Moon Fishing.
Chapter Four: A.P.W.B.D.
Over the years Remus adjusted to life as a werewolf. He felt safe and comfortable in his small family. He had his parents and books and even faced his transformations with a kind of fearful resolve. Sometimes he would miss his stargazing, still whistfully watching the night sky, until his eyes aell upon the Moon. Whenever that happened he would remember the last time he saw the full Moon with human eyes and break into a cold sweat.
Other times he would think just as whistfully about Hogwarts. He wondered if he would be sorted into Gryffindor like his Dad or Ravenclaw like his Mum, and think about the cold stones, dry books and the lake with the squid his dad told him about until a lump formed in his throat and heavy despair settled in his stomach, because he knew werewolves were not allowed to attend.
It was the first of July. Remus was eleven. He sat in his room atop the patchwork quilt he had always owned, reading a book. There was a knock on the door before he heard his parents greet the mysterious stranger. Remus couldn't help but be curious about who was visiting, for visitors to the Lupin household were few and far between. He rubbed his cheek painfully as he remembered the last visitor that had called on them.
Great. Aunty. Mildred.
He recalled the painful pinching, and the awful gossip and the choking perfume... ugh.
He stood for a moment in the doorway, head inclined to one side trying to hear the conversation downstairs. He sighed and steeled himself before he headed down the stairs. As he snuck up to the door to the sitting room he was heartened to see that the person talking animatedly with his parents had a beard, and while Aunt Mildred had a beard, it was nowhere near as impressive as this one. The owned of the beard turned and fixed a pair of twinkling blue eyes on him.
It was Dumbledore.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore!
In HIS sitting room!
"Good afternoon, Remus." he said as he extended a hand to the boy.
Remus picked himself up off the floor and brushed off his knees before he took it and met the twinkling blue eyes.
"Lovely to meet you, Professor. May I say that you look different to your picture on the chocolate frog card?"
"Oh?,' said Dumbledore curiously, "How so?"
"Well,' said Remus gravely, "You have legs."
Dumbledore and Remus laughed loudly together.
Soon they settled down to down tea. As Remus sipped his tea quietly Dumbledore became both Superman and Santa to him at the same time. He told Remus that he was the headmaster of Hogwarts and as such he had special powers... like if he heard of a bright, charming and promising young boy who, although he suffered a horrible affliction through no fault of his own, would not be usually allowed to attend school... he could change that. He might, say, contact this boys parents and arrange for them to very secretly and covertly buy all the books and things he would require for school, then one sunny afternoon call upon them and surprise the boy.
With that Dumbledore waved his hand and with a dull thud a set of books and potions ingredients landed on the sitting room floor. Remus' hands began to tremble, his eyes were wide and he looked disbelievingly between his parents, Dumbledore and the books. In a flash of shaggy hair and limbs Remus launched himself across the room. His teacup was smashed and his hands flung around the neck of a chuckling Dumbledore.
"!"He squealed.
After they pried a muttering and ecstatic Remus off their visitor John and Merelda Lupin bid Dumbledore goodbye. Remus bade his future headmaster a shy goodbye, suddenly horrified that he grabbed a man he barely knew but was always in awe of. As soon as the crimson robes of Dumbledore twisted away as he apparated Remus rounded on his parents. He admonished them for keeping such secrets from him. How could they have gone into a bookshop without him? And just when had they gotten so sneaky? He could only be placated by talk of their plans for a trip to Diagon alley to buy him a wand from Ollivander's and get some robes fitted at Madam Malkin's.