for hogwarts: writing club [showtime - waving through a window; liza's loves]; the insane house comp [crying]
s.
Remus was nervous. It was his first time staying away from his house since he was four and had a sleepover at his old friend Christopher's house.
His first time since he turned into a werewolf.
His parent were hugging him, reassuring him that everything would be okay.
"What if the other people there are mean?" he asked his father, fear engulfing him.
"If they're mean to you, then they aren't worth your time," his father said, giving Remus another big hug.
Remus bit his lip, still unsure. Finally, he proclaimed: "I'm not going. I can't."
"Oh, Remus," his mother said, bending down next to him and giving him a millionth hug. "Tell you what, you go to Hogwarts and I'll be right here, waving, when you come back for Christmas."
Remus considered this. "You promise?"
"Of course."
Remus gave his parents one last hug, before getting onto the train and watching them through the window. They were there, looking at him, and waving vigorously. He thought he could see his mother crying.
i.
When Remus returned for Christmas that year, his parents kept their promise. He could see them out the window, waving, waiting for him.
He quickly said goodbye to Sirius, James, and Peter, and then ran off the train to his parents.
"Hi, Mum! Hi, Dad!" Remus was engulfed by hugs from both of them.
His mother asked how his year was, while his father gave him a high-five for getting Gryffindor.
"Hogwarts," Remus said, grinning, "was brilliant."
ii.
The following year, Remus came home for Christmas feeling giddy. He didn't even notice that his parents had kept their promise for a second year in a row, waving at him as he got off the train. He wasn't sure whether or not to tell his parents that his friends knew about his problem.
He decided that if he was going to, he'd probably do it a different time; his parents were too busy hugging him to listen to it, anyway.
iii.
The next year his parents weren't waving at him when he went home for Christmas; he didn't go home, instead staying at school with Sirius, James, and Peter.
He hadn't realised how much he loved seeing his parents in previous years until he didn't have them there, hugging and kissing him.
Well, there was always next year.
iv.
Sirius was staying over for Christmas, and while Remus loved his parents, he didn't want them to be overly mushy to him; he was a teenager. He didn't need his parents to baby him, especially when Sirius' parents never did.
His parents were at the platform, waving as always, and instead of running up to them as always, Remus and Sirius walked up, Remus trying to act cool.
His mother tried to hug him, as always, but Remus pushed her away.
"Mum, please," he said, giving her a small smile. "You don't need to hug me."
"Are teenagers not allowed to be hugged by their mothers?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Remus shrugged, and turned to Sirius, resuming their conversation.
v.
Remus walked off the train for the Christmas holiday, yawning. The full moon always made him feel like crap, but for the first time, he had his friends with him.
He scanned the platform, looking for his parents, but he could only see his dad, who looked as miserable as Remus felt.
He wasn't waving.
"Where's Mum?" he asked as he approached his father. His father looked over at him sadly.
"I didn't know how to tell you in a letter."
"Tell me what?" Remus asked, confused.
"Your mother died a week ago," Remus' dad said, his voice cracking.
The tears fell immediately and all Remus could do was lean into his father, giving him a hug.
It wasn't the same as his mother's.