Remus Lupin wasn't quite sure where he stood. For years he debated over which house he truly belonged in.
At first, the answer was easy; he was supposed to be in Ravenclaw. Smart, studious, and shy, that was him. He looked out windows and sighed, trying to puzzle out why he wasn't there. He always turned assignments in on time, even after the full moon. He helped his friends with their homework, and badgered them into studying. Generally, he was sensible, and generally he believed in people. His clothes were neat and orderly, the writing on his parchments more so. He obeyed the rules—as best as he could, with friends like his.
Then, during second year, it came to him. Came over him, actually, so slowly that it was as if he had always known it. He was, of course, not supposed to be in Ravenclaw, but Hufflepuff! His friends meant everything to him, were his world. They were his one saving grace. How could he have missed it? Of course a creature so closely related to the very epitome of loyalty would be in Hufflepuff! He knew his facts, and had subtracted the prejudices; Hufflepuff meant loyalty. He adored his friends, regarded them as his saviors. Of course! How could he have been so stupid? (Well, obviously, he wasn't required to be smart, anymore, as he wasn't Ravenclaw, but…)
Then his world came spiraling to a jarring halt when he saw Sirius' animagus form. This, this was loyalty, he realized. Someone who never looked to themselves. How could someone so selfish as he be anything but Slytherin? He was always thinking about himself, always worrying about himself. He was cunning. Not intelligent, but cunning. Oh, it all made sense now.
He kept a happy face on, but one night, when James and Sirius had nicked some Firewhiskey, he got drunk. Got just drunk enough to wander around in a depression, bemoaning the cruel world and the horrible sense of humor possessed by the world at large. He could almost feel it snickering at him.
Not so high and mighty after all, are we, Remus? It said to him. You're a Dark creature, anyways!
He found himself standing out on a balcony he hadn't even known existed. Found himself standing next to Sirius, the cause of his problem. He turned around and started pounding his fists into his friend's chest.
"It's your fault!" He cried, over and over and over again. Finally he wore himself out, and collapsed onto the railing, sobbing.
"My fault, what, exactly?" said his aggressor cockily, seemingly unaffected by the large amounts of alcohol.
"It's your fault I've got to be Slytherin!" Seeing the shocked look on Sirius' face, he proceeded to explain his dilemma to his former friend. He turned his head slightly towards him and watched curiously as Sirius covered his face. A low sound filled the area.
"You-you're laughing at me!" he gasped, disbelieving.
"You idiot," Sirius told him, shaking his head and in full roar now, "can't you see that the Sorting Hat put you exactly where you're supposed to be? You're Gryffindor through and through, you selfless git!" And with that, Sirius exited the scene, laughing uproariously. Remus shook his head. Gryffindor? His friend must be insane.
But his friends knew, that Remus Lupin was, indeed, Gryffindor. He faced prejudice, pain, and hardship, with barely a thought for himself. And what is that, but bravery?
So, this is a lot different from the previous chapters (obviously), especially in how it's written. Let me know what you think—if you don't like it I'll take it down and rewrite it, or put the original back up.
