Hey, everybody!
First thing I want to get straight is that this is a SIDE FIC. It will be updated, at best, once a month, and with the countless other things I have to do in my life, including school, extracurricular activities, and updating my other fics, it will probably be more like once every several months. Sorry. But, anyways...
I finished the 7th Harry Potter book for the fourth time as I am typing this, and am working on my fifth time. In the meantime, I decided it was time to answer my calling and work on my next fic (I have GOT to stop writing new ones at random times), and it's mainly focused around Teddy Lupin, everybody's favorite metamorphogi/half-werewolf!
Also, please keep in mind that I am attempting to become a more serious writer, which means that this will probably be pushing my mind to its limit as I try to think up more and more non-comical things that could possibly happen to a kid during his stay at Hogwarts that doesn't involve fighting Lord Voldemort or having searing pains in the forehead, ha ha. Fortunately for me, Teddy's parental heritage and abilities are interesting enough, so I should be able to keep things going intriguingly enough for all you arrogant, moronic, critical flamers out there who believe that everyone's work should be at college level or above. Not that I totally disagree with you, but, seriously, some people are working their hardest even if their fic is a comedy/parody. Take it in stride; don't make it your life's ambition to make those people feel bad.
But I'm getting off topic here.
You (the reader) are probably getting bored with my elongated speech - that is, if you have even bothered to read this far at all. So, without further ado, I bring you the tale of Theodore Remus Lupin - a great wizard in the making.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling's characters. Every character that is not hers is mine, though, so NO STEALING.
A small, turquoise-haired boy stepped nervously onto King's Cross Station, an elderly woman beside him pushing a metal trolley heavily laden with luggage. Resting atop the various trunks was a large cage containing a Sooty Owl that was hooting profusedly. Many people were staring at the boy with his oddly-colored hair and at the owl.
"Alright, now Teddy. All you have to do is walk through the barrier," said the woman confidently as they approached the barrier between platforms nine and ten.
"But what if something goes wrong and I crash?" Teddy asked worriedly, staring at the barrier and looking terrified.
"You'll be fine, dear. Take the trolley - just push it through. I'll be right behind you."
Nodding, Teddy took the trolley from his grandmother and gripped the handles tightly. His palms sweating, his eyes shut tight, he took a deep breath and rushed at the barrier.
He heard a sort of whooshing sound, and a second later, the loud blast of a train whistle. Opening his eyes, Teddy saw a long red train, the engine enblazoned with the words The Hogwarts Express. Grinning, the boy pushed the trolley forward.
"Teddy!"
He whirled around and saw his grandmother walking through the barrier. "My goodness, Teddy, don't go and get yourself lost before school even starts!" she exclaimed.
"Sorry, Gram."
"It's fine - just please don't go wandering off. I don't want to lose you before you get on the train."
They began to move towards the train again, and now Teddy had a good chance to look at his surroundings. All around him were boys and girls, some already wearing their black Hogwarts robes, pushing trolleys and carrying luggage. A tall boy wearing a shiny blue-and-gray prefect badge ran right in front of him, yelling, "Excuse me!" before grabbing a tall brown-haired girl and pulling her into an incredibly passionate snogging session. Teddy stared in shock - how were they able to do something like that in public?
"Nasty," he muttered under his breath, turning away.
"Oi -Teddy! Andromeda!"
Making his way through the crowd was Harry Potter, Teddy's godfather, and his wife Ginny. Harry was tightly holding the hands of two very young blackish-red haired boys, and Ginny was holding a tiny girl with red hair who looked to be about a year old.
"Harry!"
Teddy let go of the trolley, not noticing its rolling away nor his grandmother racing after it, and dashed into the arms of his godfather.
"What are you doing here? James is five - he can't be going to Hogwarts yet!"
Harry grinned. "We came to see you off, of course. Don't want you to leave without a proper goodbye!" Teddy grinned widely.
As he gave James and Albus, Harry's sons, each a hug, the Hogwarts Express let out another loud whistle.
"You'd best get on the train, now," said Ginny, as Teddy's grandmother gave the porter the trolley. Nodding and smiling, Teddy got on the train and quickly found a compartment that was empty. Sitting down near the window, he opened it and called out.
"Harry! Harry!"
His godfather heard his name being called and jogged up to the window, Andromeda following closely behind.
"Okay, then, Teddy - remember to do your best-"
"I will."
"-and don't go looking for trouble-"
"Right."
"-and be sure to get your Wolfsbane potion from the hospital wing once you get there, and every night of the full moon."
"Yup."
Harry reached up and tousled Teddy's turquoise hair. "Right, then, have a good trip!" He took a step back from the train as its whistle gave a final blast and it began to pull away from the station.
"Bye, Harry! Bye, Gram!" Teddy called out to the receeding station platform.
"Don't forget to write!" his grandmother called to the train as it rounded its first bend.
Teddy stared out the window in the direction of the station for a few more seconds, then sighed and slumped back into his seat. The compartment was completely empty except for himself, and it gave him an eerie feeling.
After the first few minutes, though, the compartment door slid open, and in stepped a rather short, brown-haired boy, a girl with dirty blond hair that was tied back, and an older-looking boy with shaggy, dark brown hair.
"Mind if we sit with you? Everywhere else is full," asked the short boy. He had big blue-green eyes that gave him a permanently surprised expression, but his air and tone were pleasant.
"No, not at all," Teddy replied, eager for company.
The same boy sat down on Teddy's left; the other two kids sat opposite them.
"I'm Miles, by the way. This is Emma, our neighbor-" the girl waved her fingers at Teddy "-and Jack, my brother." The older boy grinned at Teddy warmly, and he saw that his eyes, though not quite as big, were the same color as Miles's.
"Nice hair," Jack complimented, nodding towards Teddy's vibrant blue hair.
Teddy grinned back. "Thanks. I'm Teddy," he said, looking around at the newcomers. "Are you guys first years?"
"Miles and I are," said Emma, the girl, "But Jack is in his third year already. How about you?"
"Oh - I'm in my first year, too."
"All right! What house do you want to be in?" Miles asked. "I think either Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw - Slytherin was the house You-Know-Who was in, and I don't want any relation to him at all. Gryffindor would be best for me, though. 'Cause my whole family has been in it - except for Jack, that is. He's the first one in our family to break the tradition; he's in Ravenclaw, so I guess that wouldn't be too bad."
Jack grinned and held up a blue-and-gray Ravenclaw tie. "Guilty as charged," he chuckled.
"Yeah, my mum was in Ravenclaw, too," chimed in Emma, "And my dad's a muggle. So I want to be in Ravenclaw, I suppose. Gryffindor or Hufflepuff wouldn't be too bad, though. Or even Slytherin - I could probably grow to like it."
"What about you, Teddy?" asked Miles, bouncing slightly in his seat. "What house do you wanna be in? Gryffindor? Hufflepuff? Ravenclaw? Or Slytherin?"
"Same as you," said Teddy, getting the impression that Miles was an incredibly energetic - and talkative - kind of guy. "My mum was a Hufflepuff, and my dad was a Gryffindor. My godfather was in Gryffindor, too."
"You have a godfather? That's really cool!" said Miles, leaning forwards in his seat; Jack was looking slightly embarrased, and Emma was watching with a grin. "What's his name?"
"My godfather? Harry. Harry Potter."
Miles's eyes seemed to get even bigger as he leaned forwards even more. "Harry Potter? The Harry Potter?" The other two seemed to be just as intrigued by the subject of Harry as Miles was.
"How did your parents know him?" asked Jack, looking at Teddy inquisitively.
"My dad taught at Hogwarts when Harry was thirteen. He taught Harry how to make a Patronus - you know, a white thing that scares off dementors - and both my dad and my mum were in the organization that helped to overthrow You-Know-Who. Also, Harry's godfather was a good friend of my dad's." By the time Teddy had finished, Miles, Emma, and Jack were all staring at him in awe.
"Whoa... that practically makes you famous." said Miles, his already wide eyes now looking as though they were going to pop out of their sockets. Teddy couldn't help but grin at the sight of him.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and it slid open to reveal a large cart filled with sweets being pushed by a plump, elderly witch. "Anything to eat, dears?" she asked in a pleasant tone.
After purchasing several pounds of Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Cockroach Clusters (which Emma insistently claimed had a fantastic aftertaste), and various other sweets, the group finally turned to the subject of Quidditch.
"Are you on the Ravenclaw team?" Teddy asked Jack after a heated discussion over who would win in a broomstick race - Bulgaria's Viktor Krum or Spain's Juan Gomez.
Smiling, Jack shook his head. "No, not yet. But this year I've got my own broom - a Cleansweep 14, mind you, it's one of the current best - so I'm going to try out."
"You're going to try out for Keeper, aren't you, Jack?" said Emma pointedly. Turning to Teddy, she explained, "We play Quidditch in their backyard at home sometimes. You know, makeshift hoops, nothing too big. But Jack is incredible at Keeper - nothing can get past him!" the boy in question had a sheepish grin on his face, but by the expressions on Miles's and Emma's faces, Teddy knew that she wasn't lying.
"So you all play?" he asked.
"Yeah. Emma and I are usually playing Chasers - it's a neighborhood game, usually, with younger kids, so we don't use Bludgers or anything," said Miles, unwrapping a Chocolate Frog. "Our little sister, Sophie, isn't that good a Chaser, or Keeper, for that matter - but she'd be a brilliant Seeker. She's really small, and Emma taught her a muggle sport, gym-nuts-sticks or something-"
"Gymnastics," Emma corrected.
"-Right, gymnastics, whatever, but point is, it makes her really fast and flexible. So Seeker is, like, ideal for her." As he said it, Miles glanced at the Chocolate Frog card he had unwrapped with the sweet. "Hm. 'Rufus Scrimgeour. Ex-Minister of Magic. A valiant leader and successor to Cornelius Fudge, died in war against Lord Voldemort.'" He groaned. "I have two of them already. Anyone want it?"
After three "no's", the boy shrugged and tossed it into the bin by the door.
Teddy sighed and stared out the window as several minutes passed in silence, except for Miles's noisy consumption of a Pumpkin Pasty. He watched as rocky cliffs sped by, interrupted only by the occasional tree or bush, and his mind eventually returned to the subject of Quidditch. The urge to join the team of whichever house he would be in was great, but he knew that tryouts were unallowed for first-year students. Still, he couldn't help but long to be up in the air on a broom, feeling the air rush through his hair, getting passed the Quaffle by a teammate - perhaps Miles or Emma - and whooshing up to the net, faking out the Keeper, bringing his arm back before catapulting the red ball into the hoop-
"Hey!"
Teddy awoke from his daydream to see Jack pointing out the window. The cliff had ended, and in the distance he could see an enormous castle, which seemed to be the source of the excited air emnating from the other three.
"That's Hogwarts! We're almost there - oh, god, we still haven't changed - quick, Emma, go to the bathroom and put your robes on, us boys'll do it in here. C'mon!"
Emma nodded, grabbed her robes from her bag, and rushed out of the compartment. Teddy grabbed his own black Hogwarts robes and quickly pulled them on, as did Miles and Jack. He noticed that, though his and Miles's robes had the Hogwarts symbol on the left side of the chest, Jack's had the blue-and-gray symbol of Rowena Ravenclaw. Also, in replacement of the black neckties that the younger boys wore, Jack's was blue and gray as well.
The older boy seemed to notice Teddy looking at this. "They change by magic once you get Sorted, don't worry. And it happens with all of your robes, too, so you don't have any problems."
The train began to slow. Glancing out the window, Teddy saw the village of Hogsmeade sliding by ever more sluggishly. Emma walked into the compartment, wearing her own Hogwarts robes, but Teddy barely noticed her. Jack seemed to be excited enough, but even Miles was silent with anxiety.
Finally, the train jerked to a stop, and all the compartment doors slid open. Teddy grabbed his carry-on bag that contained his clothes and walked into the corridor, which was now crowded with students. He saw a door that was flooded with Hogwarts students leaving the train, and motioned for the others to follow him.
As they stepped off the train, they heard a gruff but friendly voice calling, "Firs' years, over here! All firs' years t' me!" The source of the voice was an enormously tall man, with a thick, tangled mop of graying black hair and an equally tangled and graying beard.
"Hagrid!" yelled Teddy, making his way over to the half-giant. He glanced back at Jack, who gave him, Emma, and Miles a reassuring nod before disappearing into the crowd.
"Hi, Hagrid!" Teddy said as he got close to the man.
"Teddy! There yeh are!" Hagrid smiled, his black eyes twinkling. "How are yeh? Listen, there's no time fer formalities righ' now - yeh'd best get in the boats. Firs' years, over here! Firs' years!"
Teddy nodded, and relayed the message to Miles and Emma, who had not heard Hagrid over the roar of the students. They all got into a boat together, Miles sitting in the front and Emma and Teddy on the bench behind him. Before they could really get themselves situated, another boy with greasy black hair got into the boat with them.
"I'm Jason Burkes. Most of the other boats are full, and my friends have already got four, so I'm sitting here." His voice was slightly hoarse, as though he'd just been breathing in smoke.
The boat gave a sudden lurch, and began to move in sync with the others across the lake. Teddy glanced around and saw that Hagrid was sitting in the first, and by far the largest, boat.
The newcomer's eyes passed over Emma and Miles, coming to a rest on Teddy. "What's the deal with that hair, weirdo? Got a disease?"
Bristling, Teddy replied, "I'm a Metamorphogi. You have a problem with that, Burkes?"
Burkes snickered. "A metamorphogi? Now, that's weird. No one can even recognize them, they transform so much. And everyone can always tell what they're thinking - apparently their appearances change to match their emotions."
Teddy's only response was for his hair to involuntarily turn a bright red, his eyes flashing multiple colors. He wanted to push this jerk out of the boat - he'd just met him and already he'd caused him to change his hair color free of his will.
Miles, eyes huge, spoke up. "Teddy's cool, why the heck are you making fun of him? Besides, Metamorphosis is an amazing art - why didn't you tell us about it on the train? I t hought your hair was dyed or something." Emma nodded her head in agreement. Burkes, however, began to laugh.
"Teddy? Now, that is a humiliating name! What are you, a bear?"
"I was named after my Gramps," Teddy growled. He was unsure of how much longer he would be able to suppress his anger - his wolf blood was beginning to boil, in the back of his mind he remembered that the night of the full moon was only in a few days - he could easily lose himself if he wasn't careful...
However, Emma beat him to it. She stood up, and, even though the boat was rocking precariously beneath her, strode across to Burkes, pointed her wand at his nose, and said harshly, "Shut up, you disgusting little urchin, just shut up! Just what gave you the right to - to - to come and start harrassing a boy you've never even met before, and simply because of something he was born with, something he had no control over?"
Burkes's eyes widened as he stared at the wand being branded at him. Emma did not move, except for her outstretched arm, which was quivering slightly, and her brown eyes, which were flashing so fiercely that they almost looked as though they were changing color.
"Emma... sit down... he's not worth it," said Teddy nervously, his hair fading back to its original bright turquoise. Emma, however, didn't move. Her hand shaking uncontrollably, she finally gave Burkes a final jab between the eyes with her wand, causing a few bright red sparks to fly from the tip. Burkes gave a small yelp of pain and shrunk away from her, trembling.
Miles motioned for Teddy to lean in closer. When he did, Miles whispered to him, "I dunno if you noticed, but that bloke's last name - Burkes - well, I might be wrong, but I think he's either the son or grandson of Burkes from Borgin and Burkes!"
Teddy started. "You mean that shop in Knockturn Alley? That one that's full of Dark stuff?" he whispered back.
"Yeah, that's him, I'm nearly sure of it. We'd best steer clear of him, Teddy, his family's been involved in Dark Magic for generations. I'll bet you anything he'll be in Slytherin." Miles glanced at the black-haired boy who was staring at Emma with fear, and added, "Though I must admit, he's got a reason to be scared. When Emma's mad, she's scary - I'm just glad she didn't really lose her temper." Glancing back at Emma, who was sitting rigidly, staring fixedly ahead, the smaller boy shuddered.
Hagrid's voice suddenly cut through the gloom like a beacon. "If yeh look up ahead, yeh can see Hogwarts! To yer right!"
Whipping his head around, Teddy froze.
Looming above him was a humongous stone castle, turrets and towers plentiful, its spires twisting towards the sky. The gleaming gold finish shone down at them, reflecting the light from the nearly full moon. The many windows, stain-glass and normal, shone brightly with brilliant light from within. The rays from the windows reflected on the water, giving the boats a glowing appearance.
"It's... it's brilliant!" he murmured, gazing in awe. The effect that the castle had had on him was simply incredible; he felt as though he was unable to move.
Before he knew it, the boats had lurched to a stop on the side of the lake, the great castle standing high above them, a huge interruption in the blackness of the night. Waiting for them was a younger-looking wizard dressed in navy blue robes.
"Ah, the next generation of Hogwarts students! Follow me, follow me, come along now!" The wizard turned and marched across the lawn towards the castle. The entire shroud of eleven-year-olds followed in his wake.
When he got to the tall door, the wizard turned and smiled at the students, then pulled out an abnormally long wand and tapped the door twice. Immediately it swung open, revealing an enormous entrance hall, featuring a tall staircase leading to a wooden door, which was closed shut. There were also four huge hourglasses with differently-colored gems in each one - red rubies and green emeralds were on one side of the staircase, and blue sapphires and golden topazes were on the other All of the gemstones were in the top half of the hourglass.
On one side of the hall there was a wooden door that was about fifteen feet tall, with a sign that read Great Hall in bold letters. On the other side, a great corridor that seemed to stretch for miles. The wizard who was guiding them led them up to the wooden door and pushed it open with a flourish.
Four impossibly long tables withe hundreds of students sitting at them stood side-by-side in this new room, which happened to have a ceiling that appeared black, with stars decorating it. Teddy could see the moon, almost full but not quite, high in the sky. Remembering that Harry had told him to expect this - it was part of the enchantment of the hall - Teddy and the other first-years followed the wizard down the space between two of the tables. They approached a smaller tabe at the head of the hall, where about twenty adult witches and wizards sat, facing the students. In front of this table there was a stool with a worn, battered old hat perched on top. The wizard in front of them motioned for them to stand before this hat, then strode up beside it and stood, looking expectantly at the hat.
The first years watched, shocked, as a rip near the brim of the the hat spread open like a mouth, and began to sing a song, its voice echoing throughout the silent hall. Teddy didn't catch all of the words, but it seemed to be singing about the four founders of Hogwarts - Godric Gryffindor, Helena Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin - and the different ways that it would choose which house they'd be in. The hat finally finished with one long low line - "Let the sorting now begin." and then fell silent.
A great roar of applause rippled throughout the room. Teddy clapped politely with the rest of the first-years, but couldn't help but dread the possibility that he himself would be in the much-dreaded house. He knew that it wouldn't matter to Harry or his grandmother, but would it matter to his new friends?
The wizard - or professor, as Teddy now recognized him as - pulled a long scroll from his robes' pocket and unrolled it. Pointing his finger grandly at the top of the list, he read loudly, "Allred, Anthony!"
A tall, bespectacled blonde boy stumbled up to the stool and sat down. The professor placed the hat on the boy's head, and it sat there for a moment before the rip in the bottom opened again and yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Applause rose from one of the tables as the boy lifted the hat off his head, gave it haistily back to the professor, and rushed to sit at the Hufflepuff table. The professor called the next name. "Burkes, Jason!"
Burkes walked confidently up to the stool and sat down in the most casual way he could manage. Almost immediately after the hat touched his head, it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"
Smiking, Burkes jumped off the stool and stalked lazily over to the far table that was applauding wildly. Miles leaned over to Teddy and whispered, "See? Didn't I say he'd be in Slytherin?"
Several more names were called, Teddy nervously watching each of them get the hat placed upon their heads, and within what seemed like seconds the professor called out, "Lupin, Theodore!"
Teddy could feel all the eyes in the room staring at his strangely-colored hair as he walked slowly up to the stool. The professor with the scroll smiled at him as he reached the stool and sat down on it hesitantly.
He closed his eyes and felt the light weight of the hat fall down onto his head...
So how was it? Good? Bad? So-so? Constructive criticism is appreciated, though please don't be too mean about it. :D Also, this chapter was a little long, I know... the rest will be a lot shorter (maybe). So if youlike 'em long, sorry. If you don't, that's good for you.
So now, just push that little purple button down there and review!
-Natsyourlord