Remus Lupin turned a piece of parchment over in his hands. It was June 30th, 1995, in the dead of night, and Mundungus Fletcher had just turned up a few hours earlier, clutching a letter from Albus Dumbledore. It was this that Remus was holding unsteadily in his hands while he sat at his desk.
On his small, dingy desk were some items of interest. Discarded to the side was a newspaper, which featured a large picture of a bloodied boy with messy hair clutching tightly to the corpse of an older boy. Underneath the photo, a headline read: TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT ENDS IN TRAGEDY. Remus had looked inside this newspaper when it had arrived earlier that week, but in the main article he found nothing of importance. In fact, the only things that struck his eye in the article were implicit jabs at Harry Potter, the boy in the photo and his ex-pupil.
Also on his desk was Remus's wand, which he had taken out when Mundungus Fletcher turned up at his door. He had forgotten to stow it away, but he thought that it was probably a good idea, considering the contents of the letter.
Remus had been contemplating the letter for the past two hours. Mundungus had told him that the channels of communication were being closely watched by the Ministry, perhaps to spot any news about Voldemort, but more likely to catch people who believed in his return. Mundungus therefore explained (quite proudly) that Albus Dumbledore wanted the letter to be delivered by someone he trusted. And for good reason, since the letter read:
Remus Lupin,
By now, you may have heard from the Daily Prophet that the Triwizard Tournament ended in tragedy. However, as usual, the Prophet has glossed over some of the most crucial parts of the story.
First and foremost, Lord Voldemort has returned. This is a fact that the Ministry does not want the wizarding world to believe. You may have noticed how the Prophet is now trying to make Harry Potter, the sole witness of this event, sound less credible. However, even as the rest of the wizarding world turns against Harry, it is important that we stand by him and what he witnessed.
Secondly, Lord Voldemort will keep quiet – he wants the cover-up that the Ministry is giving him. The Ministry, in ignoring Voldemort's return, is also failing to face the fact that Voldemort will certainly try to persuade the dark creatures to his side. He will go after all the people and creatures that the Ministry has turned its back on.
Now, Lupin, this is where you come in. I am rebuilding the Order of the Phoenix, and I would like you to be a member again. I am sure that Lord Voldemort will try to persuade the werewolves to his side, and I need someone to convince them to our side, or, at the very least, someone to spy on them.
I hope you consider rejoining the Order of the Phoenix. I understand how dangerous this group is, but do think about it. I am sure that you want to preserve the wizarding world and protect the son of your best friend.
I will be sending Mundungus tomorrow, and if you are interested, go with him and he will bring you to the headquarters of the Order. Please destroy this letter after you read it.
Best,
Albus Dumbledore
Remus's heart had leaped with excitement as he read the letter, and almost immediately after it had burned with shame. But he could not help it – for his entire life he had been trying to look for a place to belong. A place where his lycanthropy didn't matter to others. The first place he had found it was in his childhood, at Hogwarts, where he had made friends for the first time. And with his friends, he had joined the first incarnation of the Order of the Phoenix, where he felt like he belonged and was needed…
But after the war ended, with two of his best friends presumably dead and the other one a convicted murderer, he had no one left to turn to, and the harsh reality of his lycanthropy settled onto him. He couldn't find a job, a partner – anything.
Then, two years ago, he had been accepted for a teaching position at Hogwarts, lured in by the idea of free Wolfsbane Potion. There, he met James Potter's son, whom he was overjoyed to teach (although hearing Harry call him "Professor" caused tears to build up behind his eyes occasionally). And although he did learn that one of his friends was indeed a traitor, he also learned that the other surviving friend was loyal. Even his unfortunate change into a werewolf was not enough to stem the joy he had from seeing Harry and Sirius again.
And now, the Order of the Phoenix had returned, and with it, hope for a better life. Yet what Dumbledore was asking him to do was ridiculous. Join the werewolf community? Where he might run across Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf that bit him? He hoped he could convince Dumbledore to free him of that burden.
Remus sighed and looked out his window, a dirty grimy thing that he could barely see through. The black sky was moonless, but where he was, the stars gave off enough light so that he could see the neighborhood. He wondered what the sky would look like if a dark mark was planted right in the center of it. He wondered what the neighborhood would be like if there were death eaters marching through every night.
Remus picked up his wand and pointed it at the piece of parchment.
"Incendio."
The parchment lit on fire and crumpled onto itself. Before long, it had crumbled to the ground in a pile of ashes and nothingness.