~ The Cry of the Lone Wolf ~
-Chapter 3-
Land of the Silver Birch
Remus dragged his trunk out of the train, one of the first few to do so and quickly looked around. Where was Dumbledore? He hoped this wasn't a joke to make him look stupid, as if he needed any more humiliation. The only adult there was a huge man with a mane of black hair, but his face was rosy and visible were two crinkly black eyes. He carried a lantern and was beckoning the first years, maybe he could go there and find Dumbledore in the school? No, he couldn't, it specifically specified that he was to meet with Dumbledore. He sighed, frustrated with lack of organization and was going to sigh again, until he noticed a tall woman, hand on hat to stop it falling, running towards him. She stopped just in time before she fell headlong into him. She caught her breath and smiled warmly at him. Her raven hair in a loose bun with some stray tresses loosely framing her face, she was quite pretty, but Remus' face showed no emotion as usual. Over the years he had learnt a phrase which had helped him.
"I am stone, no emotion, no weakness..."
It helped allot, when faced with a life like his. He waited patiently for the woman to speak.
"You must be Remus Jeremy Lupin, I'm Professor McGonagall," Remus gave her his hand but she didn't take it, so he just pretended to be going for his hair instead, good thing the stone trick worked, not a muscle twitched of his jaw.
Remus cheered silently, but hid his amusement, instead nodded as any normal good boy should. She motioned for him to follow, and the little werewolf, easily keeping up with her brisk pace, her robes swept the ground. Finally, they came to a halt beside a large wooden carriage, drawn by invisible horses, as there was no horse to draw the carriage. The ride to the school was in silence and Remus was more than happy, it gave him time to think.
"What if the kids don't like me in school? Well, I didn't come to get friends, just an education normally and...what if the teachers are all prejudiced? They surely would know that I'm a werewolf! what was I playing at coming here! SAFETY reasons? There is no such thing as a tame werewolf! What if..."
He was almost glad that the ride ended, he was thinking of such ludicrous thoughts. He stepped out of the carriage and the sight that met him was fantastic! There was a beautiful old castle, Hogwarts! It looked much better up close.
Remus, kept with Professor McGonagall' s quick pace and almost jogged up to the school with her. He stepped more into an ancient palace castle than school. He had seen the many pictures of Hogwarts grounds, gazed longingly at the photos but never imagined this amount of splendour! Remus almost halted at the alluring sight, but Professor McGonagall hurried him along.
"What a demanding woman!"
She led him along to a corridor, standing in front was a stone gargoyle, which Remus played around with and came up with the image of his father. He had those narrow eyes and that ugly pout, same with the feet and his low stupor.
"Aqua Glitters," Professor McGonagall distinctly muttered.
"Pardon me?" Remus asked confused, but later found out that this was a password as the stone gargoyle sprang aside (very much like his own father on the doorway to his bedroom when it was 'that time of the month') to reveal a spiralling marble staircase.
Professor McGonagall stepped onto it, and indicated Remus to do the same. The magnificent stairs spiraled upwards until they came to a halt. She turned walking forwards, onto the corridor until he could see a door. Professor McGonagall almost ran forwards but still managed to keep graceful, she strode along towards the door.
"I would like to discuss a few things with the headmaster now," and with that said, she strode into the room that lay beyond the grand oak door.
"Oh ok, what is she afraid of? I'll bite her? Honestly, the things people dream up!"
He leaned towards the door and could hear a conversation. (The wolf hearing sense helped a bit, but he needn't really as they were shouting inside.)
"But please Professor Dumbledore! A werewolf? I don't think-" a mans voice gasped aloud.
"A meeting about me-wonderful!"
"What you think Professor Byson is very negative, I think the boy is going to be a wonderful source of study material!" a high-pitched, woman's voice chimed in.
"Oh yeah, 'little werewolf kid, get here and show how the wolf howls, that's a good dog!' Sheesh, I'd be study material? What, I'm going to be a guinea pig while the class gape and take notes? Fantastic!"
"But my dear Professors, I do believe that we shall not express that he is a werewolf, he is supposed to be treated normally, like any other child in this school," another voice broke out over them, however, this one seemed very calm and Remus at once knew that this voice belonged to Professor Albus Dumbledore.
"NORMAL? By god Professor, he is anything but normal! How do you expect us to teach him normally?" this time it wasn't a frightened voice or pleasant, it was more like a harsh sneer. Remus didn't need to lean in, they were practically shrieking now, each of their own opinion about the wolf kid.
"BUT PLEASE PROFESSOR!"
Remus sank towards the ground.
"They will never let me in, what can I do? Do I have to prove that I'm harmless? Oh, why are my eyes stinging at this moment, huh? Remus, get up, just showing that you cry doesn't prove anything. Crocodile tears is all they'll label it...but what else can I do?"
He buried his face in his hands, his back leaning on the door, his knees protecting his face. Remus rocked himself to ease his silent sobs.
"Land of the silver birch,
Home of the werewolf,
Where still the mighty stag wanders at will,
Blue lake and rocky shore,
I will return once more!
Higher, higher, higher..."
"That is quite enough," Professor Dumbledore wasn't shouting, but there was a finality in his tone that led to silence, "Please all calm down, I'm sure that that is quite enough, we have all the precautions set out and I'm sure it is enough, every child deserves an education-and so does Remus Lupin."
"Higher, higher, higher, Higher, higher, higher- High!"
Remus stood so abruptly that his robes hadn't time to catch up. He cleaned his pale face and carelessly moved his hair out of his eyes, but the stray tresses only came back, joined by a few more. Remus hated his floppy side parting, but for once he was too happy to care!
"The last time I was this happy, it was when father brought home the cage..."
The door creaked open and standing in front of Remus was Professor McGonagall and...Albus Dumbledore. He was so tall, with such a domineering stature and silver beard with half-moon spectacles, and through them, he saw azure orbs, with such infinite depth that he almost lost himself.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor Dumbledore said warmly, his hand on Remus' shoulder and his eyes were twinkling as if in victory.
"Th-thank you," Remus said taken aback, he supposedly looked a little glazed. He smiled to show he hadn't heard anything at all, and hoped against hope his tear streaks against his cheeks were wiped, or somehow blended in with his skin.
***
"Atkinson Taylor," Professor McGonagall called out.
A lanky auburn-haired boy dragged himself up to the stool onto the great hall platform where the hat was. He sat onto the stool, nowhere near as nervous as Remus as this was the sorting ceremony, where students were sorted into the houses-
"GRYFFINDOR!"
That was the hats' reply. A table in the side burst into applause and he was welcomed forward and Taylor Atkinson sat himself onto the bench.
"Avery, Stuart!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
The boy walked towards the table, which had probably the darkest reputation, he was mildly surprised to see the silvery-blonde haired boy, the fairest one there, however, there was someone who was a more beauteous person there. She looked ethereal with her porcelain skin and the same alluring silvery-blonde hair, swaying with the motion of her hands. She wasn't wearing a smile but she acknowledged Stuart Avery onto the table, Remus had a sudden urge to be there too.
"Black, Sirius!"
That snapped him back to attention, a young ebony haired boy grinned towards someone in the line and swaggered forward towards the stool, he winked at Professor McGonagall and put the hat on.
"Humph, show-off!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Blake, Quentin!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Bystrova, Kate!"
"SLYTHERIN"
The rest went and it wasn't too soon before it was his turn.
"Lam, Jonathon!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Time to go.."
"Lupin, Remus!"
That was the signal to start walking. He tried to remain calm, even though on the inside he was feeling stiff.
"I just want to crawl back home!"
He put the hat on, good thing it blanked out the view of all the students, he didn't feel like facing any...yet.
"Ah, so you're the wolf-child everyone's talking about!"
"Surely everyone must have heard! Oh great!"
"They can't hear me, I'm speaking inside you!"
"How do you know I'm a werewolf?"
"I hear things, I'm the smartest thinking cap for something! Anyway, ah, your place would be best suited in the house that the wolf belongs, Slytherin would be my ideal pick, yet they will desert you as soon as they find out who you are. Hufflepuff, you haven't the enamor of a Hufflepuff, you don't think the way they would. Hmmmm...you are most indeed very difficult to place. You have the wit of a Ravenclaw but I don't think you will truly accomplish what you can unless you are in Gryffindor. Yes, you possess many of the qualities that are needed and you will achieve what you couldn't have in any of the other houses, I believe in you, so you believe in yourself, good luck Remus Lupin in...GRYFFINDOR!"
Remus took the sorting hat off, and looked at the great hall in a new light. It was truly magnificent, with rows of benches and a magnificent bewitched ceiling which reflected the sky. It was a clear night and the stars were twinkling with joy. The end table, which he knew was Gryffindor broke into tumultuous bursts of applause and welcomed him to the table. Remus blissfully carried himself towards the table, he sat alongside the ghost of Gryffindor house, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington or Nearly-headless Nick.
***
Authors Note: well done! Congratulations to the reviewers who guessed Lucius Malfoy! I just wanted to thank my reviewers for leaving nice comments, also, some things might be changed than the original story- well, I'm fully aware of what and where everything should be in Harry Potter so I will change some places and things for a reason. Also, can you spot a student which you might know? (CLUE: Illustrates for children's books) Also, I've added a few of my own school friends, you know who you are and I've put you into the personality I see, I hope you don't mind the house I've chosen for each of you.
SuGaSuGa ~ Well done! You were correct in guessing Lucius Malfoy, and thank you for reviewing!
WerewolfIncognito ~ Thanks for reviewing again and you were right in guessing Lucius Malfoy!
Kat-tak ~ Thanks, I was getting worried that it was boring! I also read some of your work, its really original! Well here is the next chapter, I hope you like it!
Silver Fawkes ~ Hi again! Thanks for reviewing my new story, yes it's the original one that I restarted. I hope you like this one!
Anonymous ~ Yup! You were right! It wasn't really that hard to guess I suppose, I wished you'd left your name, oh well, next time!
Ragemoon ~ Thank you for that beautiful review you typed, I loved reading it, and I'm glad you like my stories, (I've read your Tekken review as well, I promise to work on that as well) and you were also correct in guessing Lucius Malfoy.