Hi there! This story will be 15 chapters long; the first one is, hence its title, more like a "prologue". All the other chapters will take place during Harry's sixth year (but no HBP spoilers there).
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to the mighty JKR. I do not make any profit from my stories.
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Feedback: that would be nice, of course!
Genre: definitely angst
Beta-reader: Rosie! Thanks a bunch
Other: you can read the SAME story from Remus''s point of view (it's called "I, Remus Lupin" under my author name)
Ok now… on with the story.
I, Harry Potter
CHAPTER 1
The stranger in the dusty cloak
"Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were" ─ Cherie Carter-Scott
Beginning of Harry's third year. Great Hall, morning of the first day of school.
"Yeah, let's ask Harry... Harry? Harry!"
Harry was so deeplylost in his thoughts that he didn't hear Ron calling him by his name, and even less felt Hermionegrab his sleeve.
"HARRY!"
This time, he couldn't pretend he hadn't felt Hermione shaking him.
Slowly, he turned his gaze to her. She was wearing a slightlyanxious expression and was looking intently at him, completely disregarding the eggs that were getting cold in her plate.
"What?"Harry said blankly. His voice sounded distant, as though his mind was still somewhere far away, lost in a dream.
"You all right?"
"Yeah," he whispered. "Yeah!"Harry repeated, nodding. "What were you talking about?"
"We're talking about Lupin."
Right on topic then.
Exactly what I was wondering…
"He's kind of mysterious" Ron said,helpinghimself to some porridge. "What do you think of him?"
I'm thinking that I don't know what to think of him.
Harry turned to glance at the Professors' table. Even though it was very early, nearly every teacher was seated there eating breakfast. There were Hagrid, Flitwick, Sprout, Mc Gonagall, Snape─
And Lupin.
As Harry's eyes rested on him he realized thatLupin had precisely been looking in his direction. Harry could have sworn he'd been staring at him, too.
The teacher had been wearing a shabby old coat aboard the Hogwarts Express; and right now, he was dressed in a worn out black cloak. The image that would haunt Harry from this day on. That cloak, and the expression on his face. A contemplative and awfully miserable expression.
There was also a note of sadness in his eyes Harry could distinguish from the other side of the Hall, a sort of longing one had when remembering better times.
"Who is he?" Harry muttered, taking his eyes of Lupin. He didn't like being stared at; somehow, he felt uncomfortable.
"Lupin?" Ron shrugged. "Dunno."
"It looks like he'll be a good teacher," Hermione stated.
"Well he can't be worse than Lockhart," Ron replied.
Hermione ignored the sarcasm. "Did you see how he made that Dementor back away on the train? He'd have to haveused powerful magic…"
Harry's thoughts raced once again and he shivered at the thought of the Dementors. First, them. Second─ Lupin. He really didn't know what to think of him. He seemed to be a nice teacher… but at the same time, there was something strange in the way he looked at Harry.
And how did he knew my name yesterday?
"Did you tell him my name was Harry?" he felt the need to ask. "When I─ you know, when I passed out?"
"No," Ron said quietly.
"No," Hermione said right after him. "But─ people sort of recognize you…"
"It's your scar," Ron said. "He must have seen it."
"It was dark..." Harry wasn't convinced. "And even after the lights came on I had my hair in my face. I can remember it because I had to clear them from my eyes to see."
"Well it's not only your scar. Maybe he knew your father and since you look like him─"
"He knew my father?"
"I don't know… it's just a supposition, Harry… I don't know."
Harry remained quiet. There was definitely something he would have to discover about that man. He was so enigmatic, and at the same time, why did he appear so sad? So fragile, so tired?
Yes. You'll have to find out who this man really is, right, Harry?
He reminds you of someone, doesn't he? No. No? Well… Vaguely. He vaguely reminds me of someone I've seen. Or met, maybe. Distantly…
"I guess we'll find it out soon enough" Hermione sighed. "We're starting with Defense Against the Dark Arts this morning," she handed Harry the planning that McGonagall had just handed them.
He took it but stuffed it inside his schoolbag without a glance at it.
Thirdyear would be interesting. Either that, or it would be terrible.
Little did he know how right he was.
Only later would he discover who Remus John Lupin actually was.
Only at the end of the year would he find out that the man was a werewolf.
Only much later would he understand this man had once been one of his father's best friends. His godfather's friend...
And never would he truly understand what kind of life that man lived and the sorrow and grief that would never leave him.
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A/N All right I know this was more like a prologue than a real chapter, but the next ones will be longer. Please review! (And remember you can read this story from Lupin's point of view too).