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Chapter 3

Hogsmeade

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Lupin arrived at Hogsmeade at precisely 9:30 AM on October the 31st, All Hallows Eve. He wore his usual old cloak (with his wand tucked into its pocket, of course), a light breezy Muggle shirt underneath and very baggy pants that had once fit him well, but now hung loosely at his thin waist after loosing quite a lot of weight. Not surprisingly, the wizard looked very tattered and shabby. But all this didn't matter to Harry - the moment he spotted his old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, his eyes widened and hurried over to Lupin, weaving his way through the mesh of eager Hogwarts students.

"Professor Lupin!" Harry beamed upon reaching possibly his favorite teacher. Still the same...James' hair, Lily's eyes...

"Harry, you don't have to call me that," Lupin replied, but he did appreciate the fact that at least one person thought he'd been a good enough teacher to address him by that title. "I'm not your professor anymore."

"You're a better professor at Defense Against the Dark Arts than all of our previous and recent ones put together," Hermoine said, breathless after running after Harry. She and Ron had arrived alongside their friend. Hermoine had grown, Lupin noticed. Besides being a whole lot taller, her hair was longer and smoother, and well, her feminine features were really starting to show on her body. He wasn't surprised to see Ron's eyes linger on her for a second too long before the tall, redheaded wizard also spoke up.

"Ahem...I believe a person named Gil-" he began.

"Oh shut up," Hermoine snapped at Ron. "It was a stupid schoolgirl's crush, alright?"

"You're still a schoolgirl, Hermoine."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, a lot better one than you."

At this, Ron's ears turned pink, but he was still grinning.

"Well, before you start to redefine the word red, Ron, I'm going to the Post. Our school owls are so stupid sometimes...I sent a letter to mum and got a reply from this crazy old lady who called me 'Frederick' and told me to stop setting the zoo's animals loose on her." The young witch made a face, and then left with a wave to Lupin, leaving Ron and Harry laughing behind her.

"She could always have borrowed Hedwig," Harry shrugged after laughing.

"Where is she, anyway?" Ron asked. "I haven't seen her for a while."

"Oh, delivering some stuff. Hope she didn't get lost...I have her quite a few errands. Well, she's not that stupid."

"Oy!" Ron exclaimed. "Speaking of stupid, I've got to head for Zonko's. Fred and George have this new gum that makes grass grow from your nose stocked there...I've got to give some to Ginny. See ya later!" He dashed off toward the shop, which was fairly crowded with students eager to plot revenge or embarrass their friends.

"So," Lupin turned to Harry. Immediately, his eyes fell to Harry's jet- black hair and the little tufts that stuck vertically up. Flashes of the millions of times James always smoothed his hair down came into his mind-

"Er, Prof-I mean, Remus?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

Lupin gave himself a mental slap.

"Sorry, Harry, I got a bit...distracted," he said quietly. "I believe we have a bit of catching up to do. How does a bottle of Butterbeer sound to you?"

"Sounds great!" Harry replied enthusiastically. The two wizards set off at an easy pace as they headed toward the Three Broomsticks. Along the way, Lupin was in the middle of explaining how to levitate something without your wand when suddenly-

"Oof!" A ball of black robes and short brown hair bumped into Lupin, causing him to instinctively whip around to see who (or what) had crashed into him.

"Sorry - sir - ouch -" the boy's eyes widened upon seeing Lupin. "P-p- professor Lupin? Is that really you?"

Neville Longbottom's face cracked into a big smile and was about to say something, when a cold, soft drawl wiped the grin off his chubby face. Beside him, Lupin could feel Harry tense up.

"Watch where you're going, Longbottom. You might just end up in the...wrong place," Draco Malfoy's pale eyebrow arched dramatically, his frosty eyes boring into Neville's. Neville looked terrified.

"I'd say the same for your father," Harry suddenly said very loudly. Lupin was quite shocked by this bold act. He placed a cautious hand on Harry's shoulder, and he watched as Malfoy's face tinged pink. Draco's cold, steel eyes were focused on Harry's, so full of hatred, that between the two of them, the world seemed to stop altogether. Lupin doubted whether Draco was even aware that a full-grown wizard was standing three feet away from him. Their animosity toward each other was highly similar to that of Sirius and Severus'...

"My father is no concern of yours," Draco's voice lowered dangerously, leaning close to Harry. "And at least he had the wit to stay alive-"

"Ahem," Lupin immediately intervened, for he saw Harry's fingers close around his wand and even felt a rare surge of rage fill inside himself. "Draco. How nice to see you. I assume you are doing well?" he said mildly, though his tone a bit chillier than usual.

Draco's eyes flickered down to survey Lupin's tattered old clothes, and when he met his eyes again, there was a faint smirk on his face.

"Why Professor, of course. And I see...you haven't changed a bit," Draco's voice was like ice, and his eyes glittered maliciously.

"Well, I daresay that in certain events," Lupin's voice lilted a little, "change can be good. But of course, there are some people who-" he paused "- just don't change their old ways, even though they say they do..."

A tense silence followed, filled with many cold glares and tightening jaws. Draco's face kept flushing deeper and deeper red.

"Well, Harry," Lupin finally broke the quietness. "We've got some Butterbeer to attend to. Have a nice day, Neville. Draco, it's always a pleasure."

And with that, Lupin and Harry turned around and walked into the Three Broomsticks. The bar was filled with people, happily chattering away. Lupin and Harry took seats on a couple of high stools with comfortable purple cushions. They called for drinks, and within minutes, two large mugs filled to the brim with golden bubbling liquid sat in front of the two wizards.

"So how have you been?" were the first real words that tumbled out of Lupin's mouth as he raised the mug to his lips.

"The usual, I guess," Harry said after gulping a mouthful of Butterbeer. "Draco's still reeks, but I kind of got used to that now. Don't really care about what he thinks anymore."

Lupin nodded thoughtfully before speaking, choosing his words carefully on the delicate subject.

"A part of me almost pities him," he murmured.

"Pity? Why?"

Lupin looked at Harry quickly, contemplating whether he should speak more.

"Well, everything that's been happening with his father is quite a shock to Draco, I imagine. Nobody likes to have his or her father in Azkaban - even if it's the worst father you could possibly imagine. Trust me, I know. Azkaban is worse than the fires of hell itself."

Harry looked surprised, almost impressed. "How do you know? You've never been arrested, have you?"

Lupin laughed softly. "No, I haven't. But I have gone there to visit..." he trailed off, unsure of what Harry'd react if he even uttered the name.

"Sirius." Harry finished the sentence for him in a hollow voice. Lupin noticed he broke off any eye contact with anybody except for the mug in his hands.

"Yeah. Sirius," Lupin took a large swallow of his drink to cover the tears that'd built up in his eyes. He racked his brains for something to say, but everything that echoed in his mind sounded lame. Lupin suddenly wished he'd never mentioned Azkaban, let alone Sirius...

"Excuse me," a familiar, hard voice interrupted the awful silence that had settled between Lupin and Harry. The two wizards looked up to see Severus Snape, Potions professor at Hogwarts, with a vial in his thin, white fingers and a most unpleasant expression upon his face. He looked no different than the last time Lupin saw him. Black hair that hung in his face, a sharp set of cold eyes, full of hatred...

Lupin and Harry were the closest people to both James and Sirius, whom had been archenemies with Snape 20 years ago...

"Severus," Lupin said politely. "Ah, I see you've brought the potion."

"Indeed," Snape said through gritted teeth, his ice grey eyes locked with Lupin's amber ones. He brusquely shoved the vial of green liquid into Lupin's arms. "This should last for the next few days or so."

"Much thanks, Professor Snape," spoke Lupin, carefully placing the vial into his robe pocket, where it clicked against his wand. "Say, you wouldn't want to join Harry and me here for a round of Butterbeer, would you?"

At this, Harry stiffened abruptly, but Lupin pretended not to have noticed. The three of them had all had quite fanciful lives, and over the past many years they'd crossed paths so often. Snape, Lupin and Harry really needed to get along on a friendlier basis. Lupin hoped with all his might that Snape would for once, say yes and join them in a social situation. He waited, anticipating Snape's answer, hoping, hoping...

"No, I wouldn't," Snape said simply. Lupin's world crashed down, but a part of him had been expecting it anyway. Severus, the cold one, the calculating one...

"Very well, Severus. I thank you again for the potion." Lupin called as Snape briskly wheeled around and headed out the door. Harry, beside him, suddenly burst into talk.

"Prof-I mean, Remus, why'd you do that? Why'd you invite him? Don't you know how much he hates me? And the way he was looking at you - he wants to rip your head off! Are you aware of how much he hates you, too?"

Lupin sighed. "Of course he hates both of us, for very stupid reasons really, but I just wanted to be a little more amiable with him. Harry, he IS part of the Order. You can't ignore that, no matter how cold and cruel Snape can be." Lupin shrugged. "Well, don't start growing white hairs like me about it. He apparently didn't want to join us anyway."

"Stupid git," Harry muttered. Lupin didn't bother to tell him otherwise - he personally agreed with Harry. The older wizard studied Harry's young face, which looked extremely troubled and dark. And angry. His green eyes were clouded over, darkened with rage...Almost immediately, Lupin knew exactly what was on Harry's mind.

"Harry?" he asked quietly, reaching over and touching his hand. "Are you alright?"

A quick glance, a nervous twitch in the mouth. It was so damned farmilliar...

"Yeah, of course I am," Harry lied.

"No you're not. You're thinking about Pettigrew."

Harry looked extremely taken aback. "How'd you know?" he demanded.

Lupin lowered his voice into a hoarse whisper, forcing the words from his lips. "You have the same expression on your face as Sirius did whenever he thought about Wormtail."

Harry started again. Remus was overwhelmed by how quickly the young wizard reacted to Sirius' name, how his green eyes clouded over, how his jaw tightened. But after a moment, he looked up and met Lupin's eyes.

"Yeah, I was thinking about him," he said simply.

"What about him?"

Harry shifted in his seat uneasily.

"That's okay, you don't have to tell me if it makes you feel more comfortable," Lupin said, but he secretly was burning to know what was going on.

"No, it's not that. I'm not the right person to tell you. Dumbledore should. He's the one who told me," said Harry.

"Alright," Lupin settled on that.

"Remus! Remus Lupin, I knew it! I foresaw your visit!" A misty, sickly voice pierced through the air. Lupin, knowing exactly who was addressing him, winced slightly. Harry noticed this.

"Professor Trelawney," he greeted the bespeckled woman. She looked just the same, with her great lenses, dozens of glittering bracelets and the usual elaborate shawl wrapped around her thin shoulders.

"Oh Remus, but you look terrible!" she said in an enchanting whisper as she whisked herself onto a stool beside Lupin. "I foresee great troubles for you, my dear, great troubles..."

Harry suddenly had the great urge to snort, but he restrained himself from doing so, knowing that Lupin would not approve.

"Really?" Lupin responded in his mild, languid manner. "Thank you for informing me of that, Sibyll."

For the first time in her life, it seemed that Professor Trelawney had nothing to say. Harry, seeing the surprised expression on her face, figured it was because everybody always had a dramatic reaction when she announced her prophecies. But Lupin had acknowledged the information he had been given, calm as you please.

Professor Trelawney cleared her throat.

"Well, uh, Remus, enjoy the rest of your stay," she said a bit stiffly and left quickly. Lupin had to suppress a smile.

"Wow, you really know what to say to the right people," Harry commented, picking up his second Butterbeer. "Useful, isn't it?"

"Guess so," Lupin shrugged lightly. "Everyone has a weak spot, Harry. Obviously, mine is well, my condition. And after suffering from this as a child so often and putting up with all the pain...well, I start to notice everyone else's too. Draco's too proud of his filthy family to have it ripped apart. Snape's not too good socially. Trelawney needs people's eyes to glaze over when she speaks. Yeah, it's useful, if you want to drive someone away without being rude."

Harry smiled, wiping off his Butterbeer mustache. "Fine. If you're so good, what's my weak spot?"

Lupin had seen this coming, and he was prepared for it.

"Well, most people don't want to know theirs," he said mildly. Harry wasn't fooled.

"Come on, tell me," he gestured for Lupin to go on while downing half his mug in a great gulp.

"Harry, it's not that important..."

"It is to me."

Lupin racked his brains, trying to think of something to say. Finally, he gave a small smile.

"Nice weather, isn't it?" he said cheerfully.

"Stop avoiding it!"

"Fine. Fine. You really want to know?" Lupin asked seriously. Harry's eyes were determined, kind of what James looked like the second before his hands always closed around the Snitch. The wizard nodded firmly.

"Yeah. I do."

"Harry..." Lupin said softly, in one last attempt to sway him.

"Yes? I want to know. Please."

Hell, how was he going to tell him?

"It's Sirius."

Harry obviously hadn't been expecting this, although it was pretty obvious to anyone who saw his face whenever the deceased wizard's name was mentioned. He looked almost stunned to have heard those two simple words. Sirius. Of course. What else haunted him at night, what else brought tears to his eyes?

"Oh," Harry said softly. "That." A visible shudder ripped through him. His eyes looked hollow.

"Look, I'm sorry I brought it up-"

"No-"

"Yes-"

"It's alright-"

"But really-"

"What are you two arguing about?" Hermoine's slightly bossy voice interrupted the awkward pair. The witch stopped absentmindedly brushing a few owl feathers off her cloak when she saw their serious faces.

"Is this a bad time?" she said quietly.

"No, not at all," Lupin sighed.

"Well, Harry, we're leaving in a minute." Hermoine informed him.

"What? It's only been an hour!" said Harry.

Hermoine shrugged, looking as confused as Harry did. The wizard grimaced, but gathered up his wand and money from the counter.

"Well," Harry said, turning to Lupin and looking him straight in the eye. "Goodbye, Remus. It was great talking to you."

"Yeah, it was," Lupin replied sadly.

"Bye then," Harry turned around and walked with Hermoine out the door, leaving Lupin in a mixed and anxious mood...

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Two nights later, after Lupin regained control of his mind, he entered his bedroom. Sitting at the bureau were several fat letters, but what caught his attention was a thick bulky package wrapped securely in packaging paper. Someone had taken the time to carefully apply tape and glue...

Lupin picked it up gingerly and slowly undid the wrapping...

Out dropped a mirror. Old, rusty, dirty...

"Oh, Harry," Lupin sobbed as he held Sirius' old mirror to his chest and the tears slid down his face in an endless downpour.

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A/N: I'd love feedback, of any sort!