Chapter 6
Fresh Start and A Visit From the Headmaster
Within the next week, Remus and his parents had sold the house, reduced the amount of notes as much as possible, and had purchased a new home. The day they were moving to the new house, not one of Remus' best friends went outside to say good-bye, nor did the other parents. But he was almost certain he caught glimpses of his friends peeking out frightfully form their windows.
It made Remus sick, and confused. They were his best friends- why did they hate him now? Didn't they see it was just him? Not something to be feared? Of course they did, but their parents had instilled the normal fear of the monstrous werewolf, and with news that their friend was one, they just turned their backs on him, choosing to look the other way.
At the middle of the following week, Remus' cuts and bite marks had healed and they were fully moved into their new home. It was single story, small, but large and roomy enough for a three person family, and they had managed to find one with a basement. Clara and Xavier had also learned quickly the changes to make to make Remus' transformations easier. They left broken chairs down in the basement, that way he would have something to bite and fight against, whereas at the first house he had only had himself to mutilate.
Remus became used to these monthly torturous nights, and soon grew up to be a mature, aged-beyond-his years boy of eleven years. He was average height, but was a bit thinner, paler, and had soft, but definite shadows under his tawny eyes. His parents were extremely understanding and supportive as he grew up, they themselves went through the same casting out as he did, but never once did they blame their own hardships on their son or his affliction. Although he never realized this straight forward, he did once he went out on his own, and realized how lucky he really had been.
Secretly, Xavier and Clara never thought any school would take their son. Before the bite, yes, by all means one of them would have. He was a bright boy after all. But now, with his condition, they didn't think any headmaster would. That was of course until a knock at their door proved to be none other then Albus Dumbledore himself.
The elderly wizard smiled at the astonished couple, light blue eyes shining with amusement from behind half moon spectacles.
"P-professor, take a seat please. Would you like anything?" Xavier was the first to speak, leading the elder wizard to a seat in their small living room.
"No, no, I'm quite alright. But I do need a word with you two." he said, nodding to Clara.
They both sat down, curious and nervous at the same time. "Yes?" Clara asked, in as steady a voice as she could manage.
"It concerns your son, Remus." the Professor said matter-of-factly, earning him a nervous glance between the parents. "Nothing wrong. I've come to ask you about his going to Hogwarts this coming school year."
The conversation was awkward, the parents not knowing how the Headmaster would react to their son's lycanthropcy, and Dumbledore soon proposed to them his idea.
"A safe house, away from the school, he would do no harm, and Madam Pomfrey would be glad to take care of him after and before the changes." he said.
Xavier and Clara were astounded that the Headmaster would make so much effort for one child, and to this Dumbledore merely smiled while he answered.
"Because, one child could make a difference in the world, no one knows. He was selected to attend before he was born, and one set back is not going to change that. Besides, who knows if more children like him will attend school with us? It would be a benefit for not just him but perhaps someone else."
A Whomping Willow. It seemed a decent enough idea (although Clara immediately had her misgivings that some child was likely to lose an eye), it was the sort of item to be found at Hogwarts with no obvious hints to it's actual use, it's violent nature would deter curious minds, and with the tunnel being built from it, to the abandoned shack in Hogsmeade, it would be a safe route for Remus to take to his safe haven. He would be protected from those who would rather see his kind dead and the other children would be protected from the risk of being bitten.
The headmaster left the letter that would have been sent to the Lupin's via owl before he left, and Clara went upstairs to tell her son the good news. It came as a great shock, considering the young boy had already figured he wasn't going to any school, no matter what happened, and he soon began to pester his parents on what day they would go to Diagon Alley, and so on and so forth, until his parents began to believe that it was a curse to have told him so soon.
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The trip to Diagon Alley came and went (after peeling Remus from one of the many shops) and soon, Xavier and Clara had an excited eleven year old that was about beside himself. September 10th came, and Remus had a sudden change of heart.
"Mum?" he asked, looking into her room. His dad was at work, and his mom had been given the day off.
"Mhm? Oh, Remus, come in." she said, looking up from the book she was reading, with a small smile.
"I've got a ... question. About Hogwarts." he said a little shortly, walking in and sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Well, what's on yer mind son?"
"Will... will they know what I am?"
"Oh," Clara said softly, under her breath. "no, no they won't. Are you worried?" she finished, voice confident, comforting.
"I was just worried that if they found out, they'd end up like Mandi." he said a bit awkwardly. He had never mentioned his old best friend since they had moved. It was obviously a sore spot for a while, but he had accepted it, not without his share of repercussions from it.
Clara nodded, a bit understandingly. She could have told anyone she expected Remus to finally get a little nervous about school. "Not everyone is like that Rem, you'll find that if you give it time, and not offer unneeded information to everyone, and let them find out their own ideas and beliefs... some people are accepting." she said slowly, harboring her bitter feelings for Fred MacDougal. He'd been their close friend and neighbor for six years, and at the first sign of rough waters, he got out of the boat.
A frown line of concentration made it's way across Remus' brow and he nodded, hoping his mother was right. She usually was, why not this time? Clara smiled and ruffled her son's hair and told him to get to bed, Xavier wouldn't be happy if he got home and he wasn't in bed yet.
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"Ho! Wait up James!!" a young boy's voice broke through the muffled din of Platform 9 3/4, and Remus' quick eyes immediately sought out the owner.
He found him soon enough, a taller boy with a mop of shaggy dark hair, pushing a trolley packed with a truck and other miscellaneous. Which nearly runs over another boy, more gangly and lanky then the other, black hair untidy and hazel eyes laughing at the other.
"Come'n Sirius, I only just met you and now you're going to kill me!?" he jested, helping stop the run away trolley.
"Well, if you'd lend a hand here I won't. Half this is you're junk anyhow..." the one called Sirius said, leaning against the trolley and looking over his shoulder. "You're mum and dad are coming." he said, obviously knowing this prior to looking.
"Ah, I know..." James mumbled, shrugging. "Where's you're folks?"
"Left me in the Muggle part of King's Cross. Don't really like coming out here..." he said a little awkwardly. "Say, you know anyone else in our year?" he said quickly, abruptly changing the subject.
The rest of the conversation, Remus didn't hear. "Ready to go?" his father asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Remus looked up, taken by surprise. "Er... yeah." he said, a small smile creeping on his face.
Xavier helped him load his things on the train and then gave his son a hug, and let Clara bustle by him to embrace her son tightly and kiss his forehead.
"Mum..." Remus said quietly, a little embarrassed by his mother's ordeal over this.
"Write often, and do well in your classes..." she lectured him, and soon enough, he hopped aboard the Hogwarts Express, bound for his new school.
He came to the last compartment, all other's were full or just didn't want anyone else in there, and came across the two boys he had seen earlier.
"Chudley Cannons."
"Oh come ON! They were horrible last seas- hey there!" James was quipping, before he noticed Remus in the doorway and hailed him.
"Hi... er, got room for one more?" he asked, chancing a little smile.
"Sure, sit down. We just sent Pete for some Cauldron Cakes." said Sirius, rubbing his hands together. "Don't know him from Adam, but if he gets us sweets, I might make room to make him my brother." he said, and gave a laugh that eerily reminded Remus of a dog's bark.
"I'm James, the greedy gut over there-ouch!-" James began but was interrupted by a kick to the shin.
"Is Sirius. Sirius Black, at your service." he said, giving a mock bow while seated, attempting to dodge James' kicks in return.
Remus felt his smile broaden. "Remus Lupin." he said and sat down next to Sirius, and the three began another avid argument about Quidditch teams until Peter, a smaller boy with blonde hair and watery eyes, came back with sweets and then they proceeded to make that disappear. Causing nothing but momentary sugar buzzes and more animated conversations.
In the years to come at Hogwarts, Remus found that not only were those three boys he met on the Hogwarts Express would grow to be Remus' best and closest friends, his brothers and pack mates. He grew up with them, went through rough times with them, was protected by and protected them. Although in the real world, not many other people took too kindly to his condition, he rarely found jobs, even then not for long, but his friends never left his side.
The bits in between here and there, are as we all know, history.
Author's Note: THERE! Fin! ;) hope you enjoyed, reading as much as I did writing. It was a spur of the moment thing and my muse left before I finished so I did that one by winging it. I still lurve my Remus. ^_^ Pleasr R/r, leave cc, cookies, whatever you want ^_^
