Wolf and Fox
It was the first day of term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Remus
Lupin was nervous.
At fourteen years old, he had attended the school for the past three terms, and had
absolutely loved it. He had made his first real friends there-- Sirius Black, Peter
Pettigrew, and James Potter. In fact, Remus was sitting with them at that very moment at
the start-of-term feast.
But a new school year meant more opportunities for Remus's secret to be discovered; you
see, Remus Lupin was a werewolf.
He had received the bite when he was only four years old, and it had been the bane of his
existence ever since. There were very few people who trusted werewolvs, and so Remus
and his parents had been shunned by other witches and wizards for quite some time. Shy
and withdrawn, always afraid that no one would like him if they found out what he was,
Remus had trouble making friends and getting attached. The Lupins hadn't thought
Remus would even be able to attend Hogwarts, but a year before Remus was old enough
to receive his acceptance letter a man named Albus Dumbledore became headmaster of the
school, and he had told them that, with a few precautions, there was no reason Remus
shouldn't attend.
And so Remus had spent the past three school years at Hogwarts, and it had been
wonderful, but every day he was there the fear that someone would find out what he was
nagged insistently at the back of his mind.
Sirius and James, who were best friends, had figured Remus out their first year, being
exceptionally clever, and Remus had told them they could let Peter in on the secret, too.
He trusted the three of them, but what if they accidentally let it slip one day? What if
another student saw him on his way to the house that had been built outside the
schoolgrounds for Remus's use during his transformations?
For now, though, no one knew except for Professor Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, the
school nurse, and of course his three friends. There was a plate brimming with delicious
food and a frosty mug full of cider in front of him, he was sitting with his friends, and so
Remus pushed his nervousness to the very back of his mind and decided just to enjoy
himself.
"I wonder what our new classes will be like," he said to Peter.
"Dunno," Peter answered, swallowing a mouthful of shepherd's pie, "but I hope they're
good."
"I, personally, am very much looking forward to Muggle Studies," Sirius declared. James
snorted.
"You are?"
"Yeah," Sirius said, leaning back in his chair, "it's the first time they're offering this class,
so it's what you'd call an historic event." He said seriously. James, Remus, and Peter
gazed at him with identical expressions of skepticism.
"Besides," he added, a mischevious grin spreading over his face, "I hear the teacher's a
real sucker. Falls for every practical joke you can hit 'im with."
The other boys laughed. Sirius, along with James, was a notorious prankster.
"Hey," Peter piped, "I wonder who the new Divination teacher is?"
Remus looked up at the staff table. They knew Professor Arcanum had left, as she had
announced at the end of last year that "the Fates" had informed her she should go to
Morocco to study the Sufis. So when Remus glanced at the Divination teacher's seat, he
didn't expect to see Professor Arcanum, but he didn't expect not to see anyone, either.
"Where is she?" James wondered.
"Why do you assume it's a woman?" Remus asked.
"Divination strikes me as a field that doesn't attract many males," James said, and Remus
laughed.
"I suppose you're right," he responded.
The four friends finished their dinners and retired to their familiar dormitory, which now
had a plaque on the door reading "Fourth Years."
***
Late that evening, long after the last stragglers at the feast had gone off to bed, a young
woman entered the Great Hall of Hogwarts, a trunk and several covered cages floating
magically behind her.
"Oh, drat," she said, looking around the deserted hall, "I haven't the slightest idea of
where to go now."
She looked down at the orange tabby kitten she was cradling in one arm.
"What do you think, Terry?" she whispered. The cat blinked at her sleepily and began to
purr. The woman smiled.
"You're no help at all, are you? I suppose I had better go find Professor Dumbledore."
She turned back to face the enormous marble stairway leading to the rest of the castle and
pointed her wand over her shoulder at her luggage.
"Let's go," she whispered, and marched up the stairs.
It was the first day of term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Remus
Lupin was nervous.
At fourteen years old, he had attended the school for the past three terms, and had
absolutely loved it. He had made his first real friends there-- Sirius Black, Peter
Pettigrew, and James Potter. In fact, Remus was sitting with them at that very moment at
the start-of-term feast.
But a new school year meant more opportunities for Remus's secret to be discovered; you
see, Remus Lupin was a werewolf.
He had received the bite when he was only four years old, and it had been the bane of his
existence ever since. There were very few people who trusted werewolvs, and so Remus
and his parents had been shunned by other witches and wizards for quite some time. Shy
and withdrawn, always afraid that no one would like him if they found out what he was,
Remus had trouble making friends and getting attached. The Lupins hadn't thought
Remus would even be able to attend Hogwarts, but a year before Remus was old enough
to receive his acceptance letter a man named Albus Dumbledore became headmaster of the
school, and he had told them that, with a few precautions, there was no reason Remus
shouldn't attend.
And so Remus had spent the past three school years at Hogwarts, and it had been
wonderful, but every day he was there the fear that someone would find out what he was
nagged insistently at the back of his mind.
Sirius and James, who were best friends, had figured Remus out their first year, being
exceptionally clever, and Remus had told them they could let Peter in on the secret, too.
He trusted the three of them, but what if they accidentally let it slip one day? What if
another student saw him on his way to the house that had been built outside the
schoolgrounds for Remus's use during his transformations?
For now, though, no one knew except for Professor Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, the
school nurse, and of course his three friends. There was a plate brimming with delicious
food and a frosty mug full of cider in front of him, he was sitting with his friends, and so
Remus pushed his nervousness to the very back of his mind and decided just to enjoy
himself.
"I wonder what our new classes will be like," he said to Peter.
"Dunno," Peter answered, swallowing a mouthful of shepherd's pie, "but I hope they're
good."
"I, personally, am very much looking forward to Muggle Studies," Sirius declared. James
snorted.
"You are?"
"Yeah," Sirius said, leaning back in his chair, "it's the first time they're offering this class,
so it's what you'd call an historic event." He said seriously. James, Remus, and Peter
gazed at him with identical expressions of skepticism.
"Besides," he added, a mischevious grin spreading over his face, "I hear the teacher's a
real sucker. Falls for every practical joke you can hit 'im with."
The other boys laughed. Sirius, along with James, was a notorious prankster.
"Hey," Peter piped, "I wonder who the new Divination teacher is?"
Remus looked up at the staff table. They knew Professor Arcanum had left, as she had
announced at the end of last year that "the Fates" had informed her she should go to
Morocco to study the Sufis. So when Remus glanced at the Divination teacher's seat, he
didn't expect to see Professor Arcanum, but he didn't expect not to see anyone, either.
"Where is she?" James wondered.
"Why do you assume it's a woman?" Remus asked.
"Divination strikes me as a field that doesn't attract many males," James said, and Remus
laughed.
"I suppose you're right," he responded.
The four friends finished their dinners and retired to their familiar dormitory, which now
had a plaque on the door reading "Fourth Years."
***
Late that evening, long after the last stragglers at the feast had gone off to bed, a young
woman entered the Great Hall of Hogwarts, a trunk and several covered cages floating
magically behind her.
"Oh, drat," she said, looking around the deserted hall, "I haven't the slightest idea of
where to go now."
She looked down at the orange tabby kitten she was cradling in one arm.
"What do you think, Terry?" she whispered. The cat blinked at her sleepily and began to
purr. The woman smiled.
"You're no help at all, are you? I suppose I had better go find Professor Dumbledore."
She turned back to face the enormous marble stairway leading to the rest of the castle and
pointed her wand over her shoulder at her luggage.
"Let's go," she whispered, and marched up the stairs.
