word is ever binding.

There’s no return from what I learn

From all the thoughts worth finding

 So take the stool! Be open books

And stump me if you can,

But bear in mind, I’ve sorted students

Near since the school began.”

                   The hall erupted into applause at the song until Professor McGonagall unfurled the list and cleared her throat, making the entire room go silent as she called through the list of names.

                 “Adrian, Dalton!”

A boy from the middle of the crowd made his way to the front and the professor instructed for him to take a seat on the stool, gently placing the hat on his head. The hat immediately sprung to life and made a sound as though in deep thought for a few seconds before shouting his house.

                 “SLYTHERIN!” shouted the hat, making the Great Hall burst into applause once more; particularly the table that Remus assumed was the rest of the Slytherins. Professor McGonagall removed the hat from Daltons’s head and he shuffled off to join his house.         “Avery, Cassius!” Another boy sat, and there was a brief pause.

                 “SLYTHERIN!” The hat shouted again. More applause ensued as the Slytherin house gained another member.

                 “Black, Sirius!” She spoke abruptly. The Slytherin table’s muttering could be heard around the hall as Sirius took his seat on the stool to get ready for their cheers again. After she placed the hat on his head, there was a much longer area of silence before the hat spoke.

                 “Aha!” It said, lifting its brim again as though preparing to start another song. “I thought I knew where to put you, but with a mind like this… GRYFFINDOR!” Sirius looked up excitedly to the professor and smiled, even though the entire room had gone dead quiet. There was an awkward pause between the few moments it took between him being sorted and Professor McGonagall removing the hat from his head and she gesturing him to the table holding all of the Gryffindors, who were slowly building into a thunderous applause for their new housemate.

                 “Peter, didn’t Sirius say his family’s been in Slytherin for ages?” Remus asked, slightly nudging Peter’s arm next to him.

                 “Yeah… they are. And they don’t look too happy about him breaking their streak.” He replied. When Remus glanced over to the Slytherin Table, he noticed the look of the older students faces that he knew had to be members of his family. One of them locked eyes with Remus and he quickly turned his attention forward again, waiting for the professor to continue down her list.

                 “Evans, Lily!”

                 “Hm… right! GRYFFINDOR!” Lily smiled brightly and toddled over to the Gryffindor table to sit next to Sirius.

                 Fortescue, Alice!

                 “RRRAVENCLAW!” The hat embellished, earning a loud cheer from the Ravenclaws for their first sorted member.

                 “Gudgeon, Davey!”

                 “RAVENCLAW!”

                 “Longbottom, Francis!”

                 “HUFFLEPUFF!”

                 “Lupin, Remus!”

                 Her voice echoed in his ears as his legs moved their way to the front on their own. He caught the crystal eyes of Professor Dumbledore before turning around to take his seat, waiting for Professor McGonagall to place the hat on his head. The hat shifted on his head and Remus could almost feel it probing his mind.

                 “I hope you didn’t think this would be difficult for me.” Said a little voice in his ear. Remus shook his head and gripped the sides of his stool tighter, getting nervous that the sorting hat would tell the school he wouldn’t sort a werewolf. “GRYFFINDOR!” It shouted, interrupting his train of thought and knocking the wind back into his chest. Again, the Gryffindor table applauded and Remus took a step down from the stool to sit at his new house table, barely able to contain the smile on his face. He’d done it. He took his seat next to Lily and shook hands with some of the other housemates as they greeted and welcomed him to their house.

                 “I’d hoped you get sorted here.” Said Lily after the applause died down and the Professor called another name forward. Remus felt his cheeks get warm.

                 “Yeah, me t—“

                 “Nice one, Remus.” Sirius interrupted with a loud whisper, giving him thumbs up while the hat was thinking on its new student, shouting another one for Ravenclaw. The list trickled down one by one leaving a good mix to every house, Remus thought. He was mostly waiting for the list to reach Peter who he’d almost been as anxious to get sorted as he had himself. Eventually, he finally heard his name.

                 “Pettigrew, Peter!” She said, and Peter waddled up to the stage, no doubt still feeling quesy from his stomach. If the look on his face before Professor McGonagall placed the hat was anything to go by, Remus could tell he was just as much a bundle of nerves as he was. The hat shifted and stayed on Peter’s head for a few minutes, marking it the longest time it’d spent on one student so far. The other students murmured around them about something called a ‘hat-stall.’

                 “What do you think is taking it so long?” Sirius asked, earning a shrug from both Remus and Lily. The longer the wait, the more deafening the silence until the hat shouted out Gryffindor once more. Remus knew he’d clapped the loudest for him, as he was so relieved to have him be in the same house as him. He jumped up from the stool and headed towards their direction, passing by Remus and taking his seat on the far side of Sirius who gave him a similar welcome.

                 “Potter, James!”

                 “GRYFFINDOR!” James looked rather pleased with himself when he walked to the table to join the rest of them, mouthing an ‘I told you so’ to Remus before taking his seat on the other side of Lily between her and Sirius.

                 “Snape, Severus!” Lily perked up when she heard his name, practically standing out of her seat to get a better view of her friend taking a seat. Remus leaned out from his seat too to get a better look when the house shouted “SLYHTERIN!” making Lily slump back down in disappointment as she watched Severus walk to the far side of the hall. James snickered along with Sirius once it was called, making Lily whip her head to give him what Remus assumed was a very nasty look by the way they immediately stopped giggling. Remus wanted to say something that would cheer her up once she turned back around, but it was hard to think of words of encouragement between names being shouted and the hat shouting right afterwards. Finally, the last name was called out for “Winsor, Thalia,” and the blonde girl he ran into on the train took her seat, being sorted almost immediately into Hufflepuff. After heading to her new table, professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and removed the hat and stool to make way for the Headmaster who took his place behind the podium.

                 “Congratulations to all of the ones who have been sorted. To those who are returning, welcome back for another year.” His voice commanded silence, even though it was just as serene and gentle as though he were still talking to Remus in his living room. “I only need to make a few announcements and I promise I will leave us all to eat our fill. First and foremost, please give a warm welcome to Professor Zilar, who has humbly accepted to take over the Defense Against the Dark arts post here at Hogwarts.” More applause rang out as a man who was seated among the teachers stood to his feet and took a bow. Remus tried looking over the heads of students to get a better look, but only noticed some of the older girls at his table seemed especially enthusiastic to start his class. “Second, the Whomping Willow on the grounds has fully matured now, and I must ask any student who wishes to go near it to refrain unless they are keen to broken bones or bruises.” There was a collective ‘aww’ around the hall. “Tragic, yes. Fortunately those are all of my start of the term announcements. I leave you with words of wisdom before the feast begins. …” Professor Dumbledore snapped his fingers, and Remus felt his robes shift underneath him, changing from solid black to having a deep scarlet trim around the edge of his sleeves. The Hogwarts crest changed to the Gryffindor emblem, even his clothes underneath changed colour to reflect his new house. He looked around to see the other first years across the hall reacting to the same change. “That’s much better. Now, let the feast, begin!”

                   “Gryffindors, this way!” Said the prefect as Remus followed him along with his other newly sorted housemates. He led them through a tall room filled with staircases, giving them a warning about they’re keenness to shift.

“They wouldn’t shift while we’re on them though, right?” Peter asked from the back of the group.

“Always when you least expect it.” He replied. “Best to leave for class early if you want to get around in time. ‘Til you get used to it of course.” Remus gripped the railings tight on every flight of stairs they climbed just in case. The last thing he needed was to finally start classes and fall to his death on the first day. When they finally arrived to the seventh floor, they were met with a painting of a fat lady in Mediterranean garb. She prompted for the password and their prefect cleared his throat before clearly stating “Fovea Leonum,” triggering her to swing her portrait open revealing a circular hole big enough to climb through. He nodded his head for them all to enter first, and one by one they filed through.

Once Remus made his way out of the tunnel, he emerged in a large circular room, all of it completely furnished in a scarlet theme. The tapestry stretched seamlessly along the walls and the to the ceiling just before the top tapered into a turret. The fireplace crackled cozily as a few students who had already returned from the feast early sat chatting.

“Best to head up to the dormitories now. Boys will be behind me here on the left, girls, on the far end over there to the right.” All your stuff has already been brought up, so best get to unpacking and laying out your uniforms for tomorrow.”

 He climbed up the stairs with the rest of the boys in his year, reaching the first door marked with a large golden number one. Once they entered, all of their trunks had been placed in front of individual beds like the prefect said. Almost immediately the boys ran to their own beds and settled themselves. Remus had his things placed in-between Sirius and Peter, who along with James were both still talking about how incredible it was that Sirius broke his family’s streak. Remus found the conversation much more entertaining to listen to since clearly this had been a much bigger deal than he realised.

“Probably gonna get a howler for it.” Sirius said, shrugging like it was no big deal.

“No way.” Peter cried, looking genuinely concerned.

“Three sickles say you do.” Said James.

“Four sickles say I get two.” They both gasped when Sirius gave the final bet, which made Remus laugh. “What d’you think, Remus? I mean, Peter’s told us you’re not up too much too speed with things just yet, but you think that earns something nasty don’t you?”

“Oh yeah.” Remus said while changing into his pajamas, making the other two focus their attention on him. “I’ll go with the one howler though. From the way you’re playing it up they may not think it’s worth the extra effort.” He honestly had no idea what a howler was or why it was bad but his answer made Sirius and James laugh, which also made Peter laugh. Once lights out came around, the first year boys all feel asleep relatively quickly. Considering their long journey and feast food settling down in their stomachs, it was no question their rest would be sufficient for the full day of classes ahead of them. Even with all of the excited thoughts rushing through his head, Remus drifted off into a tranquil sleep. With all of the great things happening so quickly, the full moon approaching in a few days time mattered as little to him as the old life he’d left behind.

[marauders-fanfic]

PSA!!!

Hey Guys!!! Just wanting to check in and let you know that I am in fact still alive and kicking. First and foremost, I’m so sorry I haven’t been posting these passed few months... I’ve been really swamped down with work, and I just went through a schedule change.

BUT! I’m getting into a good writing groove now, so I’m going to start posting more on BOOK 2 very soon to the fanfiction.net site... As well as get the rest of BOOK 1 up in here as well. Thank you so much for being so supportive, it really means a lot to me. <3 Stick around... While I’ve not been writing, I have been fleshing out some good plot ideas... They’re going to ruin you. <3 -Ash

[marauders-fanfic]

Chapter Three: Weighed and Measured           

September was approaching fast. Before he knew it, Remus was packing clothes for Hogwarts and had read his acceptance letter so many times the parchment was getting worn. For the first time in his life, Remus was finally looking forward to school. 

            His father told him the night before they would be spending a day in London to prepare for his trip as well as treat themselves to a vacation after he’d been long gone. According to him, they’d be taking the Floo again, but he’d managed to make a few tweaks to their fireplace that they wouldn’t look a complete mess when as they did when they arrived to their house for the first time. By the time Remus brought all of his things to the living room, his parents were already waiting for him by the fireplace. His dad grabbed the satchel of powder and held it out for him to grab a handful.

           “The place we’re going is called the Leaky Cauldron, so that’ll do for the destination.  It’s the best and oldest pub in London, and I’ve fared pretty well on a deal for a nice room, If I do say so myself” Lyall said with a wink, messing Remus’ hair after he took a handful of the powder. “We’ll go first, and you just follow right behind. It’s still midday so the faster we get settled, the faster we can get all of your supplies.” This made Remus especially anxious as he nodded in understanding. It all happened so fast that Hogwarts seemed so much of a fever dream that was still too good to be true. Remus knew that after he’d completed his list it would have to start feeling real, which he’d already read many times as he did the acceptance letter to the point where he almost could have done without it and gotten the supplies off memory.

           His father took out his wand and waved it over the three suitcases to follow him into the fireplace. He took Hope’s hand and led her into the embers with him, shouting ‘The Leaky Cauldron!’ loud and clear before both of them were engulfed in green flames. After they disappeared and the flames calmed after a few minutes, Remus stood in the same place. He took a deep breath before throwing down the powder and mimicked his destination, shouting with as much clarity as he could. The flames wrapped around him and pulled him through to another fireplace, not even realising until he stepped out to meet his parents that it would be the last time he saw his home in Wales again until next summer.

             The new room was the size of their home living room with doors on either end, which Remus assumed was for their bedrooms. The art and furniture was homey and neat even though it looked like it’d been frozen in time for hundreds of years, which Remus knew, could be entirely possible and was most likely the case. With magic, settling in only took a few minutes. Lyall had gotten comfortable with how he could offhandedly use magic whenever he wanted to, that it became second nature. With a flick of his wrist and wand, the bags flew next to their respective beds and ejected their essentials into the bathroom, folding their clothes for the week into neat piles into their temporary dressers. With an approving nod he pocketed his wand in his jacket.

           “Exhausting business, unpacking...” He said in a pretend tired voice, holding out his arm for Hope to take. Remus walked next to them out of the room through the inn and to the pub downstairs, which had the same sort of frozen appeal as their room, only filled with much more people. Almost every seat had been filled with so many different types of witches and wizards that Remus didn’t know who to focus on first, the one armed wizard at the bar or the group of witches organising their silverware in midair. Lyall smiled and waved at the barkeep that’d been polishing a glass. He returned the gesture only to get called a few moments later by another patron, leaving the glass suspended to clean and polish itself.

             Eventually, His father led them through the backdoor of the pub downstairs, leading to an alleyway and faced with a daunting brick wall. Lyall proceeded to tap several notches on I individual bricks in a pattern to make the wall shift, forming a perfect archway into a street full of colour and noise that was a complete contrast to the pub they left only moments ago.

           “I’d have suggested us to take the Floo straight here, but I like doing the brick thing, so...” He said, taking a step forward through the archway making sure they were close behind. “This is Diagon Alley. Everything you desire for all of your magical needs all in one place…”

           Remus had no intention of ignoring his father’s speech about the new place they were in, but he was so overwhelmed by the new environment that it was getting difficult for him to breathe. He moved his hair from his eyes and tried to take in all of the colours, sounds, and smells, and thought even the air tasted sweeter. He darted his eyes around to the different people walking along the streets to the various storefronts titled as though they had gotten their names straight out of a fairy tale. Eventually his gaze trailed back to his parents, whom were both looking towards the direction of where Lyall was pointing. His mother nodded and turned her head back to Remus and smiled. She shrugged, indicating that while Lyall was passionate about whatever it was he was talking about, that he lost her shortly after he started.

           “I think Remus is ready start getting his supplies.” She said, now tugging on his father’s sleeve to break his attention away from his lesson.

           “Don’t stop him now, I think he’s getting to the best part.” Said Remus piping up loud enough that Lyall stopped mid-sentence to address them both.

           “Right you are. I was going to tell you about—“

           “Take a breath Lyall. You’ve got an entire week after he leaves to educate me, and he’ll be coming back every year.” She interrupted, adding sweetness to her tone as to not get in too much trouble for bursting his bubble. “Do you have your list, sweetheart?”

           “Yeah, it’s… here it is.” Remus replied as he carefully unfolded the parchment as he’d done dozens of times before. “First thing is Robes, it says here.” Almost immediately, his father perked up and announced which way to go and to which shop, making Remus and his mother chuckle next to him.

             So many hours passed before they finally sat down at the Leaky Cauldron for a dinner break, that Remus’ legs felt like jelly from all of the walking around. Even though he thought it was amusing at first having his dad spew facts about Diagon Alley, he was glad he knew where to go for the things on his school list to save them from any additional walking. Feeling as though all of the energy had been sapped out of him, Remus rolled up his sleeves after his burger arrived and started on it immediately. It was a little overcooked than what he usually liked, but he was so exhausted he didn’t care or pay attention. After a few minutes his mother took a sip from her glass of wine and let out a relieved sigh before breaking the silence of their fork and knife scrapes.

           “Have you got everything on your list, Remus?”

           “Oh—“ He replied, swallowing a large bite before continuing. “Not yet, I still just need a wand.” He tried not to sound too troubled by this. His wand had been what he was looking forward to the most, mainly because he’d wanted one of his own instead of using his father’s like he did for magic lessons. He thought by now since they’d passed the wandmaker’s shop so many times that he would just be getting his father’s, which really wouldn’t have been so bad either.

           “Right of course.” Lyall spoke up, still eating forkfuls in between sentences. “I figured we’d get that last since it’s probably going to take the longest… and I figured going to get it while it was later when you’d gotten something to eat after walking around all day would make it a much more enjoyable experience.” This made Remus straightened up in his seat. “The rush is about over now too, so we won’t have too much of a wait either.” Remus couldn’t keep himself from smiling now. He wasn’t so tuckered out now knowing he’d be getting his own magic wand after dinner.

           “That sounds like an excellent plan.” Hope said, running the tips of her fingers through the ends of her hair and finishing her glass. “While you boys do that, I’m going to sort through all of your things and put them in your trunk.”

           “That sounds like a plan to me. Whenever you’re ready to leave, kiddo.”

             The wand shop was trickled down to a few people now, just as his father said. When the two of them walked to the storefront, Remus could see three or four children his age given boxes by the old man behind the counter. He’d almost forgotten he wasn’t the only person who’d be starting school the next day, and suddenly his stomach turned. Surely they’d been much more prepared than he was, and were probably looking forward to this day for years while he’d only just been given an invitation months ago. What would they think of him when he walked in not quite knowing how to ask for ‘one wand please,’ without sounding completely stupid?

           Lyall nudged him and handed him a small purple satchel filled with coins. He messed his hair once more.

           “You have nothing to be nervous about.” He said with a smile, though usual joking tilt that was always present was gone now and replaced by something more temperate like it was when Professor Dumbledore was in their home. Remus nodded and fiddled with the bag as the other children rushed out excitedly bragging about their wands to each other. “I’ll be right outside when you’ve finished, alright? He’ll know what you’re there for.”

           When Remus opened the door, the bell rang across the room and echoed through the seemingly endless shelves of wands. The wandmaker stood at his desk and grinned at him with his ghostly blue eyes scrunched between his smile lines.

           “Welcome young sir. First year at Hogwarts are we?” He said. His voice was calm and soothing enough that Remus could feel his nerves begin to melt away.

           “Yes sir.”

           “Splendid, allow me to introduce myself.” He came from behind his counter and shook hands with Remus. “I am Garrick Ollivander, maker of fine wands. I assure you, you are in good hands my boy.”

           “Remus Lupin, and thank you, sir—”

           “Ah, Lupin!” He shook his hand harder now. “Your father Lyall’s helped me on more than one occasion with some of my business. Well met Remus, well met.” Both turned their eyes to the storefront where Remus’ father had his back turned, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

           “I’m sure he’d like to say hello if you’d like me to get him?”

           “Oh no no no, that won’t be necessary. As of right now, you are my priority young Mr. Lupin.” Mr. Ollivander reached into his coat for his own wand and summoned a round roll of tape into his hand. “If you please, I would like to take some measurements to get started?”

           Remus nodded his head and Mr. Ollivander got right to work, measuring the length of his arms, torso, then eventually his head and fingernails which seemed very strange to him but knew it best to not question it. The tape snapped back into its case and he excused himself, only to emerge back with at least ten wand boxes and set them on his counter and beckoned for Remus to come forward.

           “Here we are. I’ve grabbed a few to try out. I’ve got a good feeling about this batch here.” He opened the top box and handed Remus the handle of a short wand. “Go ahead and try it out, a simple wave will do.” Following his instructions, Remus flicked the wand with no result. He felt quite silly afterwards, and he placed the wand on the countertop. “That’s alright, acacia wood can be quite temperamental sometimes… not a good fit. Try this.” He held out another wand for Remus to grasp. This time when he waved, a few golden sparks ejected from the tip, making Remus smile up at Mr. Ollivander expectantly. “Hmm, close, but not quite. Try this one…”

           The wand testing went on for fifteen minutes before Mr. Ollivander excused himself and disappeared once more behind another shelf of wands, leaving Remus to look disappointedly at his failed attempts all sprawled along the countertop. He appeared this time with a single box in hand, tapping it lightly against his palm.

           “I apologise Mr. Lupin, but it’s only just occurred to me that I’ve been going about your wand all wrong it seems.” He said, unboxing and handing the wand straight into Remus’ hand once again. He felt warmth in his palm when he grasped it, and a bright silvery wisp trickled from the end only a few seconds later. The wisp quickly formed tendrils that surrounded Remus’ body like a warm cocoon, and dissipated into the air above him almost as quickly as it appeared. He fixed his eyes onto the spot on the ceiling above where he saw the magic evaporate, and dropped his eyes back to Mr. Ollivander.

           “I like this one” He said sheepishly while twirling it slowly in his hands. He was hardly able to contain the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Remus had never been one to feel attached to an object before then, but something about the wand in his hand was telling him they were perfectly matched.

           “It would appear the wand feels the same.” Ollivander replied, rubbing his stubbly chin with his thumb with a very satisfied look on his face. “The objects are keen to symbolism it would seem...” Remus looked up to the man, tilting his head slightly at the sentiment.

           “Sir?”

           “I always say that it is the truly the wand that chooses its master. Cypress, ten and three-quarter inches with the hair of the same unicorn your father helped me to rescue in its core.” Mr. Ollivander took out his wand a final time and waved to the used boxes, making the wands pile neatly into them and soar back into their respective slots, waiting to choose their masters. “A story for another time of course. That will be eleven galleons dear boy, and best of luck in school.”

           Remus politely thanked him after receiving his change and met up with his father outside, who now seemed incredibly interested with the number of buttons on his coat. He turned his head when the bells rang from Remus opening the door, and smiled at him.

           “See? I told you it would be nothing to worry about.” He said, turning his head towards the window and waving before nudging his head back to the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. “Let’s head back. Big day tomorrow, and we need to make sure your mother hasn’t gotten herself into a mess in that room by herself.”

             The next morning was an early rise. He didn’t get much sleep the night before knowing what awaited him the following day, and Remus was grouchy his father had decided to wake him up at what felt like was the crack of dawn. He thought he gave a good argument for an extra five minutes of sleep, but his request was quickly denied when Lyall tossed his clothes on top of him. With another groan, Remus sat up and glanced at the clock, which was only showing a few minutes passed seven.

           “But— The train doesn’t leave until eleven.” He said mid-yawn as the clothes tossed onto him only moments ago folded themselves to prevent from creasing.

           “Yes.” Lyall replied while tying his tie. “One can never be too early. And besides, we’ve got a quick errand to run.”

           “An errand? I haven’t forgotten anything, have I?”

           “It’s not for supplies. It’ll be quick. Hurry up and get dressed.” He urged, now with more finality in his voice. “The sooner we get it done, the sooner you can go back to bed, I promise— oh, and don’t forget your wand.” With his final word Lyall walked out of sight, leaving Remus to grumpily dress himself with the pile of clothes on top of him. He noticed it wasn’t his first choice of comfort for the train ride ahead, and that his father gave him a white button-up shirt and black slacks. Too tired and annoyed to complain, Remus just shut the door and did as he was asked and changed. He took another once over in the mirror; feeling like his hair in its usual mess was completely out of place with how he was dressed.

           Lyall was waiting for him alone in the living room area and checking his wristwatch when he emerged. Remus clocked the absence of his mother immediately.

           “Are we still waiting on mum?” He asked, looking at their closed bedroom door. His father turned his head as well before swinging back to the task at hand and ushered Remus to the main door leading into the main hallway of the Inn. “No, it’ll just be the two of us again.”  He checked his watch once more. “Thank you for getting ready. That’ll put us right on time.” He reached into his coat for his wand, and tapped the doorknob twice, leaving behind a small sign asking for housekeeping to return later.

           “On time for what?”

           “No time to explain. We won’t be going far, just down to another room actually.” Remus was getting apprehensive at his father being so hurried and cryptic. He led them both to a room at the end of the hallway and knocked on the door. He took a deep breath and exhaled, making it clear now to Remus that whatever they were doing was serious. He turned to him and placed a hand on his shoulder before speaking.

           “Listen, it won’t be like getting your wand, I’m going to be with you the whole time— and it- it won’t take long. I just don’t want you to be nervous.”

           “Why would I be nervous?”

           As if answering his question on queue, a man in a perfectly tailored pitch-black suit opened the door to greet them. He was a tall and slick, and his aftershave made Remus want to scrunch his nose. He had long silver hair brought neatly to a ponytail with an equally coloured beard sculpted to a point, and dark enough eyes that his pupils were lost in their surrounding colour. Without looking at Remus, the man greeted his father with a curt nod and gestured for the two of them to enter. The room had been considerably smaller than what his family reserved, as there was only enough space for the three of them along with a table in the center with chairs on both ends. The only light in the room was coming from the rising sun through a lone window, casting an ominous silhouette of the man in the suit. He sat in the seat farthest away, and gestured for Remus to sit in the seat across, still not bothering to look at him or make introductions.

           “Thank you for your time. We are here today to officially catalog one Remus Lupin for the Ministry of Magic under the Official Werewolf Registry.” He said in a strong and rattling kind of voice that gave Remus goose bumps. “To authenticate, we are joined by the caretaker to witness the event—“

           “Father.” Lyall cut in abruptly.

           “…Yes, of course. The father. Let us begin.” He waved his hand and a from beneath the table rose a large leather-bound book along with another device that resembled a kind of scale. “Your wand please, young man.”

           Remus remained quiet while taking his new wand from his pocket. He felt the need to remain as cooperative as possible, partly because he wanted this to be over as soon as possible, but mostly because he couldn’t stop thinking about the letter Professor Dumbledore left for his father regarding the moment at hand. He handed his wand into the man’s bony fingers without looking at his father beside him. He was annoyed at the meeting being kept from him and regretted not asking when he found the letter, as it was obvious now that it was very much his business to do so. His wand was placed on the scale, and the Registry official opened the book to the latest entry almost midway through.

           “Is that really necessary?” Lyall asked sternly, referring to the scale and folding his arms.

           “I am simply taking the proper precautions.”

           “To what.”

           “Ensure that he will not be a threat. Having the wand properly weighed and measured will make him a lot easier to track down when— if things get messy.”

           “They won’t.” He replied through his teeth with his jaw clenched.

           “Then you have nothing to worry about, unless you don’t trust Dumbledore enough to keep his word?” The room fell into a very tense silence. The only noise came from Remus’ wand on the scale as it turned to point to him, signaling the official to scribble down in the book. “Wand wood?” He asked, still refusing to look at Remus and not looking up from his quill.

           “Cypress, sir.” He replied clearly, thankful for the change in subject and trying to stay as respectful as possible, even though it was obvious to him now he would not have it returned.

           “Core.”

           “Unicorn tail hair, sir.” The man scribbled again and nodded, then turned the book so that Remus could read it. The left side of the page had been full of notes about his physical appearance from his hair colour to the detailed description of his scars. The right side had been filled out too by another sort of description, but Remus averted his eyes the second he saw ‘Large and sharp teeth.’ The man handed him a separate quill and ink. Remus instinctually brought his gaze to his father, as he’d never written with one before. Lyall made a sort of dipping motion with his hand and he followed suit, saturating the tip of the quill too much. He awkwardly tapped the tip to the edge of the ink well in an attempt to empty it again.

           “Now, we will need your signature here.” He said, pointing with his own quill. Remus clumsily doused his quill again and scrawled his own name where he was told with mild success. “Please bear in mind that the registry extends to St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries as well, where upon visits you are to wear official tags that are to be renewed every five years, understood?” Remus nodded quickly, becoming more agitated with the task at hand. Professional or not, he could sense the venom in this man’s voice. He bit his tongue and did what he was asked. He noticed there weren’t many spaces left for his signature and knew it would at least be over soon. “Good. Initial here. Lastly, and most obvious, should any harm come to anyone from you in your transformed state, the punishment will be severe.”

           “Just sign here for that part then, sir?” He didn’t realise how much conviction he had until he looked up from the book to see the man sneering at him.

           “Yes.” After Remus was finished with the last stroke of his signature, the book snapped shut and slid quickly to the other side of the table away from him. The man’s sneer fell back into a frown as he took a pair of black leather gloves and two glass slides from his inner jacket pocket. “Your wrist.”

           “What’s all of this nonsense now?” Lyall burst out, his voice sounding quite tense.

           “This, as you of all people should know,” he replied as he slipped on the gloves, “is a completely standard part of the registry, Mister Lupin. And if I have another outburst from you expecting me to be lenient because he is your son, the process will be much more difficult than it needs to be.” His voice was final as it silenced Lyall, and he held out his gloved hand to him. “Now boy, your wrist.”

           Remus reached over the table and the man carefully rolled up his sleeve and turned his arm so that his palms were facing up. He waved his wand once, and a sharp prick of pain gave way to a drop of blood that he collected with one of the glass slides. Remus kept himself from wincing, as he wanted more than anything to prove he wasn’t afraid, for himself, his father, and to the ministry official taking samples of his blood. Just as quickly as he’d made the cut, with another wave of his hand it was gone along with any indication of pain it’d left behind. Remus brought his arm back to his side as soon as he was released and the man stood on his feet and adjusted his jacket.

           “That will be all for the registry.” He said, and with a flick of his wrist, the book flew from the table to one of his hands, and the scale collapsed into the size of a pocket watch and jumped into the other. “I will head back to the Ministry so that this… experiment, can commence. Best of luck and good day to you both.” He gave a curt nod to Lyall. “Lupin.”

           “Malfoy.” Said Lyall as though he were relieved to finally address an awful taste in his mouth.

             The two of them walked back to their room in silence before stopping at the door. Lyall took a deep breath and turned to Remus again to kneel in front of him.

           “I know you’re frustrated and probably wondering why I haven’t brought this up to you before now?” Remus shrugged and kept his gaze fixed on the floor. “I just- I knew how excited and happy you’d been since you agreed to go to Hogwarts, and I didn’t want your experience soiled by having to look forward to something like this, or people like him.” Of course Remus understood. He wasn’t angry with his father; he was more annoyed at how he knew exactly how he’d react. Annoyed, and a little uneasy, as he knew if he wanted to keep his secret he’d need to get better at putting up the proper walls as to not give himself away.

           “I understand. Thanks dad.” He locked his eyes with the matching ones of Lyall’s and squirmed uncomfortably. “Is it okay if I change my clothes now? I’d rather wear a jumper for the train ride instead of this thing.” Remus flapped his arms slightly and they both smiled. Lyall stood to his feet to mess his hair again, giving him permission to change into whatever he wanted.

             A few hours passed when the Lupins arrived at King’s Cross station. Lyall had taken charge again making sure the transition to the platform was as smooth as possible for all of them. He’d given Hope and Remus a crash course on the way, and from what he could remember; the idea wasn’t too complicated. Running straight through an invisible barrier between the platforms seemed about as easy as it could get.

           “Alright, do we remember what to do?” said Lyall as they arrived in the space between platforms nine and ten.

           “Yep.” They both replied simultaneously. Remus pushed his trolley to face the wall, and waited for a family to pass in front of him before casually strolling forward. He gripped the handlebar tight as he approached the barrier and held his breath. He’d never gone through a magical obstacle before and was concentrating very hard on putting what could go wrong out of his mind. Only a second after his trolley phased through the wall, he heard the train whistle loudly and he emerged into an exact mirror of the station he’d just left. He looked up to the sign reading ‘Platform 9 ¾‘ and smiled. Looking around, there was what seemed like a hundred of other witches and wizards with their children, all of who were getting ready to board the train just like him. Remus felt a weight drop in his gut, making his smile slowly fade and drew his gaze back down to his trunk. His parents sauntered through shortly after, and noticed his mother clinging to his father’s arm with a bewildered expression on her face.

           “See love? Not bad at all. I think we did brilliant for our first time.” He said, nudging her. “I haven’t been here in so long. It hasn’t changed a b—” He was interrupted by a woman calling his name across the platform. He assured the two of them he’d only be gone for a moment and dashed off.

           “See that? Pulls us into the magical world and ditches the first second he can.” Hope laughed. “It looks like a normal train though, I think we can find the door without getting into too much trouble. Standing by this entrance is making me nervous anyway.” Remus nodded in agreement and the two walked side by side together, weaving through the other children and parents until arriving at an open enough space to stand and wait for Lyall. “How are you feeling?”

           “…A little like I’m going to be sick.” He replied. He tried hard to stay positive about leaving for school, but now that the time had come to actually leave, he worked himself into a nervous mess.

           “That’s normal I think.”

           “I don’t know. What if… what if something bad happens?” He asked, thinking back to the meeting and what Mr. Malfoy had said about punishment. Even though he tried hard to convince him that he wasn’t afraid, truthfully he was terrified.

           “Hm. Well I’m no expert in anything magical beyond your father’s knick knacks… which still confuse me sometimes, but I’m an expert on my son.” She said, moving his hair from his eyes, encouraging him to look at her own. He was glad he did, as her gentle smile instantly made him feel better before she spoke again. “No matter what other people might think or say, I know you could never hurt anyone. You are not a your illness.” She gently stroked his cheek. “I think that’s why I’m so proud that you decided to go. Now you can prove for to everyone else what I already know.” Remus felt his heart flutter and let his mother pull him in for one last embrace goodbye.

           “Sorry! I’m sorry, I’m back now.” Lyall said after jogging back, taking his place next to his wife, who rolled her eyes again at his nerve. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. I did us a favour saving you from that chatterbox.” Remus laughed knowing it was the last time he’d see his parents for a while and wanted to remember them in that moment, laughing, loving, and proud of him. “This is it. Are you ready?”

           “Yeah” Said Remus, his heart fluttering still, but now in new anticipation. “I am.”

[marauders-fanfic]

Remus Lupins Hogwarts Acceptance Letter from Professor Dumbledore

[marauders-fanfic]

Chapter Two: The Headmaster’s Letter

His mother gasped and Lyall slammed the door, only to see it stopped by an invisible wedge. He tried frantically to shut the door as to prevent the man from entering while Hope took a step back, putting her arms behind her to guard Remus. It was obvious the man also possessed magical ability if his father struggling to keep him outside was any indication, but surely he wasn’t there to hurt any of them, Remus thought. Perhaps he was if his parents were acting so severely to the explanation of his visit. 

Either way, the tension was making him feel more nervous too, and he clung a hand to his mother’s arm. After the door flung open with a loud crash, Lyall drew his wand and pointed it at the Professor, who was now in full view and silhouetted by the twilight and door frame. He kept his fingertips together and still kept his expression kind, yet firm.

“Don’t take another step! I’m warning you now, I won’t let you take him—“

           “Take him?” The professor looked puzzled, but only for a moment and glanced between his father and mother. “Let me be very clear, I do not wish to abduct or harm your child or you in any way.” This seemed to calm everyone down significantly, as his father slightly dropped his outstretched arm and his mother’s grip became less secure until Remus eventually stepped from behind her.

           “You don’t?” Hope replied, her voice wavering, the puzzled look having successfully transferred over to her from the professor.

           “No. I see now I should have chosen my words more carefully. As mentioned before, this is a sensitive matter.” His eyes found Remus’ again and the lines around them quickly formed deep wrinkles to fit his smile. He bowed his head slightly and addressed Remus directly now. “My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore, and I am the Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I have been most anxious to speak with you, Remus.” Professor Dumbledore said softly, reaching out his hand.

           Remus was still startled from the scuffle only a few moments ago to properly react to the introduction, yet still managed to grasp and shake the Professor’s hand. He wanted to catch up on all of the features about the professor that he missed before like his long silver hair that matched his beard that was also long enough to reach his navel, his purple robes that graced the floor as he walked, and his half moon spectacles. Remus hadn’t really met or let alone seen other magical people, so the man’s presence in his living room on what was supposed to be a regular movie night was a lot for him to take in.

           “Hogwarts, sir…?” He replied. He could tell he’d created another tension in the room with his question.

           “Yes. Shall we sit? There’s much to discuss.”

             Hope and Lyall, who were both noticeably more at ease, walked towards the living room to lead the party. Lyall still had his wand out and waved it so the armchair and sofa were facing each other with nothing to separate them but the coffee table with a bowl of black marbles inbetween. Hope walked to the kitchen to start the teakettle while Remus and Professor Dumbledore took their respective seats across from each other. After the room was set, his parents sat on either side of Remus on the sofa, and the Lupins waited anxiously for him to speak. The professor reached into his robes and pulled out a parchment envelope closed with a red wax seal.

           “I wanted to personally deliver this to you.” Professor Dumbledore said, holding out the envelope. Remus moved a bit of hair out of his eyes so he wouldn’t miss reaching for the parchment. In green letters was their home address in large green ink with no stamp, which at first he found odd, but of course so was sitting preparing to have tea with an old wizard calling himself ‘professor.’ He turned it over to open it, and was close enough now to notice he wax had a shield crest split into four quarters. He unfolded the first page of the envelopes contents, and noticed at the top of the page was the same insignia as the wax seal, only now he could see there was a lion, snake, badger, and a an eagle separated inside the shield. Underneath was the headmaster’s name along with his title (which Remus was glad he didn’t introduce himself with as it was quite extensive).

His eyes fell to the text of the letter, and he felt his father tense up slightly next to him as he read aloud:

 Dear Mr. Lupin,

 We are pleased to inform you that you’ve been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

 Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

              Remus felt a flutter in his stomach. He’d always wondered what it would be like to go to school and be around other children who could do magic like him. Before turning over to the next page, Remus looked up to both of his parents. They’d exchanged a look with each other and turned their gaze to the professor. As if reading their minds Professor Dumbledore broke the silence

           “I suppose you are concerned, and it is understandable. I am quite aware that Remus is a werewolf.” He said, causing another tension in the room. His words hung in the air until the teakettle whistled a few seconds later. Hope quickly got up again to tend to it, glad she was given an opportunity to excuse herself. The elephant in the room had now been uncomfortably addressed. Of course he’d known what he was. It was after he’d gotten his scars and was old enough to understand that his father explained to him that he would fall ill on the full moon. In this case, ill meant turning into an uncontrollably violent monster. “However, I think you’ll find the adjustments at the school the other professors and I have put forward will be more than enough to accommodate.”

           “Adjustments?” Lyall said, sitting up a little straighter. Hope walked into the room with the tea set and started to pour everyone a cup, like Remus, not wanting to interrupt either of them speaking in case what was said was out of turn or strange. He understood it must have felt odd for her to be the muggle outnumbered by wizards.

           “Indeed. With the upmost of discretion, I have met with the Minister on the matter and she feels the measures we all will be taking to be quite satisfactory.” He said, and smiled, thanking his mother for the tea. He dropped a lump of sugar and poured his cream by hand. “Not a single detail has been overlooked.”

           “Where will I go?” Remus piped up. “I’m sorry, but I know I can’t be kept around people…” He didn’t want to sound rude for asking, but he’d already felt like he was sat in a dream that his intrigue was forced to the front of his mind.

           “We’ve different options and avenues for such. All of which will be revealed and reviewed to you during your first week in the castle.” Said professor Dumbledore, expectedly in reply. “In-between classes of course.”

           “What happens if someone finds out?” He asked. He knew there couldn’t have been many other magical schools out there, and with his record of being moved about he wasn’t feeling too confident.

           “I assure you, no one will know.” He brought the cup to his lips and sipped. Remus had been so engrossed in the questions filling up his head, he didn’t notice his parents pour themselves a cup either. “The purpose is to have no one learn. You may think your affliction is volatile and unmanageable, but it’s not. As long as we are all cooperative and precise all will go smoothly for your time at school.”

           “We being the other professors.” Lyall cut in, having a much more steady voice, but still the urge of concern. “What makes you so sure all of them are as willing to participate as you are?”

           “None of them have anything to gain by sabotaging Remus. They are bound by their word and honour as Hogwarts professors to protect the school and her students. Should he accept, Remus will be included in that number.” Remus felt his chest start to swell. For the first time, other people would be able to help him. He was grateful for his parent’s sacrifices to keep him hidden, but knowing the burden from them would not only be lifted for his time at school, but shared among other powerful witches and wizards made the idea easier to accept.

           “Pardon me professor,” Hope said in a small voice, holding her cup in both hands. “And, correct me if I’m wrong, but people like Remus aren’t exactly…” The colour rose in her cheeks. “Welcome...”

           “You’re wondering my motive.” He replied. He put his empty cup down and touched his fingertips together, glancing and making eye contact with the three of them. “I want to prove that people like Remus are welcome in all places and not a point of prejudice. That lycanthropy like any other illness can be controlled and managed. That it is not a life sentence to exile of being a monster. Being frightened of yourself is no way to live.” His gaze stayed fixed on Remus’ then. “Should you choose to come to Hogwarts, I can promise that you will find yourself capable of things you can scarcely imagine.”

           “In that case… I think whatever Remus decides we should support.” his mother said, smiling slightly and taking a warm hand away from her cup and brushing a bit of Remus’ hair from his eyes. His father nodded in agreement and looked back down to him for assurance. They’d been convinced, but there was still the hint of doubt tugging at his insides. He’d read over his letter again thinking it was too good to be true. This man he’d only met a few moments ago was giving him an opportunity to study magic at his school despite knowing what he was. He could hardly wrap his mind around the fact that Professor Dumbledore could be risking his many titles and also many lives by helping him, not to mention the other professor’s risk at the school as well. He shifted in his seat and looked up to professor Dumbledore again, still clutching the pages of his letter.

           “You’re sure it’s safe, sir?” He asked

           “Completely. There is no place safer than Hogwarts, for you and your potential classmates.” The sentiment made him smile. Knowing others wouldn’t be harmed made the knot settle in his stomach much easier. “The other professors are all more than capable of handling the task I’ve given them for your time at our school, including the moments in between such as any accidental amphibian transfiguration.” He was now looking at him from above his half-moon spectacles. Remus felt his cheeks grow warm. He didn’t want to know how he’d found out about his slip earlier in the day, but he’d hoped the understanding was left at that. He’d been too elated otherwise knowing that he had the chance to make lasting friendships and break the cycle of loneliness at last with the Professor’s promise. The feeling alone tightened his throat as though he were on the verge of tears. Remus moved the hair completely from his face to look at his new Headmaster.

           “Do we need to send an owl, or is it okay to just let you know I’d like to go to Hogwarts when the term starts?” Professor Dumbledore let out a soft laugh and his blue eyes twinkled.

           “Now’s fine, dear boy.” He reached for the bowl of black marbles on the coffee table. “I haven’t played in ages… would you care for a game of Gobstones?”

             So much happened in the next few months, it all had felt like a dream. Remus’ eleventh birthday came a few weeks after the Headmaster’s visit, and he couldn’t remember a happier time in his life. His father had given him his old school books to get a head start on his Hogwarts term, which even though the books were hopelessly outdated, Remus could not have been more excited to dive into them and catch up on as much as he could on the magical knowledge he’d missed. Though he treasured his father’s old books, they were (as all of his fathers gifts on his birthday) a close second to the special box of chocolates his mother gifted him. It’d become somewhat of a tradition for the two to share the sweets and enjoy them together, and as a result; they always became Remus’ favourite, bar none.

With their family on the upswing, even the Muggle School became more bearable, especially knowing that it was only a stopping point to his real education. Lyall had suggested a move again after Remus finished his final term there, but to a wizarding village. He’d been throwing names around for weeks until finally settling on a place called Caerphilly in South Wales. This way they could still easily visit his mother’s side of his family that mainly made up of his maternal grandparents and aunt & uncle with their twins, but the shift would make things much simpler now that magic wouldn’t be something to hide.

Lyall had been talking about it non stop, even as they all packed. His excitement eventually wore off on Hope, who was very much looking forward to moving to a magical village after hearing how much easier and relaxing it would be to have a magic solution for tough stains on the carpet from dirty boots. When they weren’t talking about leaving, Lyall told them all about Hogwarts. He talked about the different houses and being sorted into them, about classes and Quidditch, which he seemed to love a lot, and the feasts, which he’d always have the most to say about. As much as he enjoyed catching up on all of the years missed talking about his former school to his son, he’d have to stop himself from revealing too much in his excitement since he hoped Remus would enjoy himself learning every nook and cranny of the school during his time.

             When the time finally came to move into their new home, all of the preparations had been made that the three of them travelled by way of fireplace by a method called Floo. After a crash course from his dad of being engulfed in green flames after tossing a handful of powder into the grate, Remus had decided he didn’t much like Floo travel. He crouched into their small hearth, clutching the powder tightly in his fist before shouting ‘3 Lleuad Way’ loud and clear like his dad instructed. Green flames swallowed and spun him round until he was stood upright and stumbling out of a much roomier fireplace. Remus coughed and dusted the soot off of himself as his parents arrived shortly after, earning himself a quick tut from his equally soot-covered mother for dirtying their new floor. His reprimand was cut short when she’d looked around the house to find it was already fully furnished. Remus noticed the very smug look on his father’s face as he patted himself down in the fireplace and ducking his head slightly while he walked out.

“Ah, this Floo seems to run a bit over after it’s used.” Said Lyall, who still had his head turned slightly to the fireplace. The green flames licked the top of the hearth, which Remus assumed was similar to a door being left open after it was used. “No matter, it only looks like it’ll be there for a few minutes at most. I’ll put in an appointment to repair it after we’ve settled in a bit. Speaking of which,” He turned and faced them now and spread out his arms, gesturing to the room. “Welcome home.”

It clicked in Remus’ mind that his weekend hours at work were actually spent getting their new home ready, much to the satisfaction of his mother who was joyous and relieved that she wouldn’t have to sort his magical things.

           The new living room was slightly larger than any other they’d lived in before, thus making much more room for their fireplace which had stood tall enough that even his father could easily walk through. The movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention, and soon noticed a clock shift all of its hands at once in the wrong direction. He walked up to it and squinted between the hair in his eyes to see a individual photographs of the three of them move from a ‘Travelling’ space to one labeled ‘Home.’

           “We’re a wizard family in a proper wizarding village now. Wouldn’t be caught dead without one of those.” Lyall said, startling Remus. He tapped the clock twice with his forefinger, and the small portraits smiled at him. “Have a look around. I’ve already set up your room if you want to settle in. I’m going to show your mother what a great job I’ve done.”

           “Yeah dad, it’s excellent.” Said Remus, who in complete honesty was very impressed with just one room of the house and how he’d managed to add character with little magical qualities. “I’ll explore a little… maybe you should show mum my room first in case it gets messy.

             He made his way into the kitchen first after looking around the living room, where an out of place piece of parchment lay flat along its folds on the countertop. He didn’t pay much attention at first until he saw the signature of Albus Dumbledore in the middle of the page. Clearly the letter had been addressed to his father, but curiosity got the better of him as he carefully reach for the page as to not disturb his father’s owl pruning itself on the perch by the kitchen window. The letter was dated only a few days ago.

 Dear Lyall,

       I’m glad to see you’ve settled on the house in Caerphily. I should have expected you to choose the village knowing your talent for the broomstick. I appreciate your haste in reply to my previous letters and your patience with me as I know it was a delicate topic to discuss. I’m pleased to inform you that I was able to book your private registration for the Ministry of Magic. It will be on 1 September at 8 AM sharp at the Leaky Cauldron. I was advised to inform you that a wand would be required as well.

 Give your family my regards, and we look forward to seeing Remus very soon.

 Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

             Registration? Remus furrowed his brow. Perhaps for the school, that had to be it. He thought it must have been standard for all of the students to register for classes with the Ministry of Magic. It made sense, yet he still felt uncomfortable. Why hadn’t his father brought it up to him yet? Didn’t the professor say he wouldn’t need to send in an owl? He shook his head and set the page down where he found it, regretful of his curiosity. He decided it best to remove the thought from his mind entirely to avoid needlessly stressing himself out. After all, he wasn’t directly mentioned until the end of the note for regards, and knew he was winding himself up over nothing. He trusted his dad and he knew after what he went through to make sure he could attend his school, that it was in his best interest to trust Professor Dumbledore as well. The first of September wasn’t for another month after all, and his father had plenty of time to bring it up to him before then if it was any of his business. He turned on his heel to walk out of the kitchen and into the hall, where he would take his dad’s advice and explore the rest of his home.

             Remus was totally impressed with how much work his father put into the house. Usually all of the strange and magical objects were confined to his designated office area, but now with it all spread out, it made looking around the rooms much more interesting than it had ever been in the past. Every stop had a sort of knick knack that made noise or moved in funny ways, like a self spinning globe in the spare bedroom and the cuckoo clock and the end of the hall that was uniquely responsive when asked for the time. He was especially pleased he didn’t run into his parents on his tour in case he caught them mid-smooch, which much to his mild disgust had been happening much more frequently lately. At least on his own, he could enjoy the discovery in his own time and top it off with plopping down on his own bed in his new room, which is precisely what he intended to do. Finally, Remus opened the door to his bedroom to find it fully furnished like the rest of the house as his father said. He smiled and shut the door behind him, grabbing one of his gifted books titled “A History of Magic” that lay on top of a stack on his desk. He fell backwards into his sheets and cracked open the book, reading until he’d eventually dozed off with the book draped over his face.

[marauders-fanfic]

Chapter One: The Unexpected Visitor

The gloom in the air from the fresh fallen rain was enough to keep one in bed all day, and having to spend the earlier hours of the morning getting ready and dressed for school was most definitely at the bottom of Remus Lupin's list of thing's he'd rather be doing. It wasn't the learning part he dreaded. In fact, if he had it his own way, that's all school would be is in complete isolation doing his best to finish the coursework. His reluctance came from being moved around to a different school every year since he's started. The battle to make new friends and adjust to a new environment had hit the point of exhaustion around the third time he'd needed to introduce himself to a classroom. Try as they might to stay, sooner or later he'd come home to his father pitching a new place to live, usually because the nature of his family was starting to become more apparent.

Remus and his parents had only been living in their current Welsh town for three months, and like every other place they'd lived before for as long as he could remember, it was a muggle town, strictly non-magical. He'd never questioned why they decided to live exclusively among non-magical people since every attempt in the past failed. Of course he thought it would make sense to alternate between the two since he was only truly half magic on his father's side, but he knew he'd just have to trust his parents had their reasons. Much to his relief, summer holiday from school was only a few months away, which really meant he wouldn't have to start making excuses for any funny business at least until the new term started in the fall, maybe even later if he was lucky.

Having magic was hard to hide after nearly a year of being in one place too long. His father Lyall would sometimes be the point of skepticism among the neighbors, and Remus being methodically pulled out of school for days at a time never helped with suspicion either. Fortunately Hope, Remus' mother, had no magical ability at all. It was usually her cleaning up the loose ends in whispers going around town, and telling her husband what was and wasn't okay to do in front of people without magic. Though, clever and helpful as she was, even she knew it was only a matter of time before she'd be packing up to a new home. She never seemed to mind which was something she'd always offhandedly mentioned to Remus on his days home from school, that being married to his father is an adventure. Of course from his standpoint she was right. Having a fully trained wizard for a father made for a much more interesting life, especially in the summertime when Lyall would teach him the basics of learning to control his own magic. Last summer as a treat, his father even let Remus use his wand to practice simple spells with, which was much more fun than he made it out to be when he lied about it in class assignments.

After a half hour of laying in bed not wanting to move, Remus finally got up and lazily grabbed his uniform at the edge of his bed, which his mother was kind enough to lay out for him, to slump to the bathroom down the hall. As he dressed himself, he tried shifting to a more positive mindset for the day ahead. Maybe everything will be fine and I'm getting all worked up for nothing, he thought, splashing some water on his face and looking at himself in the mirror. Remus was a small and skinny boy. Not quite frail, but below average for other ten year olds. He glanced up to his wild bedhead and smoothed his dark brown hair in a mop over his face and ears, which made it difficult to discern the pale green eyes peering at his reflection. He didn't mind having his visibility obscured if it meant hiding what he could of the nasty scars on his face, one going across from his cheek to his eye, the other parallel, crossing over his lips. He didn't have any idea of what his face looked like underneath them other than photographs of what he looked like before when he was a small child, smiling in all of his pictures. The only recollection he really had of getting them in the first place was waking up in his parent's bed with a bandage wrapped over his head and a headache that lasted for weeks.

His fingertips grazed the groove in his upper lip where the scar crossed, and his eyes followed the length of the gash along his chin. He'd always just stuck with an animal attack as his story. It wasn't completely unheard of to be attacked on a camping trip, and it was usually at that point the questions would stop. He found that not many people liked hearing the gory details despite their curiosity, which worked out for him since he didn't bother thinking of them. He flattened his hair over his face again and sighed, wishing it were longer. After a sudden lurch in his stomach, Remus averted his eyes from his reflection to finish his business and get dressed. He wasn't too keen on anyone staring at his face for too long before feeling self-conscious, even himself.

Hope and Lyall Lupin were both talking over the small dining table in the kitchen when Remus walked in from upstairs. His father was adjusting his raincoat for work with his back to his son while finishing up his toast. His stature and build was much more pronounced than his son's. Lyall stood up straight with broad shoulders, yet managed to still keep an aloof air about him, especially around Hope, who was busy rolling her eyes and putting her hair up in a bun. His father had tan skin compared to his mother stood across from him, with the same dark ashy hair and pale green eyes as Remus beneath his thick eyebrows. His mother stood across from him, being incredibly small statured compared to her husband. Her hands dropped to her hips when she finished tying up her hair, which looked a much brighter red than usual that morning compared to the normal hint of blonde since she decided to wear her green knit sweater. Her large, light brown eyes flicked to Remus', and scrunched up in her smile as she greeted him good morning.

He'd just walked in at the tail end of their conversation, which from what he caught was his father mentioning he'd probably be getting home later due to a meeting. Remus couldn't help but deflate a little at the thought of his dad staying back later than usual. It was a Friday, so he was feeling a little selfish and disappointed that his work was keeping him. His father followed suit with a bright smile of his own, then scarfed down his toast and gave his wife a crummy kiss on the cheek before ruffling Remus' hair goodbye to cheer him up.

"It won't last too long, I promise. I'll be back in time for dinner" he said. Then he winked and disappeared with a small 'pop.' That was usually his form of transportation whenever he left into the wizarding world, vanishing into thin air in one place, and reappearing in the next. Being the magical parent living in a non-magical town, there weren't many indulgences he could take with his abilities while attempting to settle down with his wife and son. Remus couldn't blame him though; after all he thought it would really nice to be able to be anywhere he wanted by just thinking about it. He decided not to ponder too much since he already woke up in a mood about school. With just the two of them staying in the kitchen now, his mother beamed at him as she tidied up his new mess of hair. She liked it out of his face much better.

"Since your father has his meeting, it's just you and me tonight" she said as she turned to grab her a Remus a raincoat and umbrella. Her kind face held its natural smile whenever she spoke. "I hope you're prepared for a quiet night in."

He smiled and grabbed his coat.

"Right. I dunno though… maybe dad will surprise us tonight. Remember last time he brought work home with him?" He replied, making her giggle.

"I wouldn't count on it."

Remus enjoyed the car rides with his mother in their small blue four-door, mostly because he enjoyed their time to spend together and partly because she let him sit in the front, which he enjoyed very much. It was their time to talk and laugh and point out new things as they drove after moving. Sometimes after school she'd take him to the new places they spotted as a treat, or just as another opportunity to be around each other, which Remus enjoyed just as much. Unlike his father, she wasn't as eccentric or witty, but her kind nature made others want to be around her. It proved the point that even she had no abilities according to the wizarding world, there was magic about Hope that was beyond anything Lyall could do.

The pair pulled up to the school before too long and spent a few moments to make sure Remus had all of his things together. He tried not being to obvious with his reluctance to leave, but the longer he took making sure the straps on his bag were exactly the same length, the more he realised his mother was on to his stalling. While he was making some last minute adjustments his bag and making sure his umbrella's handles was firmly in place, she fixed his hair away from his face one more time before giving him a sympathetic smile.

"Have a good day sweetheart. I'll pick you up when class is over." Remus swallowed hard and looked out to the group of his classmates all hoarding together. He supposed if she was going to let him stay, she would have stopped him by now.

There was nothing particularly important about his day at school. The teachers gave their lessons, if Remus was called on he answered, and for a large part of the day, he stayed under the radar. The formula he'd come up with was simple and proved to work. The less attention he drew, the less he needed to talk about himself. Trial and error in the past had proven the system effective, though flawed since usually being more withdrawn towards his peers couldn't help but make him feel quite lonely. To Remus it was a matter of time before he'd need to leave, anyway. Either he would slip with magic by making the erasers beat themselves or swell another classmate's tongue that was teasing him over his face, or his monthly absences were drawing too much attention. Either way making friends wasn't as important, even though sometimes he found himself wishing that he was also being invited over for dinner or picked first in partner assignments for a change. It was times he found his mind wandering that gave the familiar tug in his stomach that made him start second guessing his usual role of a wallflower—

"Mister Lupin, please." His teacher's croaky voice boomed through his ears and made him jump slightly at the sudden mention of his name. He'd been so lost in thought he'd almost forgotten his class was still going on without him. His mouth immediately went dry, feeling too embarrassed to ask his teacher to repeat himself. The man took a step forward and adjusted his glasses as well as his tone lower, putting more conviction in his gruff voice. "Am I boring you?" Remus quickly shook his head almost too quickly, and felt his cheek getting warmer as his classmates began their hushed laughter. "Then perhaps you know the material well enough that paying attention is beneath you?"

"I— Sorry. No sir." He replied, feeling quite small. He knew all eyes were on him now as he could practically feel his classmates' stares boring holes into him, as well as catch the stifled sniggers. He sank lower into his chair. Remus didn't like being singled out, especially when he'd been compliant all day until he let his mind wander for what only seemed like a few moments. As his teacher went on, he felt the heat and colour rise in his face until his tone matched that of a tomato.

"Then perhaps it would do you some good to— to…" He reached to cover his mouth as though a nasty cough was coming over him. After a few seconds of gathering himself he continued, "To sit up straight and— Ribbit."

The light chuckling in the air stopped stone cold and turned to whispers of the class now trying to figure out amongst each other if they all had just heard correctly. He was especially sensitive to whispers, hearing the students hush around him all having the same thought as he did. The noise was precisely what Remus imagined a toad would make, sitting on a lily pad in a pond. It was this thought that made him especially nervous since it's exactly why his teacher now quite literally had a frog in his throat.

It wasn't this first time something strange had happened to him when he was stressed out or scared. His father always warned and lectured during their lessons on magic about the importance of keeping control of his emotions for good reason, especially around non-magical people. Magic was difficult enough for him to understand and explain, and he was born with it. Having to explain it to people who had no magical ability at all was nearly impossible, and usually resulted in his family having to pack their things and leave town when particular events became too difficult to excuse. The more he thought about how this slip would be his family's new reason for moving again, the worse he felt. Now he had the picture of his parent's disappointed faces in his head, which was not going to help the situation at all.

Every time the teacher spoke, his predicament got seemingly worse. The croaking became more frequent and if the panicked look on his bespectacled face was any indication, was nearing on uncontrollable. With every croak, the whispers among the classroom turned into a dull roar, and then laughter. The man decided it'd be a much better idea to keep his mouth shut and immediately excused himself from the classroom, which then burst out into full conversation. Remus wanted to follow suit, but from listening to the scattered drabble figured it would be best to stay in his seat.

"D'ya think he's gone mad?" The girl next to him asked, prodding his arm with her pencil.

"Nah, maybe it's some kind of joke—" He answered.

"It was really good though, I mean, he sounded exactly like a frog." She interrupted.

"It's not that different than how he sounds now—"

"I can't believe he chose the end of the day before the weekend to get ill…"

He decided it was probably best not to answer back and wait for her to carry her conversation on with another student who agreed with her, which she did the second someone else pitched his or her theory as to what just happened. It was all generally the same thing from what he could hear. The teacher was sick, or was just practicing his very convincing toad impersonation. There was no mention of Remus or any connection or coincidence mentioned at how this sudden outburst was in the middle of him being chastised. The awful gut feeling was lifting in his relief. Had he really gotten away with magic? He'd gotten questioned for smaller incidents before, but thinking back on his teachers face, he gave no accusatory looks to Remus before leaving. Suddenly the situation seemed more laughable, and a small smile snuck up on him thinking now that it was a very silly yet accurate frog impression indeed.

When classes dismissed, Remus hurried through the doorway to meet his mother out front. Even though it was still a light rain outside, he knew that if he lingered too long indoors, someone would be tempted to start a conversation with him about what happened if they were present or spread the gossip if they weren't, and he wasn't really feeling up to reliving the experience so soon. He anxiously rocked on the balls of his feet until the small blue car rounded the corner. Hope beamed at him from the drivers seat as he got himself settled and buckled in.

"I don't know about you, but I've had the weirdest day…" she said wistfully, taking the car around the corner to the main road. He'd listened to his mother's stories of her adventures at home while her husband and son were away countless times before. She spent the time cleaning, cooking, organising, decorating… and re-decorating. If there was anything that would keep her busy, it was a welcome task since she decided after starting a family that being a stay-at-home mother was something she'd always wanted. Before marrying Lyall she would have never expected it to be particularly exciting, but the enchanted objects the Lupins kept in their home always made for entertaining stories for her accounts of trying to handle them with no magical ability at all. Once she told Remus about how she spent an entire afternoon trying to organize furniture that his father bewitched to completely avoid her, in an attempt to make her compulsive needs to clean the carpets less difficult. This time it happened to be more of a mess she seemed to walk into since she took it upon herself to clean Lyall's study, which was teeming with magical objects. Nevertheless, Remus smiled as she spoke. He always felt calm listening to the Welsh tilt in her voice, and to have his nerves unwound after the odd day he'd had himself was exactly what he needed.

Aside from the recount of his mother's most recent struggle with enchanted objects, the rest of the car ride home was otherwise filled with conversation of how the pair would spend the evening together. The initial idea was to have a drive into town and finally stop by one of the shops on their list of things to see, but as they bounced different ideas to each other they eventually both just agreed to lounge on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and a movie. Hope had even taken the liberty of rummaging through her husbands office for his bowl of marbles, in case they decided to play a game later.

They were only about an hour into movie night when the glassware in the kitchen shook to accommodate for Lyall Lupin appearing out of thin air. He placed his briefcase on the countertop, alerting Remus and his mother to his presence.

"Turns out the meeting wasn't as long as I thought it'd be." Lyall said, taking off his hat and scratching his head. "Prepping us for new laws to be in force soon… But I won't bore you with the details. I almost fell asleep myself sitting through it." He reached inside of his coat pocket and pulled out his wand. With a flick, his briefcase opened and all of the papers inside folded themselves neatly into aerodynamic shapes and sped off from the kitchen out of sight. It was hard to believe his dad ever had a boring day at work considering he worked in the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, which specialised exclusively on what Remus found one of the most fascinating parts of the magical world. He'd dealt with vampires, goblins, even dragons and unicorns, and if the stories he brought home were any indication, he was quite good at it too. If he was honest, Remus figured the meeting was a large get together of every creature in a room talking about whatever it was they talked about while the head of the department banged a large gavel as to discuss these new laws he mentioned. It sounded much more fun to be held back with magical beings than to sit and wonder how long it would take for an unintentional frog-voice spell to break.

Lyall made his way into the living room and was just getting ready to plop himself on the sofa to join his wife and son when there was a light and sudden tap on the front door, the noise making Remus perk up instantly on the spot. Hope stood up to answer, muttering about who could possibly be at their doorstep and their impeccable timing. Lyall groaned and cursed under his breath knowing instead of taking his long awaited seat, he'd have to greet whoever was waiting at the door with his wife since it was obvious that neither of them made any plans for an evening visit.

Remus leaned back into the couch with a half finished bowl of popcorn, tossing little pieces into the air and catching them in his mouth to occupy himself while his parents were entertaining whoever was at the door. He heard the handle turn followed by a very soft voice shortly after. From what his ears could pick up, it belonged to an older man, and didn't sound familiar at all to Remus. His curiosity forced him to keep the popcorn still in his hands and to turn around to put a face to the voice he heard.

"Good evening, Lyall. I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I had requested your presence at the Ministry, but you must have left in quite the hurry after the council meeting." The man said. The mention of his dad's work made him stop tossing the popcorn immediately and turn slightly in his seat. The angle at which Remus was sitting made it difficult to see more than a glint of what he gathered was the man's glasses. He quietly moved from the couch to get a better look without disturbing their conversation.

His curiosity was filling his head with so many questions. The man must have been a wizard too, but did he work with his father? Even if he did, his work is in London. What was he doing on their doorstep in Wales? Lyall immediately ruffled the back of his own hair and apologized for his hasty departure.

"It is all right, I'd hoped to visit your home and meet your family as well. I've only ever heard good things. I beg your pardon… my manners… You must be Hope Lupin, am I correct?" His mother confirmed and smiled softly as the man introduced himself. Remus didn't catch his name when he first said it, but he could now clearly see that he was quite old. He had rings on the hand he took his mother's with, and kind clear blue eyes that had not found their way over to him yet. He retreated his hand back and fondled his long white beard that matched his hair. "I trust you know why I am here?" He said, his voice suddenly taking a more businesslike tilt, his eyes searching both of his parents'.

"I do not, Professor." Lyall replied, trying to sound equally as professional, and somewhat faltering. The man clearly made him nervous, but Remus didn't have the faintest idea why, as he seemed very gentle to him. "Though, you mentioned you've been meaning to visit?"

"Ah yes, for some time now. Forgive me, but I have been waiting for a proper moment as I know it's a very… well, sensitive matter." Almost instinctively, Lyall pulled the door closer to him that there was not much more of an open space aside from what he and his wife were occupying, effectively blocking Remus' view of their visitor completely. He must have known he was watching behind them. He snuck around to get another better look between the spaces of their shoulders, where he could now see the professor's face in full.

"And what matter might that be, sir?" His mother asked in an expectant tone of voice. The man seemed to make her nervous too, and it was obvious that her and Lyall were on the same page as they both looked incredibly on edge.

"A matter I've known for quite some time and have been preparing for to the best of my ability." The man's eyes wandered and settled on Remus', making his heart skip. "The matter of your son."