The Effects of Stolen Freedom
A/N: This is the sequel to The Slow Torture of Betrayal. It is based on Remus, who has spent twelve lonely years dealing with the effects of the events at Godric's Hollow and is preparing to start his work at Hogwarts.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they all belong to JK Rowling.
The Effects of Stolen Freedom
Remus Lupin took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. He was sitting at his kitchen table with his head in his hands, a million thoughts running through his mind. He had just accepted Albus Dumbledore's offer to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was filled with a sense of unease. At heart he didn't want to take this job, but his practical brain told him that he could do with the income. Remus knew it would bring back painful memories of his own times at the school, the places, the people. Especially the people. James's son attended the school.
Remus had, of course, heard stories of Harry Potter since he re-entered the magical world two years ago. The boy had spent ten years growing up and living with his Muggle relatives after the death of his parents. Harry had saved The Philosopher's Stone in his first year at the school and then earlier this year it had been widely reported that he had saved a girl from a Basilisk in Salazar Slytherin's legendary Chamber of Secrets. Harry had obviously inherited his father's bravado. Remus was unsure whether he was ready yet to meet his friend's son. It had been twelve years, but it suddenly seemed like yesterday that his world had been ripped to shreds when he had been told that Harry's parents and their friend Peter Pettigrew had been killed.
It had all happened at the hands of their other friend, Sirius Black. For the longest time Remus had blocked it out, he'd done his best to forget, to move on with his life but it was impossible to truly move on. He had gotten to a point where he no longer thought about them daily, but every now and again something happened to remind him and Remus would find a wave of despair and longing for his friends would overcome him. These times of anguish had been less frequent in recent years, but Remus knew that taking the job meant all of the hurt and grief would be brought to the surface. Ever since Dumbledore had approached him two weeks ago with the idea of teaching at the school, he had been painfully aware of a dull ache in his heart. Maybe meeting James's son could help him to move on, perhaps they could forget the horrible events of the past.
--
Remus walked into the Leaky Cauldron on his way to Diagon Alley, he needed to pick up some things before he caught the Hogwarts Express to start his new job. Remus's heart stopped beating. He was looking at a face he hadn't seen in twelve years. It couldn't be, but it was. He felt faint, was sure he might pass out and could barely marshal his thoughts in order to take in what he was looking at. Sirius Black. The poster proclaimed his escape from the prison of Azkaban. But how? It wasn't possible, nobody had ever escaped before.
Remus wondered briefly if Sirius's ability to transform into a dog at will had aided his escape, thought that he perhaps should tell someone about Sirius's animagus abilities. He decided that it was completely out of the question. Werewolves had little respect in the wizarding world, no one would take him seriously and besides, it was impossible. Dementors sucked the will to live from their prisoners, drained them of their powers. No, however Sirius had managed to escape his prison had most certainly involved magic of the worst and most evil kind, Remus assured himself.
As he stood completely immersed in his own thoughts and staring at the poster, anger engulfed Remus. This was the man he had thought was his friend, the man who had betrayed his best friend, James, and killed in cold blooded murder. It was this man's fault that young Harry Potter had grown up an orphan. Sirius Black had done so many horrible things and yet it was always the loss of friendship that cut Remus the deepest. How could Sirius have done it?
Remus had lost count of the number of times he had asked himself this question. Every time he could not fathom how it was possible, yet he knew it was true. He had tried over and over again to imagine what was going through Sirius's head as he was completing the spell to become Lily and James's Secret Keeper. His pleasure at being able to hand over the Potters to his master. How had Sirius felt as he was about to kill his other friend Peter face to face and did he give a second thought to the Muggles he slaughtered in the process? Once again, Remus felt his rage rising inside of him. What a scoundrel! The dirty traitor! How could he! How could he? How could he. All of a sudden, grief cut across his rage.
He completed his shopping that day very slowly. Went about his business with a cloud of gloom hanging over him. Periodically switching between fury and sadness, then fear at the thought of Sirius Black loose, free to finish the job he'd started so many years ago. He knew more than ever now that he had to work at Hogwarts. He would be there, watching over Harry, making sure they he didn't suffer the same fate that his father did at the hands of Sirius Black. No matter how much he was hurting, Remus knew that he could never let anything happen to Harry.
A/N: I hope you liked this, the focus was more on emotion than dialogue so I chose for him to be in his own little world in Diagon Alley instead of him having conversations with those around him who were most certainly gossiping about the escape of the notorious murderer, Sirius Black.