A young boy sat on his bed holding an envelope in his hand, he looked solemn. A man knocked on the door and not hearing a response pushed the door open.
The man was built, tall, and handsome, but looked very shabby. He joined his equally shabby son on the edge of the bed. The young boy had mousy brown to sandy blonde hair and was scarred all across his face and arms, he was very skinny.
The man looked down at the letter in the boys hand. It was yellow parchment with emerald green lettering, the man read it sideways.
Dear Remus Lupin,
"We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1 st.
We await your owl no later than July 31 st.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
The man looked at his son, and in a kind, gentle voice said. "Your mother told me that you got your letter, that's exciting isn't it?" the boy didn't respond. The man sighed.
"Remus?" said his father, "Look I know you're afraid, but this is the best opportunity for you." the boy looked up.
"Professor Dumbledoor made me really exited," said Remus," He made it Hogwarts sound so simple, but now, I don't know how this is going to work."
"Professor Dumbledoor has taken every precaution to insure your secret and your safety." the boy now looked inpatient.
"I don't care about my safety," he said exasperated. "Could you imagine what I could do to someone if they happened across me? I would kill them. People will fear me, people will fear my family. Do you really think that know one will notice me disappearing every month? Right at the full moon? This is impossible."
The man looked stern now, "Remus, I will not make you go to Hogwarts if you don't want to go, but listen closely. Don't you dare, not even for a minuet, not do something because you are afraid of what others will think of your mom and I. We are big kids," the man gave a small smile at this. "We can take care of ourselves. You understand?"
"But what if I hurt someone?" asked Remus.
"That wont happen, prof-" but he was interrupted by the door swinging open violently. A woman appeared in the doorway looking determined and serious.
"Hope darling?" said the man exasperated. He seemed to have wanted to have this conversation with his son alone.
The woman didn't glance a her husband. "Remus John Lupin!" she said sternly. "Do you want to go to Hogwarts yes or no?"
Remus was shocked, he was not used to seeing his mother's stern face, she was normally a very kind and somewhat quite woman. "Its not-" he tried to explain.
"Yes or no?" the woman cut across.
"Yes. Bu-" the boy responded.
"Than you're going." she said stubbornly. "I trust Professor Dumbledoor's efforts. We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow morning. Be ready by nine." the woman finished and swung around and closed the door.
The man looked at his son and gave a slightly embarrassed smile. Then Remus smiled back.
The next morning, the boy woke up to a gentle hand running their fingers through his hair. Remus opened his eyes to find his mother sitting on his bed smiling like she normally did. "We leave in half an hour." she said.
The boy stretched and sat up. "You have oatmeal in the kitchen. We're travailing by floo powder so wear something that you don't mind getting dirty."
She strode from the room. Remus stood up and headed to his dresser. He pulled it open and peered inside. All of the cloths in there were old looking and many had holes. He wouldn't mind getting any of them dirty they were all pretty nasty looking already. He pulled one of his robes on. And looked at it in discuss.
Remus and his family had been very poor ever since he had been bitten by Finrir Greyback, a nasty werewolf determined to bite as many children as possible. His father had a very hard time finding work ever since. Every time he got a job, his employer would find out about Remus' condition and 'let Mr. Lyall go' only because of the fear of being associated with someone that had a werewolf as a son. He now worked as an engineer repairing muggle vehicles. His father still had a lot of trouble providing for them. Remus never complained, never acted like he deserved better, or even wanted better, after all, it was because of him that his parents had to suffer, and he would hold that above his own head until the day he died, no matter what his parents said.
"Now" began his mother after he had finished his oatmeal and washed his bowl. "Take a hand full of floo powder, that's it, you know what to do."
Remus was now standing inside of a over large fireplace with a hand full of powder. He raised his hand in the air and through it at his feet. "Diagon Alley!" he shouted clearly. Green flames burst up around him, they tickled slightly, but this was not a feeling that he wasn't used to. Floo powder, after all, was the cheapest was to travel.
He coughed uncomfortably as he stepped back out of the fireplace. But he was now walking out of a completely different fireplace. This one was sleek and shiny, and beautifully detailed unlike his own dusty, and rotting one at home. He was also stepping into a completely different room. As Remus looked around he noticed that he was standing in what looked like a book shop. The boy walked out of the shop and peered at the large letters heading the building. 'Flourish And Blotts'.
He was quickly joined by his mother who glanced at the heading too. She smiled, "That's right. Flourish And Blotts. This is were we're going to get your books. Come along dear."
They walked back inside, and Remus pulled from his pocket, his Hogwarts list of books and read allowed.
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
He looked up and to his slight surprise his mom was already dropping half the books from the list into his arms.
"Now I need A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, Magical Drafts and Potions, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
Remus smiled at the look of energetic excitement on his moms face. "You're going to enjoy this more than I am aren't you?"
"What?" she replied turning with Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them in her arms. "Oh,"she said looking at the books in her sons arms. "I'm sorry, here." and she dropped that book too into his already heavy stack of books. And she took the pile out of his arms and placing them on a wooden chair next to her. "I'll be right back, you find the last two books." and she strode from the shop.
Remus looked around, the shelves stretched to ceiling, and there was no end to the amount of colors, patterns, subjects and genres. The shop was small, but he couldn't help but thinking that there wasn't a book in the world that he wouldn't be able to find in here. The fireplace behind him admitted a burst of green flames as a boy staggered out of it and onto Remus' foot, "Ouch!" he exclaimed as he jumped out of the way.
"Sorry." said the boy in a slightly rough voice as he glanced back for a moment at he who he stepped on. "Best not to stand right in front of the fireplace though mate, you'll get trampled."
And he strode from the shop. "Gee thanks for the advise." Remus said to himself frustrated. He staggered to one of the shelves then shook his shoe out to recover his toes. "Transfiguration, transfiguration." he thought peering across the shelves. "Ah," Remus walked over to small sign that read 'Transfiguration'. He looked across the shelve to find the correct book. 'Transfiguration Today', 'What You're Doing Wrong, Transfiguration', 'Proper Wand Maneuvers For Transfiguration', 'Help, I'm a Pin Cushion!', 'Beginners Guide to Transfiguration'. Remus picked up the correct book still staring at 'Help, I'm a Pin Cushion! A Biography on the remarkable life of Seltha Lingma by Seltha Lingma.' he turned to find 'Potions' on the wall opposite. 'Magical Drafts and Potions' was easy enough to find considering it was the only acid green book on the shelf.
"Oh good."came his mothers voice from behind him pushing a cart.
"Where'd you get that?" he asked.
"Oh, just next door. It'll help you carry your things." and she began to place the large stack of books inside the cart. "Well, if that's all." and she pushed the items to a counter where a teenage witch stood helping the guest infront of them.
"Nine Galleons, two Sickles, and seven Knuts." said the girl in a bored drawn out voice. Remus' heart sank, the boy had less books than they did, nine galleons?
The boy two places in front of them, Hogwarts age, fifth year perhaps, set three stacks of coins onto the counter, the largest pile being gold, the smallest being silver and then last being bronze. The witch counted the coins at moderate speed, then finishing, she waved her wand and the coins disappeared. She waved her wand again and each book was quickly wrapped in brown paper and strung together tightly in twine and floated together gracefully into the boys arms, who staggered slightly by the weight of the books, then struggled out of the room.
The next guest was a very old wizard who dropped a small pile of books onto the counter in front of the witch. She looked at the price of each book and again in her bored voice said.
"Two Galleon, fourteen Sickles, and five Knuts."
The old Wizard pulled from his cloak a jar, much to large it seemed, to have been able to fit inside his pocket. He unscrewed the lid, then tipped hundreds of little bronze coins onto the counter in front of her. Some of the coins rolled off off the desk and onto the floor. The witch looked up at him in disbelief and hatred. But the old wizard didn't seem to notice, he was busy staring around the shops interior. The witch placed an elbow on the counter and began counting the Knuts miserably.
"er, why don't you head to the stationary shop, its right next door." said Remus' mother, and she gave him a small pouch of money.
He left obediently a bit thankful for an excuse to leave, he really didn't want to find out how much money all those books had cost.
The shop was a bit humid inside, probably because of all the bodies crammed in there. Children of all ages were peering all across the shelves, respectably dressed witches and wizards were having to squeeze their way through people to grab extra ink, quills, and parchment most likely for work.
He thought it not a very good idea to decide to do they're shopping now considering that this was probably the most crowded day of the year, it being the day that parents were most eager and exited to do they're child's Hogwarts shopping like his mom was.
Remus, being on the skinnier side, was able to squeeze through the crowd much easier then most, especially better than a very fat boy who was trying and failing to reach the door, as he kept being shoved back by newcomers.
All of the shelves were lined with the most amazing assortment of quills, inks, notebooks, binders, school bags and many things that he did not recognize. He first headed over to the quills set on beautiful stands and as always his eyes flickered first to the prices. Three Galleons. "Three Galleons!" he exclaimed in a whisper to himself.
He looked back at the quill, well it was a very fine eagle feathered one.
He looked to the right to that quill and to another, who's price tag was dangling off the shelf and was easy to read- five Galleons- For a peacock feather quill.
And to the right of that -ten Galleons- for a hippogriff feathered quill, he didn't even know that they existed.
He looked again around the prices, they just kept getting higher. Then he realized that he was looking at the wrong shelf.
On the very bottom were quills set on much duller stands, the price tag read- fifteen Sickles. He looked at each one carefully for which one he would choose, though it didn't really matter, they were all the same mud brown, common feathered quills.
He picked two then walked to inks. He took three bottles this time from the bottom shelf and then hurried to the parchment and books.
The notebooks were a great deal more expensive than the plane stacks of parchment. Many of the notebooks were each dawned with the Hogwart's school houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Huffpuff, Slytherin and the Hogwart crest.
Oh, how he wanted to buy one. But no, two Galleons. So he decided on a simple unbound stack of paper and headed to the counter, waited in a surprisingly short line, placed his two quills, three ink bottles, and stack of parchment on the counter in front of an elderly looking kind faced witch though she looked flustered.
She looked at the prices of each and said, "Three Galleons, three Sickles, and a Knut." Remus pulled the money back from his pocket and began to count the right amount.
"Will you look at the crowd." said the witch starring across the shop. "Though of course you couldn't have missed on your way through could you?" she gave a short chortle. "This was my day off it was. Boss called me in he did. I wasn't to pleased of course. But I dare say a bit of extra gold won't do me any harm now will it?" she looked down and just now noticed that he had already placed the gold on the counter.
"Oh," and she swept the money from the counter and began magically wrapping the parcels. "No," said Remus to quietly for the witch to hear, "I dare say it won't."
He was now looking around the cobble stone street for his mother, his arms full of items.
The street was full of bustling crowds, most of them with school aged children, right next door from the stationary shop was Quality Quidditch Supplies, then across from him was Magical Instruments, Eeylops Owl Emporium, Forean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, next to Flourish & Blott's, Madam Malkin's Robes. And the rest Remus couldn't tell.
"Ah, there you are." said his mother walking up to him. "Sorry it took me so long, it took that girl nearly ten minuets to count all those Knuts, it would've taken longer but the assistant manager came to help." she sighed. "So have you gotten everything that you needed?" she asked.
Remus nodded. "Alright then, shall we get your wand? I was going to get your cauldron first but I figured you we can get that on our way back.
They made their way up the street. Ollivander's wand shop was all the way on the other side of Diagon Ally. But they made it.
Remus walked into Ollivander's, greeted by a small group of people, all very silent in the dust and gloom of the room. All of which were his age.
Most one was being measured by a measuring tape that was floating on its own and others stupidly waving wands.
"Ah." said an old wizard with pale eyes and white hair. The wizard called Ollivander gave a young boy a wand then started toward Remus. But then seemed to have a sudden change of mind, he turned, snatched the wand back from the boys hand before he could even wave it, placed it back in the box, and back on the shelf from where he had taken it. He pulled a wand box from directly under the one that he had just put back. "I was close, I was close." he murmured to himself. And gave the box to the boy, retrieved the measuring tape at the boys feet and looked at Remus, "Your wand arm please." he said. Remus held out his right arm and Mr. Ollivander through the measuring tape at him. He closed his eyes, but didn't feel it hit him. He watched it as it measured his height, each leg, each arm, around his head, between his nostrils.
He was momentarily distracted as cheering split the silent room.
He looked up to see the boy holding a wand that was spewing water out of the tip and landing on the floor, but the floor wasn't wet. All of the sudden he had a horrible thought, "What if," he thought to himself. "What if none of the wands worked for him. What if everyone left satisfied with their new wands, and he was still in there waving wand after wand pointlessly. What if Mr. Ollivander said, 'Oh you're a werewolf? Werewolfs don't get wands.' and he would snatch the wand from his hand saying, 'Get out, get out of my shop before you infect any of my pure customers.'
This thought pierced him in the stomach. He looked horrified at his mother. She smiled consolingly and nodded.
Mr. Ollivander plucked the tape out of the air in front of him and stared at it. "Oh!" and Ollivander gave Remus a piercing stare of interest,
"Right." he said, clearly seeing something that nobody else did. "Alright then. This is exiting." he bustled over to his shelves and pulled out three boxes and carried them to Remus.
"I have three that'll match those measurements." he said setting them down in front of him. "Now, lets see." he held the first one, a brown shiny one with swirls around the handle up to Remus' face oddly. "Nope he said placing it back in he box.
He took the next one, a completely black one with a round ball at the end of it, and and also held it to his face. "hmm, maybe." and he placed it back on the table next to him and picked up the last one, an almost yellow one with only three ringlets engraved into it. "Nope, nope definitely not." Mr. Ollivander picked up the Maybe wand and put it in Remus' hand.
He felt a serge of energy shoot through his body from the wand. The wand shot silver vapor from his wand and it sparkled glittering through out the dusty room for a moment then faded away.
There were 'Ooh's' and 'Aww's' throughout the room then the room burst into applause his mom clapping loudest.
"10 ΒΌ" said Ollivander as the customers began about their business once more. "Cypress wood." finished Ollivander.
"But what about the core?" asked Remus.
"Unicorn hair. Very magical beasts unicorns are, very magical."
Remus walked with his mother looking at his wand. They didn't have to walk far to get to the Second Hand Robe Shop. And it didn't take very long either to pick out three sets of shabby obviously used robes.
"So," said his mother leaving the shop and now heading back down the street. "Your cauldren, yes."