Prompt 14 - Flake
@wolfstarmicrofic December 14, word count 915
Growing up in the little muggle village his dad had moved them to after he’d been bitten, he had sheltered Remus. He hadn’t played with any other children his own age since then, wizard or muggle. He’d spent a lot of time inside their little cottage reading. He loved books and would devour anything he could get his hands on. It was the one glimpse into the wizarding world that his father allowed.
He poured over the magic-stuffed volumes, learning far more information than he’d probably ever need to know. He’d read all the text he’d need for the first three years at Hogwarts, if he was ever allowed to go, and was well on his way through the ones for fourth year.
The only thing Remus wished for was someone to talk to about what he’d read. Lyall rarely spent time with Remus, and though his mother, Hope, was a willing listener, she didn’t understand anything he was talking about. He longed for a friend his own age.
He was sitting at the kitchen table one morning, eating his over-sugared porridge, when there was a tap at the window. Hope stood up and let the barn owl in. The smart-looking bird swooped into the room. Everyone expected it to land beside Lyall, but it dropped the letter it was carrying into Remus’s lap before swooping back out of the open window. The Lupin family stared at each other before Remus picked up the letter with shaking hands.
The front had his name and address on it written in emerald ink. No one ever wrote to him. He flipped it over and gasped when he saw the seal. He knew what that crest was. He looked up at his father. Lyall looked grey. Remus swallowed carefully, broke the seal and slid the parchment out of the envelope.
He read the letter. Then he read it again and again, until Lyall took it out of his hands. He waited for Lyall to say something.
“Dumbledore is coming to go over a plan to deal with your issues while you’re at school,” Lyall finally said. Hope clapped her hands to her face as she gasped. Remus was going to Hogwarts.
The meeting with Dumbledore hadn’t been that bad. The old man had seemed nice enough and by the time he left, Remus was a lot more excited to starting school.
Lyall refused to take him to Diagon Alley. Instead, he owl ordered everything he needed until he remembered that Remus would need a wand.
Lyall apparated them onto the wizarding street just as the shops were opening and hurried him into Olivanders.
Remus was floored by the stacks and stacks of boxed wands. A little old man greeted them and got to work.
Remus tried a few wands with no luck, and then he was handed a long thin one made of cypress, 10 1/4 inches with a unicorn hair core, and he felt like he was finally home.
Finally, the day came. He was standing before the bright red steam engine with his brand-new trunk, his brand-new wand, and a large care package his mum put together. He said goodbye to his parents and hurried onto the train, finding an empty compartment and settling in for the long ride to Scotland.
The door to his compartment opened. A black-haired, haughty-looking boy in very fine-looking robes stood there looking at him curiously. Probably scrutinising his visible scars.
“Can I sit in here? I’m trying to hide from my relations,” The boy asked in the poshest voice Remus had ever heard. He blinked dumbly at him and watched as the boy's face furrowed when he didn’t answer.
“Sorry, yes, of course,” Remus stammered as the boy sat opposite him.
“Thanks,” The boy said as he straightened his robes. “My name is Sirius Black,” He introduced himself, sticking out his hand for Remus to shake.
“Oh, er, Remus Lupin,” Remus said quickly, shaking Sirius’s hand. The train lurched, and Remus nearly ended up in Sirius’s lap.
“Don’t suppose you have anything to eat, do you? I played a prank on our house elf, and he refused to make me breakfast. I’m starving. Remus immediately brightened up.
“Yeah, I do actually,” And he jumped up to grab the food his mum had packed for him. He laid it out on the little table beside the window, and they shared it out.
“What’s this?” Sirius asked as he picked up a Cadbury Flake.
“Muggle chocolate. It’s nice, I promise.” Sirius picked up the chocolate bar and carefully unwrapped it, revealing the flaky chocolate within. Sirius took a bite and smiled.
“That is so good,” He told Remus, before greedily stuffing more into his mouth. “Are you muggle born then?”
“No,” Remus replied. “My mum’s a muggle, but dad’s a wizard. He works at the Ministry.” Sirius nodded.
“Mine works there too,” Remus didn’t get to ask as the compartment door banged open and a tall raven-haired boy and a short blonde boy fell into the space.
“Hi, James Potter, lovely to meet you,” The boy with glasses said cheerily from the floor. “This is Petter. Say hello Peter,” Peter might have said hello, but it was hard to hear as James’s body muffled his mouth.
“Hi,” Remus and Sirius said in unison, and the four of them burst into laughter. Remus was certain now that he would love every minute of his time at Hogwarts. Well, maybe not every minute.
