A/N Here it is chapter 14! Thinking about getting a betareader so let me know if you're interested. I've also added a character summary because I was mixing a few things up so that's now available. Also, I have made the move to social media, but do that after you read, because it's here.
Disclaimer: I wish
EDIT: I messed up the timeline here, apologies for the confusion. Also, he should've woken up on tuesday as Monday was the full moon but i'm ignoring that in exchange for schedule consistency. And i said up to defense not charms, it was charms, sorry.
20 November 1972
Remus surprised himself on Monday morning. First-by waking up on the floor and not in the hospital wing. Second, although he was still very sore and in pain, he wasn't completely incapacitated.
He managed to stand, dress himself, and work his way back to the castle before the nurse showed up.
Upon entering the hospital wing he soon realized why he hadn't run into her on the grounds- everyone else hit on Friday was waking up.
He caught her startled eye and sat where she motioned. Once she had worked her way down the ward, she approached Remus and scrutinized him for injury. "I actually feel ok for once." at her raised eyebrow he felt the need to elaborate. "I'm sore, but I guess the aftereffects from Friday either calmed or sedated-"
"If you have any issues you come straight back ."
"That's it? I'm free to go?" as if doubting her decision she resumed her visual inspection. Not wanting her to find any reason to hold him, Remus was up and out the door in a flash with a rushed "Thanks" over the shoulder.
He barreled down the corridors and past ghosts, then he came to an abrupt halt when he sank knee deep into a trick step.
A pair of hands took hold of his arms from behind and yanked the young boy free.
When Remus turned to thank the frail old man, the man startled and tottered on up the stairs. "That was odd…" he muttered as he continued down to the great hall for breakfast.
Still dressed in Romulus's Ravenclaw robes, he took a seat at the Gryffindor table, and was immediately assaulted with homework questions by Lily.
"At least let him catch his breath Evans" James muttered around his eggs.
Lilly rolled her eyes. "Have it your way Potter. See you later Remus." There was a swirl of red hair as Lily Evans stormed off down the table.
"Really? Did you have to push her away?" Remus scorned, turning to jab his friend in the shoulder. Romulus took this opportunity to steal the bacon from James's plate.
"Hey!"
"Sorry mate. Want it back?" Romulus asked around his mouthful of bacon.
"You guys are disgusting." said Sirius, cutting his bacon.
"Yeah well you're just plain weird. I mean really, who cuts their bacon?" Rolling his eyes at Peter, who was using the time of unwatched plates and platters to gorge himself, Remus went back to his porridge. He was starved as usual after a transformation, but every movement was stiff and painful. Forcing himself to finish his bowl, he rose and began his slow trek to the charms classroom.
"Remus, wait up!" Remus paused halfway up the staircase- which had begun shifting opposite to the direction in which he intended to go.
The elder Lupin caught up with his sibling as they walked onto the landing. "Do you want your robes back? Or do you want to be me again?"
Remus snorted. "No offense, but I think I like being me."
"You haven't had potions as me yet."
"I honestly think Slughorn would figure something was up when 'your' cauldron melted."
"Fair enough. He just really seems to hate you for some reason." Leading down the corridor, Romulus called after his brother. "Come on, there's a bathroom to change in down here."
Rolling his eyes, Remus followed, although he probably knew the castle as well as, if not better than the rest of Second Year.
Back in their own robes, the Lupins split ways-Remus upstairs to charms, and Romulus, down to potions. Despite his head start, the Gryffindor barely made it to class on time and covertly collapsed in the closest vacant seat.
"My, my Lupin, since when are you ever late?" scolded a quiet voice.
"Class hasn't started yet Snape, therefore I'm not late."
"Says he who is regularly ten minutes early to everything?"
Remus dropped his head to the table with a soft thump. Evans called off her friend from his other side "Leave him alone Sev, he's clearly exhausted."
"Probably up late conspiring with his witless cohorts."
Remus would have defended his friends, but a) he was too tired and b) professor Flitwick chose that moment to scurry into the classroom.
"Good morning class" he called from tin front of his desk. "Today, we will be working on the velocity reduction charm." I would like everyone to take a few moments to read pages 67 and 68."
A soft groan rippled around the room as students pulled their books from their bags and began to read. "Do you think you're better than everyone else Lupin?" sneered Snape upon noticing that Remus had yet to pull out his book.
"Really, if you're going to criticize me, you may as well do it to your friend too." Remus point out gesturing towards Evans.
Snape looked over to see that she too had neglected to pull out the Standard Book of Spells.
"What?" she asked defensively. "we read it already."
Scowling, The Slytherin buried his nose in his ragged copy of The Standard book of Spells- Grade II.
When the classroom noise started to rise once more, Flitwick deemed that he had given ample time to complete the reading.
"Alright class, let's see what you've learned. What is the incantation?"
"Aresto momentum" Chorused twenty voices.
"Excellent! Now, who can-" The tiny professor was interrupted by a gentle, but firm knocking at the door. "Enter"
Gryffindor's newest prefect appeared around the door. "Sorry to interrupt professor."
"Not at all Mr. Longbottom. What can I do for you?"
"I've been sent to collect Ms. Evans sir."
The professor eyed the student in question quizzically. "Very well. Off you go Evans."
A very confused Lily Evans collected her books and followed the prefect from the room. As soon as she had left the class erupted into whispers. Each clique making their own assumptions about why she had been summoned.
"Alright now, that's enough." Flitwick dispersed a pile of baseball-sized balls around the classroom. "You will work in pairs today. Please do not throw them at each other's faces. Your goal is to attempt to slow them down before catching them. Hop to it."
Remus and Snape looked down nervously at the ball that sat between their desks. "It would seem that we will be working together." broached Remus quietly.
His partner scowled and picked up the ball. "So it would" Taking a few steps back, the Slytherin tossed the ball at Remus, who, startled, failed to attempt to slow the projectile. "Are you attempting to stop it with your mind?"
"No, I was startled" Remus said, tossing the ball towards an equally unexpecting Snape.
Snape bent to pick up the ball from where it had rolled "You made your point. Ready?" Remus nodded.
An hour later Remus set the ball down. He had almost managed to bring the ball to a complete stop, while his partner was still struggling with slowing it down.
"Why'd you stop Lupin? Trying to rub it in? Let the whole world know that you're better than me? You're no different than your friends." sneered the black-haired boy.
Remus frowned "No actually. I was going to say that you'll have more success if you make less abrupt movements with with your wand." He demonstrated a rapid drawing motion with a smooth stop. "It's like if a train stops too fast, you end up on your face.'"
Snape mirrored the movements and snapped his hand back down when he realized what he was doing.
"That actually looked a lot better" Remus smiled softly and retrieved the ball from the desk. "Ready?"
Snape raised his wand arm and nodded. Remus threw the ball and watched in horror as it flew straight at the face facing him.
Flitwick rushed over when Snape crashed back into the desks. The class had stopped to stare. A Slytherin on the floor, and a Gryffindor standing stock-still, arm still in the air from releasing the ball, in shock. That's what it looked like at least.
The tiny professor- having assured that his student was not injured- turned to scold Remus but his face split into a grin instead. "Excellent work Mr. Snape!" The student in question stood slowly, trying to comprehend what he had done so well. "You need to improve your aim, but the spell was cast perfectly!"
The confusion faced by the class was quickly replaced by understanding as Remus's arm began to move. The rapid acceleration took him off guard and sent him crashing to the floor, and laughter erupted around the room.
Back at the front of the room, professor Flitwick climbed onto his desk to attract the attention of his students. "I do believe that is enough for today. Remember that you have an essay due next class and enjoy your lunch." The group whooted and stormed the exit, bound for the great hall.
By transfiguration that afternoon, Evans had returned but the young witch refused to talk about why she had been called out.
"Did Evans get in trouble?"
"Come off it James and leave her be. Should she ever have the desire to spill I'm sure you'll be the first to find out." Remus chastised from his seat beside his brother. "Now kindly shut it and pay attention."
By the end of class the whispers had mostly died out. "Library after dinner?" Romulus asked his likeness on the way out of the room.
James and Sirius dropped their jaws. "What?" Remus asked defensively. "it's not like you guys have to come, you have quidditch practice tonight."
The black-haired pair smacked themselves for their idiocy. "RIGHT! Game debrief!" Exclaimed the shortest of the two.
"Besides" Remus continued as he struggled to keep up without letting on he was in pain "we're looking at cartography tonight."
Confusion spread over Peters pale features. "What? Why do you want to look at cards in a library?"
With a collective eye roll Remus informed Peter that cart-ography was the study of mapmaking and that it would be a useful skill if they wished to lay out the castle in ink.
Potions, put lightly was a nightmare. Slughorn had decided for some unnatural reason that Remus and Peter should be paired together for today's lesson- the Hair Raising potion. Remus had followed the instructions on the board to the letter, but he didn't understand the reactions that the professor was referring to. Peter was hopelessly trying to make himself useful, but he was miserable at balancing the scales and measuring and was likely mostly responsible for the eventual failure of the project.
On the way up to dinner, Remus and Peter were the subject of discussion for most of the class. Their heads and hands had become blackened when their cauldron-while it didn't explode- disintegrated in a puff of orange smoke.
Peter had not realized what had happened until after they had left the smoky classroom. He had simply been under the impression that his classmates had been laughing at Slughorn's regular overreaction to a seriously failed potion.
Remus on the other hand was far too used to the feeling of hair shrinking back into his skull.
And so it was with shiny heads that Remus and Peter followed James and Sirius into the great hall for dinner. Peter stopped dead in his tracks one landing short of the entrance hall going into full fledged Pettigrew panic mode. This included freezing up, stutters, shortness of breath, and occasionally tears.
"We can't go in there looking like this!"
"Peter, calm down. It's fine."
"No, it's not fine. I'm bald! I don't need to give people more reason to talk about me!"
"In case you haven't realized, I'm bald too, and my hair was significantly longer than yours."
As Remus continued to attempt to calm his friend down, the fifth year Prefect from earlier rounded the corner. "Hey. Pettigrew, and… Lupin, Right?" Remus nodded and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Right, Frank Longbottom" Remus took the offered hand. "What's up with him?" asked the prefect, gesturing at Peter, who had chosen to sit down on the plinth of a suit of armour.
Remus merely pointed to his own head. "Ah" said Frank, "I see' He swirled his wand and muttered for a moment before presenting Peter with a cap. "That's the best I can do mate, now how about we get dinner?"
Still winding down from his hysteria, Peter took the cap and placed it on his head.
"Nice to know you could join us" called James from halfway down the Gryffindor table.
Remus smiled. "Nice to know there's still food left." He learned rather quickly that sitting beside Sirius had been a mistake today. The other boy kept turning when he thought Remus wasn't looking to blow on his head. The first time he did this Peter pulled his cap a little more snugly over his ears.
"Is it just me, or is it a bit drafty in here?"
"Buzz off Sirius or I'll take a razor to your head while you sleep."
"REMMY! You wouldn't DARE!" James looked up from his plate and sniggered at the fear that was displayed all over his friend's face at the mention of a haircut.
Remus pulled his cheshire cat grin. "Try me."
Sirius's eyes went wide and his attention went directly to his plate.
On the way to the library, Remus noted that yes, his head was rather cold in the drafty halls, but that if he focused, he could feel differences in the drafts where he knew there to be hidden passages. "Remind me to do a full route of the castle before my hair grows back.
"Why's that?" asked Rom from his side. "You know what, never mind."
Inhaling deeply as they entered the library, Remus couldn't help but relax. The silence and smell of books had always been a comfort to him. Selecting a table in the far corner, the Lupins began assembling books over which to pour.
"Hey Lupin!" Pulled from his book-induced trance, Remus looked up to see that his brother had once again wandered off with a book, and that a senior level Slytherin was standing over him. "Would you hold still for a minute? There's something between my teeth and I need a mirror."
Remus threw his hands over his skull and replied in a mocking voice. "Ah, No! Please don't! I don't want to go the the infirmary with a cracked skull!"
The Slytherin spun his chair around and gripped his shoulders firmly. "What did you say to me punk?" Two more Slytherins emerged from the bookshelves, cracking their knuckles.
Remus sighed. "I said that I don't want your ugly face to crack my head." The playful sneer melted off his confrontor's face. "It's seven years of bad luck you know, I just don't know if they'll affect me too, and I'd rather not find out."
While the boy, who Remus believed to be in his sixth or seventh year, took a moment to process this, the young Lupin did the smart thing and ducked between his legs and darted off into the stacks.
He could hear them storming through the shelves from his hiding place high up on the bookshelf and sighed in relief as they went past his row. At least that is, until they called out to him from an alcove farther down. "Maybe we can't find you but we've got your brainy little twin here."
There was a smack and then a shriek and Remus was quickly and stealthily plodding his way over. On the last shelf he popped his head over the edge. What he saw was three burly seniors standing over his brother, whose face was gushing blood. "We aren't twins you bastard. Now leave us alone!"
The leader of the gang spun around with his wand out, ready to attack, and Remus saw this as his cue. He prepared to pounce.
"Boy! What on Earth are you doing up there?" Remus froze, and the Slytherins took this opportunity to flee. "Get down this instant!" The stern librarian rounded the corner, glaring daggers up at him.
"Sorry Madam, Pince,,," said Remus sheepishly, as he positioned himself to hop down. He landed more stiffly than usual.
"This is a place of study not play."
"I know, but-"
"No buts. Who is your head of house?"
"Professor McGonagall but-"
"I said no buts, You are going straight to her office."
"But-" Madam Pince was about to shut her captive down again, but realized that that particular objection had not come from beside her and had sounded rather gurgly.
Turning on her heel, she found Romulus pinching his gushing nose.
"Oh dear, Episky" She tapped his nose with her wand. Does this have something to do with those Slytherin boys who came in earlier?"
Romulus nodded. "I knew something was up with them. No bags or books, and there are very few people who look genuinely happy to come in here. I'm letting you off this time, but if I ever catch you up there again, it will be straight to detention."
"Yes ma'am." said the two boys firmly. They scurried off to collect their things. Leaving the librarian to wonder why they had both responded.
Remus returned to his common room after walking to the hospital wing with his brother. His intention was to approach Evans for assistance with potions, but she vanished from the room by the time he had come back down from his dormitory with his books.
He sat down by the fire anyway, hoping to at least make some headway on the assignment when Frank Longbottom sat next to him. "On the record, I would advise against making enemies like Avery and Macnair." Remus looked up. He still had his book bag with him, and it was rather laden with texts. "Off the record though, you've got balls."
"You heard then?" Remus said, retrieving his book from the couch.
"I was a few rows over and on my way out. Sorry I didn't stick around"
"You couldn't have known"
"Nah, they didn't used to be this bad. Anyway, not that I was trying to eavesdrop or pry, but I heard a few of your classmates talking about your potions class today." His tone was gentle, and his eyes questioning.
Remus's ears went red. "Yeah, that wasn't sabotage. I'm just rubbish at potions and Slughorn hates me."
'Good. Not the rubbish or hating you part, but the sabotage part. Want some help? It's been awhile, but I'm decent at potions."
"Yeah, that'd be great. I'd be happy to get Ps at this rate."
Frank laughed. "You'll have to aim higher than that to get anywhere but it's a start"
Remus forced a smile onto his face. "I guess so." It'll take a miracle to get anywhere. I'll be lucky if I even make it through school with my identity intact.
A/N So... /1eyedwolf Come find if you please. Now i am actuall caught up, but i think i've worked through a bit of block. Comments, Questions, concerns, queries, conundrums, ideas, let me know.
Thanks for reading. One Eyed Wolf-Out.