Full Moons and First Years
Chapter One
"See you next term, Remus!" Miles shouted across the
playground. Remus waved back, and almost got knocked over by his two best
friends running up to him.
"Oy, Remmy! You ought to be a bit happier. School's
out!" John said, slapping Remus's back. Remus smiled, and then laughed as
Alaric chased a group of 1st graders nearly as energetic as him.
"It's a wonder no one's parents have sued you yet,
Al." Remus told him, still laughing as the subdued 1st graders
sulked by the swing set.
"Because
they know that no cage could hold me!" he said, hopping down the sidewalk by
John and Remus, off the school grounds now.
"Cage? I
was thinking more along the lines of a room lined with mattresses…" John said,
and all three laughed. John, Remus, and Alaric seemed a hugely unlikely trio.
John Cook, a bit short and chubby, was the class clown, the kid whom all the
teachers despised. He was well liked and a famous name in the school, even when
he wasn't an upperclassman. Alaric Dregthilt was eccentric and active. His
brown hair was as long as some of the girls and was always bouncing from one
thing to another. Remus Lupin was a very quiet boy, the loner, and was often
out sick.
The three were talking about the first soccer game of
the season, (West Ham against Manchester) when Remus was dropped off at his
house with hearty waves. Remus climbed the stone steps, got the mail, and
petted his cat, Woolly. He fumbled in his pocket for his key.
"Hello, Remus." Remus's father said. He was carefully
minding four or five pots on the oven.
"Hi, Dad." Remus said, putting the mail on the
counter. His father gave a sigh of frustration.
"I wish your mother would give me more notice when
people from the ministry were going to visit, Remus. What on earth do wizards
like to eat?"
"Same thing as Mum eats, I expect. Don't ask me, I'm
no more of a wizard than you are, dad." Remus said, plopping on the couch.
"That's nonsense. Of course you're a wizard. Your
mother said you would be, and you will be. I've noticed you've stopped checking
the mail." Mr. Lupin said with a twinge of concern in his voice.
"Dumbledore doesn't want anyone like me in the
school. I don't blame him. I know that I've tried to rip you and mum to shreds
when there's a full moon. What's stopping me from doing that to other
students?"
"That Sleeping Potion your mother brews up. And a
lock on the basement door."
"Not Sleeping Potion, Sleeping Draught." Remus told
his father instantly. "There's a difference."
"See? You are more of a wizard
than me. Of course you are! Mom said herself that she hadn't gotten her
acceptance letter until three weeks into July."
"She's just trying to make me feel better. I saw her
letter. It's clearly dated June 20th." Remus looked down at his feet.
He couldn't help pitying himself. He
would never be a wizard. He would always be "that skinny quiet kid who never
comes to school". An
outcast, that was him. John would always be popular, slowly drift away from
Remus and Alaric. Soon he would forget them in place of other popular kids and
girls. And Alaric? He was a good friend, but how we he react when Remus told
him his mum was a witch? Or when Remus said he was a werewolf? Go run screaming
toward the hills and not come back. Of course, Remus wouldn't be surprised if
Alaric did that just for fun, but still…
Remus sat on the couch, staring absent-mindedly at
the horrible wallpaper his mother put up all over the house. In the Muggle
world he was a freak. In the wizard world he was a freak with fangs.
But, Remus… Mum's always said that Dumbledore is the
best Headmaster Hogwarts ever had. Why would she say that right in front of you if she didn't think you'd go to Hogwarts? Check the mail! Said that little voice in Remus's head.
"Fine.
I'll check the stupid mail. But there isn't going to be anything there." Remus
said out loud.
"That's
my boy! And I'll wager anything that letter will be there." His dad said
confidently.
Remus got up. Reluctantly, he grabbed the pile of
mail off the counter.
"Bill… Bill… You May Have
Already Won 1,000,000 Pounds! Oh, what jolly good luck we have… Bill… Card for
your birthday, dad, from Uncle Nigel, two months late-"
"Bastard. He would forget
to send it out. It probably reeks of rum."
"And a sales paper. That's all.
I told you. No letter." He slammed the mail back on the counter. "See, Dad?
Dumbledore thinks I'm as much a freak as everyone does." He paused, wondering
if he dare say what he wanted to say next. Finally, "They're going to put me in
an asylum." Remus's father looked like he'd just been slapped. Remus glared.
"I've heard you and Mum talking
about me, when you think I'm sleeping. Just like all werewolves. I'm going to
the loony bin, and my roommate's going to be Napoleon, if I don't get my
letter. And I'm not going to get my letter. Let me go upstairs and practice my
French accent so me and Mr. Bonaparte have something to talk about." Remus was
ready to go straight to his room and hurl everything at the wall. They were
going to have a legitimate reason, at least, to send him to the cuckoo's nest.
But his Dad grabbed his shoulder.
"Remus, your mother and I will
not let anyone take you away. You have the whole summer before anyone
even starts talking about that. Enjoy it. If you don't get accepted, you will
just go to a regular middle school. No harm. And no asylum." His dad
said, looking him square in the eyes.
"Yeah, all right, dad." Remus
wanted to believe his father. But the tears in his eyes and the anxiety in his
voice only confirmed his thoughts. Deciding he'd better change the subject and
get his dad back to the stove before there was a gallon of soup overflowing the
pot, he asked, "When's mom coming home?"
"Oh!" His
dad said, and ran back into the kitchen.
"Good evening, good evening!"
Remus's mother stood at the door
greeting the six Ministry officials as they came in through the door. They
smiled at her and hung their cloaks on the hat rack. Remus could name a few.
There was Mortimer Kaiss, a stern-looking man who Remus knew very well, as he
was the Head of the Control of Magical Creatures department. And Anubis Smith,
the Head of International Relations department. Remus assumed one of them was
an Auror, because he was very old, (the last time Aurors were really needed was
when the Dark wizard Grindelwald was terrorizing Europe) and had many scars on his face. Remus
couldn't guess who the other three were. His mother, Head of the Magical
Investigations department, was the only woman.
"Good evening." Remus's mom said
again. She pointed to Remus, who was standing a few feet away from the door.
"This is my son, Remus." A couple smiled at Remus, the rest just nodded. Remus
thought this to be a bit odd. Everyone wore a grim look on their face, though
varying greatly in the degree. His mother, too, was acting nervous. She was
twittering about, smiling a little too brightly, her eyes darting around. Remus
hadn't thought whatever they were going to discuss would be so serious.
"Come, sit down! Dinner should
be ready in a few minutes. My husband cooked it, the Muggle way, but I assure
you it's as good as anything that ever came from a wand. He's a professional
chef, you know." There were vague murmurs from the officials, "Smells
wonderful" and "I can't wait". It didn't sound like it, though. They were
monotonous. This must be something really bad, if everybody's acting this
way. Then Remus had another unpleasant thought. They're probably going
to talk about me. Dumbledore told them he wasn't going to send me a letter.
They've come to take me away early.
Remus looked down at the floor.
He'd suddenly lost his appetite.
Small talk had been made all
through dinner. Comments on the weather, how good the food was, how splendid
the house looked. Remus wished he didn't have to be there. He didn't think he
could take another compliment. Why don't they just get on with it? Remus
wondered, stabbing his now-cold roast chicken with his fork. Do they think
they're sparing my feelings? Well, aren't they a clever bunch. I already know
what they're here for. Even if I didn't, I'd find out anyway.
"Dessert!" Remus's dad said. Mom
got out her wand and tapped the table, making all the plates clean again. His
dad brought out a large chocolate cake. This was usually Remus's favorite food,
but now, because he knew why his dad made it, he'd sooner eat slugs.
Nonetheless, his dad carved a
piece for Remus and placed it in front of him.
"So, ah, Remus, your mother
tells us that your Muggle school just let out. I'll bet you're excited about
that, eh?" said Anubis Smith. Remus liked him because he was usually cheerful
and had a good sense of humor. But he just couldn't smile back at him.
"Mm-hmm." Remus mumbled, more to
his uneaten cake than anyone at the table.
Mortimer White looked across the
table to him. He had a way of always speaking down to Remus, as if he were a
very stupid creature only just capable of stringing a sentence together. He
knew Mr. White didn't like him. And now, very non-chalantly, he asked Remus,
"So… have you gotten your acceptance letter from Hogwarts yet?"
Remus was not the only one that
gave Mr. White a shocked look. Well, Remus said that he wanted them to tell him
right up. He supposed he got his wish.
"Mortimer… He- Well, he'll get
his letter soon enough." Anubis said.
"Um, mother? May I be excused
from the table?" Remus asked, recalling his manners.
Remus's mom looked worriedly at
his full plate, but didn't say anything.
"Of course you may. I was just
going to ask you and your father to leave the table anyway. Important Ministry
business."
"Okay." Remus said, and took his
plate to the sink. Did she think he was stupid? Ministry business. Ha! His own
mother didn't think he could take the news. In fact, his own mother was going
to send him away. He ran up the stairs to his room. I'm not a baby! I've
known this was going to happen ever since I was 8!
She doesn't love me. If she
loved me, she wouldn't think I'm as dangerous as everyone else, just because
some beast bit me! Some mother. I HATE her! And perhaps if Remus had not
been so caught up in his own thoughts, he would have noticed that quite a few
objects in his room were levitating in the air. But he didn't. He had a new
idea. Run away.
He dug a suitcase out of his
closet. Not really paying attention to what he was doing, he threw anything he
grabbed out of his wardrobe onto his bed. A rational thought or two creped into
his mind, such as But Mum and Dad will be worried to death!, Where will you
go!, and Maybe you'll get your letter! Maybe it's in the mail! But he
shoved these to the back of his head. Anything was better than being force-fed
chemicals along with King Henry VIII. He stuffed all his clothes on the bed
into the suitcase. He could hardly lift it. Remus took a deep breath and opened
his window. That's a long way down… he thought, peering over the window.
But he wasn't going to chicken out now. It wasn't such a long jump. Perhaps-
"AAARRRGGGHHH!!!" A very large
something had flown directly into Remus's face. Stunned, Remus grabbed a snow
globe that was on his nightstand, ready to kill whatever had just flown in.
"Remus, are you all right?" he
heard his mom say.
"Umm… Yeah, yeah, mum, just
fine!" Remus said. His nose hurt. "What the hell…?" He distinctly heard angered
hooting.
"An owl!" Remus exclaimed,
hardly daring to believe it. It surely couldn't have been for his mother, any
owl post she got was received at her office. The large brown-and-white owl
ruffled his feathers and looked very cross. He dropped a letter on the floor
and flew out the window again.
Remus's eyes widened at the
letter. The envelope was rather odd in shape, (a perfect square) and made from
yellowish paper. Remus picked it up quickly and turned it over.
Remus Lupin
52 Apian
Road
England
And
right there Remus was sure he would have a heart attack. He gave himself a
paper cut trying to open the letter speedily as was humanly possible. But who
cares if he bled a little? This, this, could be the happiest moment of
his entire life! He pulled out about five pieces of folded papers. Slowly,
carefully, he picked the first one apart from the others.
Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
Dear Mr. R.
Lupin:
We are pleased to inform you that you
have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find
enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await
your owl no later than July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva
McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Remus
choked. He kneeled on the floor, glued to the spot, his mouth hanging open. He
couldn't think, he was frozen. In his hands was a piece
of paper, quite plainly stating that he was to go off to learn magic like his
mum. It did not seem like any joke. What was that thing called, when you get
saved from something? An excuse? No… A pardon. A pardon, and not a second too
soon.
But
how? Remus had a point when he told his dad that anyone would be insane to
accept him into a boarding school. Were they going to give him a Sleeping Draught
like his mom did, or what? That did not last long, either, every two hours she
had to drop a piece of meat soaked in the stuff down the basement steps. No one
got much sleep those three days when the moon shined like the sun, smirking at
Remus for the power it had over him. He pulled apart the other papers.
Dear Mr. Lupin,
The staff at Hogwarts are pleased to
accept you into our school. We are aware that you have a magical disability,
but not such a one that would prohibit your magical career. Therefore, we see
it silly not to accept you for something that can be taken care of quite
easily.
Our Herbology professor, Pr. Vervaina
Sprout, has grown a rather interesting tree called a Whomping Willow. If
somebody goes near it, it's branches flail wildly. Thick branches they are,
too. Anyway, she has placed it at the exit of a school tunnel that leads to an
abandoned house in the village of Hogsmeade. Our Charms professor, Pr. Owain
Flitwick, has enchanted the tree so that when a specific knot is touched the
tree freezes. Our school nurse will escort you to this abandoned house during
the three days of the full moon. That way, nobody need get hurt.
See you September 1!
Albus
Dumbledore
Albus Dumbledore
That
would work! That would actually work! Oh, now Remus knew why his mum always
said Dumbledore was the best Headmaster Hogwarts ever had! He laughed and
jumped up. His mom and dad would be so proud, Anubis, too. He couldn't wait to
see the look on Mr. White's face. That would show him.
"Oh,
my God! They're talking about me! About sending me to an asylum… I've got to go
tell mum about my letter!" Remus raced to the stairs, but stopped at the loft
(with some difficulty- ever try stopping yourself abruptly when you're running?
Damn inertia.) with a thought.
Hmm,
maybe I'll listen in to what they're saying. Oooh, if Mr. White says anything
bad about me, I'll have him for sure! This will be fun!
Remus
put his head to the waist-high railings. He grabbed two, rather like a prisoner
in a movie, to steady himself. His house had conveniently high ceilings, which
carried voices from the lower level to the staircase. This was exactly where
Remus had been when he first heard his parents talking about what would happen
to him if he didn't get his acceptance letter. One could easily hide in the
shadows in this wonderful railing-ed loft Remus liked so much. And he stopped
thinking for a moment and listened.
"I've
already told you, this will not be as easy as you suggest to hide from the
muggles! They smarter than you think they are." said the Auror.
"Well,
then, what do you propose? It was easy in the thirties, World War II was going
on, and we gave the muggles Hitler to explain all that Grindelwald was doing." said
Remus's mom.
"Mind
you, Hitler was doing plenty without help from Grindelwald. Son of a
bitch squib. But this time… This time, the situation is different. The wizard
has done much more. He's not just after wizards, like Grindelwald,
Silvia, he's after muggles, too. How do we keep it all from them?"
"Stop
him! Have you seen what he's done? He has followers! That green skull they use
as their symbol… that they send up in the air. It's disgusting. Of course, it's
all for power. Few wizards know he even exists, and it will get harder to
explain the murders. 12 so far! That we know of, it could be much more."
"I
propose that we tell the public, and alert the media. This will not be an easy
fight. We need everybody's help."
"Yes,
but see, that is what I'm afraid of. This could very easily turn chaotic if we
allow. Maybe we could just talk to this wizard, give him what he wants, and
throw him into Azkaban."
"No,
we can't do that. You know that! He has Dark Powers, and half of the Dementors
have joined him. We know that he is speaking with the giants and the vampires.
This is a far bigger problem than Azkaban could possibly fix."
"I
agree. Perhaps we should not release this to the public just yet. I mean, his
very name… Voldemort. It's better to see what happens- Remus!" His
mother's cry made everybody at the table jump. She stormed to underneath the
loft, looking angry and worried.
"What are you doing up there, hiding from us?" His mother said, barely above
a whisper. Whoa. Whatever she had been talking about was obviously very private information.
Remus trembled and through the railings, dropped
the two papers to his mother.
"I just wanted to tell you… I- I got my acceptance
letter from Hogwarts." He said, frightened.
His mom read both letters, and it was amusing to
see her eyes widen every second or two. Finally, she looked up at Remus. Tears
were building in her eyes.
"Oh, Remus. Come down here." she said
apologetically. He walked down the stairs, and his mom gave him a hug.
"Argh! Mom, I'm going to suffocate!"
"I'm sorry I got angry with you. Just don't
eavesdrop again, all right? And I'm so proud of you… We'll go pick up your
things this week. Now, go back to bed. It's nearly ten o'clock anyway." Remus's
mom said, finally letting him out of her bear hug.
Remus changed and got into bed. Even the light
sheet was warm in the June air. He was happy, and was looking forward to going
to Diagon Alley. He was just drifting into a peaceful sleep, when he remembered
something…
"What were they talking about down there?"
A/N: Oh, wow, this is a really long first chapter!
Thanks for reading it all the way through! This is the first part in a long
story, so please tell me what you think! Next chapter: On Platform 9 and ¾ ,
Remus meets some rather interesting people, some nice and some, er, not so
nice. The POV (Remus's) won't change for this part of the series, but next
story it will. Please review and tell me what you truly think!
