Chapter 4
Wednesday 1 September 1993
As the Hogwarts Express left from platform 9 and 3/4s, the Lupin family, minus Remus, was busy cleaning the inside of the Shrieking Shack. Remus rested in the last car of the Express keeping an eye out for any sign of Black. He was expected to provide support, alongside the other teachers, for the planned mid-trip stop the Ministry insisted upon. He was very unhappy when he learned who would be conducting the search, but his opinion was disregarded.
Veronica, James, and Morgan portkeyed to the inside of the Shrieking Shack thanks to an old shoe provided by Headmaster Dumbledore. Veronica took one look at the inside of the shack and went to work with her wand. She tasked James and Morgan to help clean, mostly stacking the ruined furniture and rotting wood into piles so she could vanish it all at once. Veronica and James restored what little furniture wasn't completely destroyed using magic. It wouldn't last forever but should be enough to see them through until the night.
With the Shack cleaned, Veronica took out the school books she had bought for Morgan and starting her homeschooling. Apparently, Hogsmeade didn't have any good options for them, at least when compared to what she would have gotten at home. Meanwhile, James claimed another room for himself, cracked open his Transfiguration text, and tried out some of the exercises from the first chapter. For lunch, they gathered in what had been a living room for a picnic.
That evening Remus appeared from beneath a trapdoor. His rode was disheveled and he looked angrier than ever before.
"Dementors." He spat before Veronica could ask what was wrong. "The Ministry searched the train with-" he stopped himself from cursing when he saw Morgan. "Dementors and they are going to be stationed at the school's perimeter to watch for Black. Veronica, can you do a Patronus?" Remus asked as Morgan grabbed his leg in a hug.
"No. I left Hogwarts before we covered it and I never learned afterward. Why?" She said.
"It's your best, and really only defense against those creatures. I'll have to teach it to you later. Where is James?" Remus asked when he saw that his adopted son was missing.
"Upstairs. I think he's been practicing spells for class." Veronica said.
"That's good I suppose. I want him to try to learn the charm too. I'll feel better about the Dementors being around if most of us can cast it." Remus said as he finally returned Morgan's hug. The anger drained out of him as he picked her up with a grunt. "Did you have a fun day?"
"No! We had to clean up a bunch of nasty stuff then Mom made me do school work all day while we waited for you." Morgan said, pouting. "I just wanna go outside and play, but Mommy said we have to stay hidden today. Can we at least run around tonight?"
Remus gave her a sad smile. Morgan was so used to how things were in the States where they had a pack they could run with and a wide stretch of land set aside and warded off for them to be free on the night of a full moon. It tore him up to deny his princess, but he knew they could not go out tonight. The Shack existed to keep him locked away from others on the night of a full moon. It had never failed that task before.
He looked past his daughter at the Shack. It'd been over a decade since he was last here, and memories of his lost friends raced to the forefront of his mind. A sense of melancholy descended upon him.
"I'm afraid not, princess. We have to stay in here tonight. it is late and the change won't be much longer now. I'll go get James while you two hide your clothes." Remus said choking for a second on the name. Morgan pouted and pushed away from him. Remus sighed as he set her down and went looking for James.
He found James upstairs, his back turned towards the door. "Hey there cub. It's time to get ready for the night." Remus said. James whirled around in surprise.
"Okay Dad, just need to clean up and strip down. How was the ride?" James said flicking his wand at his bag and books. The books jumped into the bag and the bag flew towards his free hand. He started stripping down and throwings his clothes in his pack.
Remus sighed and leaned against the wall, checking the make sure the ladies weren't around.
"Honestly James, it was a complete cock-up. There was no sign of Black, and they had Dementors search the train during an unannounced stop between London and Hogsmeade."
"Dementors... Dementors... Those are the prison guards for that Azkaban right?"
"They're soul-sucking monsters is what they are, but yes. The other professors and I had to use our Patroni to force them away from some of the students. By the way, I'm going to be teaching your mother that charm, and you too I hope. It is fairly advanced, but I think you'll be able to cast it." Remus said.
"Cool, learning the charm, not the Dementors." James said as he closed his backpack and looked for a good spot to hide it. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to?"
Remus nodded. "True, don't take too long. Won't be much longer." He said before leaving to hide his own clothes so they'd be ready the next day.
As they waited for the moon to rise, the family gathered. They speculated on what Hogwarts would bring. Then Remus and Veronica made guesses about which house James would be sorted into and the impressions he would make on professors. They all joked about how students would react to Remus' teaching. In the midst of their laughter, they stiffened. In the dark shadows of the Shrieking Shack, their limbs began to length with terrible cracking sounds and fur grew across their bodies. Their jaws lengthened to accommodate their new tongues and canine teeth, wicked claws grew from their hands and feet, and their sclera turned yellow.
Moments later four werewolves stood glancing around and taking in the smells. The largest of them detected faint hints of time and people long gone. They were faint against the rot and mold, but they were there. The dog, the rat and the stag, his old Pack, their scent lingered in the Cage. The Shack, the haven, had to remember it wasn't a cage. The memories of a lifetime ago rose in the wolf's mind. The loss of his old pack stabbed at his heart. His current pack watched him, waiting for a sign.
He howled. He howled in pain. He howled at the loss. He howled in anger. Moments later his new pack joined him in his cries against the world.
In the village of Hogsmeade, the howls sent chills down villager's spines. It had been a long time since the shrieking was last heard in the village, but now it was back and louder than ever. Children fled their beds for their parents, adults gathered around fireplaces with strong drinks at hand, and no one would rest tonight.
Friday September 3 1993
Evening fell and Hogwarts headed to dinner. As the students and teachers sat down to a hearty meal, a quartet of strangers made their way onto the grounds from under the Whomping Willow. They slipped into the school by a side entrance, avoiding the Great Hall and the many eyes there. Remus led them, finding his way easily through the lightly trod parts of the castle. They slipped along hidden passages. James and Morgan marveling that the castle really did have hidden passages. Veronica gave him a hard stare, remembering the stories of the hell raised by him and his friends before her time, and the pranks she herself had endured.
Remus just grinned conspiratorially and winked at her as if to say, "I'll explain later." They reached a plain door indistinguishable from the others in the hallway aside from the numbers scratched above it. Remus checked the label on the key against the ones above the door.
"This is it." He said, unlocking the door and pushing it open. It opened to a wide living area, furnished with a worn burgundy sofa, a high-backed chair, and a coffee table arranged around the fireplace. To the left was a dining area large enough for eight but set for four with dinner waiting for them. To the other side was an open door that showed an office with desk, chair, and bookshelves. At the back of the room was another door leading to the two bedrooms that had been furnished for the married couple and Morgan.
"Wow!" Morgan said racing into the apartment and straight to the dining room. "There is so much food."
"Well then, we should eat it so it doesn't go to waste." Remus said. "Though if we eat all of that it probably will go to waist."
The children groaned at the pun as Veronica summoned a copy of the newspaper that had been left out for them.
"Bad Remus bad." She said, whacking him over the head. Remus laughed, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into a deep kiss. The kids gagged and looked away. They broke the kiss but remained close.
"Welcome home. For the next ten months anyway." Remus said, pulling out a chair for her.
"I suppose there are worse welcomes." Veronica said as she started piling food onto her plate. "Well what are the rest of you waiting for." The rest of the family fell upon the food, eating quickly as they knew they had little time before someone would be along to fetch them for their introduction to the staff and James' sorting.
xx
Professor McGonagall brought them into the headmaster's office. James looked around at all the whirling devices and other strange items in the room. Many looked as if they should be moving, but had long ago stilled. Behind an ancient desk sat a hero of the Wizarding World, the victor of an epic duel, and owner of the longest beard James had ever seen. Off to one side sat three other people. A small man with hair that ran along the sides of his head into bushy sideburns that blended with a mustache. Next to him, a plump smiling witch with dirt stains on her patchy robe. The last person in the room when they entered the youngest professor, close to his dad's age if he had to guess. The man wore dark black robes, which went well with his long greasy black hair and pale skin. His was sneering, and James felt certain it was a perfect example of someone's face getting stuck like he'd been warned of as a child.
"Welcome. Welcome. Come in, take a seat." Headmaster Dumbledore said, waving his wand. Opposite the trio already in the room, chairs appeared for the Lupin family to sit in. "A pity you couldn't attend the welcoming feast, but you are here now. I trust you enjoyed your dinner."
"Yes, Headmaster Dumbledore. It was delicious, but it is getting late and we have much to discuss tonight." Remus said as he took his seat. This was the riskiest part. If Albus recognized James here it was over, but it'd taken Minerva long enough when sitting and talking with him that Remus felt confident in the protections they'd weaved around James. "Where do you want to start?"
"Introductions, to begin with, would be best, yes? Please introduce us to your family." Headmaster Dumbledore said. James felt uncomfortable. Dumbledore played at a dottering old grandfather, but James knew it wasn't true. He'd brought the magical side of the Great Wizard's War to an end when he defeated Grindelwald. He'd been the Supreme Mugwump until recently. According to Dad and Minerva, he was the one who left him there? What was he playing at?
"This is my wife Veronica. I'm sure you all remember her." Remus said, gesturing to his wife.
"Of course. It is a delight to have you back. You were dearly missed when you did not return after your OWLs." The small grey haired man said.
"That is kind of you to say Professor Flitwick, but we both know it would have been impossible. I was just lucky to survive." Veronica replied.
"So you say." the man, Professor Flitwick, James repeated in his mind, said, but his eyes flicked over to Remus.
Remus cleared his throat before continuing on. "This is our son James, who'll be one of your students this year."
"Hello." James said with a half-hearted wave. Most of the teachers seemed happy enough to meet him, but the dark greasy man just sneered more and glared at him.
"And our daughter Morgan." Morgan smiled shyly at them and wiggled closer to Veronica.
"A pleasure to have you back Veronica, and a joy to meet your children." Headmaster Dumbledore said his kind grandfatherly smile still on his face. James spared a glance at his face. The Headmaster seemed tired with dark bags settled in deeply beneath his eyes. "James. Morgan. Allow me to introduce you to the heads of houses here at Hogwarts. You have already met Minerva McGonagall. She is Head of Gryffindor, the deputy headmistress, and our Transfiguration professor."
"Sitting next to her is Filius Flitwick. Professor Flitwick is Head of Ravenclaw, charms professor, the choir director and was a champion dueler before coming to work at Hogwarts."
"Pleased to meet you." Professor Flitwick said smiling. "I look forward to seeing what you are capable of."
"Nice to meet you, professor. I hope I live up to expectation." James replied earning a smile.
"Next is Pomona Sprout. Professor Sprout is Head of Hufflepuff, the Herbology professor and also runs a gardening club in the greenhouses she manages." The plump witch smiled tightly at them and inclined her head.
"Lastly is Severus Snape, who I am sure you remember Remus. Professor Snape is Head of Slytherin, the potions professor, and has been a potions master since shortly after he graduated, one of the youngest ever."
Professor Snape just continued to sneer at them. He said nothing, though his eye lingered on James.
"Second order of business. Everyone in the room knows about your condition and the arrangements that have been made. Severus will be brewing Wolfsbane for you and everyone will be able to cover your classes as needed."
Everyone nodded, some grimmer faced than others at his words. James joined them. He knew what he and his family were, but they had long ago learned how to live with it and make it a part of them. That's why they were common guests at the Nakota reservations. It was why they studied the berserker Úlfhéðnar and Native American magic under Alpha Hardfast and Shaman Moon. The strength of the wolf was he, and he was the strength of the wolf. There was no difference, just the skin others saw. Sure it hurt to transform under the influence of the moon, but even that could be overcome. 'It's not like we'll even use the Wolfsbane. It's a poisonous crutch for werewolves that can't learn what we did.'
He didn't like the looks Missus Sprout or Mister Snape wore. Sprout's tight smile had morphed into a frown and Snape's sneer grew into a look of disgust.
"Now, let's get James sorted and send him off to his dorm. Then we can discuss your employment, Veronica. Minerva and I have come up with something we think will be a big help for us. Then you and Morgan can leave and we can discuss what remains with Remus." Headmaster Dumbledore said. Rather than wait for anyone's reply he conjured a stool in the middle of the room and grabbed a ratty old hat from where it was sitting behind his desk.
"Ah, Albus one more to sort is it." The hat, The HAT, said. "Well don't expect a song for just one. Let's get this over with. Do you know how hard it is to make up a new song when you never play any music?"
"This is the Sorting Hat, an artifact from the time of the Founders of Hogwarts. When you put it on, it will tell us what house you are best suited for." Headmaster Dumbledore said by way of explanation as he turned around with the still grumbling hat. "Please take a seat on the stool."
James looked at Remus for direction. Remus gestured at the stool discreetly. James suppressed a shrug and did as asked. He sat on the stool and the hat slipped over his eyes as Headmaster Dumbledore set it on his head. Several minutes passed in near silence as the hat made its decision. The only sound the occasional mumble as James conversed with the hat.
It was getting close to five minutes when the hat finally spoke. "Hmm. Well then better be…."
AN:
Brought to you with the support of the sounds of Powerwolf.
Tune in next time where we will get a glimpse inside James' mind and discover where he will be sorted.
Updated 6 Jan 2019
