Disclaimer: I do not own JKR's beautiful work, for if I did I would be selling it to a publisher instead of posting it here. No offence intended of course.
Summary: Remus Lupin was once a normal boy, but one fateful night changed all of that.
Author's Note: I would just like to thank my awesome Beta Ozma who helped me sort out Remus Lupin's half-blood past, and deciding that he was a half-blood the same way that Harry was. Thanks so much!
From Monster To Moony
Chapter One: A New Life
It had been six long years since the Lupins had last heard Dumbledore's kind words of wisdom. Six long years since the night of the full moon when the werewolf had bitten Remus Lupin. Six long years since they had seen their little Muggle cottage.
The Lupin family had been on a long journey, all across Europe. They'd visited Healer after Healer, seeking a cure for Remus. It did not matter how many times Amelia and Edwin were told that there was no cure for their son's condition. They refused to accept defeat.
Edwin and Amelia's sole mission in life was to help their son by stopping his curse. Remus did not deserve this torture. They were determined not to rest until they'd found a cure. The thought of abandoning their quest never crossed their minds.
Amelia held out an old glass bottle that had been charmed earlier that day to activate as a Portkey and send them all to Spain. She looked around the empty room. "Edwin! Remus! Get in here. The Portkey is going to activate soon."
"Do we have to go?" Remus sighed as he threw down his bag that was packed with clothes.
Started, Amelia looked up. "What do you mean, Remus? Of course we have to go! It's a miracle that they agreed to see us in the first place. We can't pass up this opportunity. They may know something--"
"Like what?" Remus asked, staring at his hands which were clenched in determination. "That there's no cure? Or that the only way to get rid of this curse is to 'put me down'?"
"Remus…" Amelia reached out to embrace her son, but he pulled away fiercely. "We'll find a way to get rid of this, my little prince, I know we will--"
"No we won't! We never will! And I'm tired of searching for something we'll never find. I just… I just want to go home." He didn't care that their home was wherever they were at that moment. He could see his old home clear in his mind. Their old little cottage, the valley that they'd lived in, where each tree stood, and the creek… he'd always missed the creek the most. "Home…" he moaned as he leaned against the opposite wall and slid down into a sitting position.
"Home," repeated Amelia as she set down the Portkey. "Is that all you want?" Her voice was soft and apologetic, filled with dawning realization.
"Yes," he whispered.
"Then a home you will have."
Remus looked up at her hesitantly.
"Maybe not our old one, but one just as good. Maybe even better."
"With a creek?"
"Yes, with a creek and trees. It'll be low in a valley, surrounded by hills and grass… I've got to tell Edwin our change in plans." She paused in mid-step to smile at her son sadly and kiss him on the forehead. "We're going to go home soon, my little prince, and we'll never leave."
***
"Dad? Where are we going?" Remus asked as he waited for his father to give the cue to grab hold of the Portkey.
"Our new home." Edwin gave his son a pointed look. He glanced down at his watch.
"Yeah, I get that, but where is it?"
"You'll just have to wait and see." Amelia reached over Remus, checking his luggage. "Everyone ready?"
Edwin and Remus nodded in reply.
"Do we have everything? Clothes? Shoes? Toothbrush? Hand towels--"
Edwin put a comforting hand on Amelia's arm.
"We have everything. Stop fretting."
Amelia opened her mouth to say something, but closed it smartly. Edwin and Remus shared a look of relief as the elder Lupin looked down at his watch. "Now."
Remus placed the tips of his fingers on the coke bottle and instantly felt a familiar tug at his navel. His feet stumbled under him, having felt the return quicker then his brain could process. His father reached out and steadied him.
"All right, there?"
Remus nodded.
"Good. Now look behind you."
Remus nearly hesitated, but the curious part of him made him swing around to stare at his new home. "Wow," was the only thing he could think to say.
He saw a greyish-blue house with grey-trimmed windows and maroon shutters. Directly above the white-painted front door was a balcony, flanked on either side by windows. The house rested between green hills with a scattering of trees, just as his mother had described it.
"Wow," he repeated.
"Isn't it lovely?" Amelia asked as she walked toward the house. "It was-- well, you tell it, Edwin."
"It was my grandparents' house long ago. Ever since they died, it's been empty."
"Weren't they Muggles like Mum's parents?" Edwin nodded, beaming with pride. "So the only thing we'll need to worry about are cats, rats, and dust?"
"Just about." Edwin put a hand on Remus's shoulder and began to steer him toward the house. "Now, come on. Tour time." Amelia was already fiddling with a key to get it into the lock.
Edwin rolled his eyes as he pulled out his wand, "Aloho--"
"Got it!" Amelia shot Edwin a smug look as she pushed open the door only to be welcomed by a cloud of dust. Remus scrunched up his nose and sneezed quietly.
"This place needs a quick clean. Scour--"
"Don't even think about it, Edwin. We are in a Muggle house, we'll do things the Muggle way."
"Amelia," protested Edwin, "When you came of age, you didn't continue to do things the Muggle way--"
"Yes, I did." Amelia gave Edwin a piercing glare. "I'm quite proud of my Muggle heritage, thank you very much. And you should be too."
"I am, but--"
"So we'll find our rooms first, and then we'll--"
"This house is so big--"
"Start downstairs. I'll get the buckets and mops--"
"It'll take all winter to clean this house--"
"I don't want to use our new towels, so I'll search the cupboard for some rags—"
"A quick Scourgify Charm could take care of all of this mess—"
"No," Amelia said firmly, finally acknowledging Edwin's interruptions, "we are going to start our new life in a new home on a different note. A Muggle note for our Muggle home." She took a deep breath. "Well, let's go. We have much to do. So, where are the bedrooms, Edwin?"
He sighed. "Upstairs, Amelia."
She gave him a look.
"My grandparents had the room on the left and my father's room was the one at the end of the corridor."
"Thank you. Edwin, I'll go tidy up our room. Could you go with Remus to help with his?" Edwin nodded. "Great. This house will be as good as new in no time."
Remus and Edwin raised a sceptical eyebrow at each other as Amelia bustled off. Shaking his head, Edwin swung Remus's travel bag over his shoulder. "Come along, Rem, let's get you settled in."
Remus followed Edwin through the house, leaving footprints on the dusty floor. They walked up the stairs, being sure not to touch the grimy banister. Edwin made a disgusted noise as he emerged on the second floor, and Remus had to agree.
There were spider webs in every corner and a few rats scampered away at their entrance. Edwin muttered something about "mad women" and "no magic" before carefully leading Remus down the corridor to the lone mahogany door. Edwin twisted the knob and the door opened with a click!
The room was painted in a pale yellow with black trim around the door and windows. Setting his travel bag on the bed, Remus raised a questioning eyebrow at his father. "What's with all the yellow and black? Was he a Wasps fan?"
"Well, yes, but that's not why the wall is yellow. My father's parents painted this room the minute they heard what house he was in. They were so proud to have a wizard in the family that they wanted to do something special for him."
"I didn't know he was a Hufflepuff like you, Dad." Remus said, surprised, as he walked over to the window. "I'd always assumed that he was a Ravenclaw like Mum and Grandmother."
"No, he was a true Hufflepuff just like me." Edwin smiled sadly at the thought of his father.
"So all the Lupin men have been in Hufflepuff and all the Lupin women in Ravenclaw?"
Edwin chuckled. "Yes, though the Lupin name doesn't go that far back. Maybe you'll break that tradition and become a Ravenclaw like your mother."
"Or I could be a Slytherin or even a Gryffindor. Then I'd really be breaking the tradition." Remus grinned, looking out the window. All he saw were more acres of grass and trees. He squinted through the foliage, "Hey, Dad. What is that there?"
Coming up to stand beside his son, Edwin looked where he was pointing. "Oh, that's a creek."
Remus looked up in surprise.
"It runs into a lake about two miles from here. I could take you to see it if you like?" Remus nodded quickly, trying to suppress the grin that was surfacing. "All right then, I will. For now, though, lets get this room cleaned. You wouldn't tell your mother if I used a little magic, would you?"
Remus shook his head and Edwin grinned. "Scourgify!"
***
The summer had caught up with them very quickly. Edwin had been right when he'd predicted that setting the house to rights would take the Lupins all winter, even with the few magical shortcuts that Edwin had contributed. Now they were working on the back garden that Amelia had always dreamed of having. Whenever Edwin was away on business (he'd gone back to work at the Ministry shortly after the Lupins had settled in,) it was Remus's job to pull out the weeds.
"My little prince, I was just about to call you in for lunch. Have you finished the weeding?"
Remus only nodded tiredly.
"Good! I was hoping we could go greet the Brookes after lunch."
"The Brookes?"
"Yes. They've just moved into the house a mile down. They're our closest neighbours, we might as well say hello."
***
Nearly an hour later, Amelia and Remus were walking up the lane toward a house similar to theirs, painted in cream. Amelia smoothed out her Muggle blouse and rapped her knuckles against the door three times. Remus could hear a set of hurried footsteps coming toward them from inside the house. The door opened to reveal a pleasantly smiling woman.
She had glasses perched on her freckled nose. Her thick curly brown hair was threatening to escape from its worn barrette to fall into her eyes. But the first thing that Amelia and Remus noticed was her belly. It was extremely round, and the woman had her hand resting on it, protectively. Remus concluded that she was a few months pregnant.
"Hello, you must be the Lupins," she said with a bit of a Russian accent, "I'm so glad to meet you. My daughter and I were planning to visit you today. Come on in."
Amelia smiled, pleased to meet someone so polite.
"I'm Natalya, by the way," the woman said as she led Amelia and Remus into the kitchen.
"I'm Amelia and this is my son, Remus."
Natalya motioned for them to sit. "Amelia, can I get you anything? Milk? Tea? What about you, Remus?"
Remus shook his head as Amelia said, "Tea would be lovely, thank you."
Natalya reached under the sink, pulling out some Muggle appliances, to find a kettle. Filling the kettle with water, she set it on the stove. Then, walking to the kitchen doorway, she called into the house, "Cassi! The Lupins are here. Why don't you come down here to meet them?"
"They're here?" a high-pitched voice answered from somewhere in the house. A pair of running footsteps that sounded similar to those he had heard before soon followed the voice.
"Ah, here she is." Natalya stepped out of the doorway just as a young girl came to a skidding halt. "Amelia, Remus, this is my daughter Cassiel. Cassiel, this is Amelia and her son, Remus."
Like her mother, Cassi wore glasses and had freckles, but her hair was black and straight, pulled back into a pair of braids much neater than Natalya's brown curls. She also appeared to be, Remus noted, a bit younger then himself.
"Hi," she grinned, "it's very nice to meet you."
"Oh! What wonderful manners." Amelia gave Remus a look as he very determinedly studied the design on the table. "It's very nice to meet you too, Cassiel."
"My mother and I were going to come visit you today, did she tell you? She started feeling sick, though, so we decided to wait. It's very lucky we decided to wait or else we would have met each other halfway. Isn't that quite the luck?" She had said all of his very quickly. Her voice had the same accent as her mother's, but there was more of a mix in there. Remus could tell that her accent wasn't only Russian but a mixture of cultures.
"Yes, that is quite the luck."
Remus shifted nervously as an awkward silence fell over them. Natalya giggled uncomfortably before nodding toward her daughter. "Cassi, why don't you show Remus your room?"
"Erm—yeah. Okay." Cassiel waved for Remus to follow before skipping out of the kitchen. He shot his mother a look as she nodded to him in encouragement. Shrugging indifferently, he stood up and quickly followed her up the stairs and into one of the many rooms that were on the second floor of the house.
Inside the room, he was met with a flurry of pale blues, pinks, and yellows. Cassiel ran across the room and leaped onto her bed. She rolled over onto her stomach, facing Remus with a very bemused smile. "What do you think?"
He looked around the room, "It's very… girly."
She giggled. "I am a girl."
"Obviously." Remus paused, studying the boxes of girl-toys and girl-clothes waiting for Cassi to unpack them. "Where did you used to live?" he asked. "Before you came here?"
"Lots of places!" Cassi answered. Apparently unable to remain still for long, she was now bouncing on her bed. "Every three years or so, my mother likes to move or she gets bored. We lived in Russia until I was three, then we moved to France. We stayed there until I was six and then we lived in Germany. Now I'm nine and here we are!"
She bounced from the bed to the floor, landing with a loud thud.
"Cassiel!" Natalya's voice shouted from downstairs. "No jumping!"
"Yes, Mum!" Cassi called back. She grimaced. "I wish she wouldn't call me that even when she's angry," she confided to Remus. "She could call me Cassi or Felicia or Renee or even Brooke... my full name is Cassiel Felicia Renee Brooke; everyone in our family has two middle names, it's sort of a tradition..."
"Cassi," Remus interrupted her, it seemed the only way for him to get a word in, "you've really lived in all those places?" He could not help thinking about the years his family had spent going from Healer to Healer, all across Europe. He felt an unexpected kinship with his new neighbour. "Do you know all those languages?"
"Sort of," she said slowly, "I can understand more French, Russian and German than I speak. I've been speaking English since I was a baby though!"
"Me too." Remus agreed, smiling. "My family used to move around a lot too before we came here."
"How long have you been here?"
Remus hesitated. "Since last winter. We basically just decided one night that we were tired of moving."
Cassiel looked down at her hands slowly. "Remus?"
"Hmmm?"
"Can you be my friend? I've never had a true friend before."
"Sure, Cassi. Just as long as you're my friend too."
"Deal."
***
Remus lay in bed staring at the ceiling. His whole body ached from the June full moon and all he wanted to do was sleep. He even ignored the TAP! TAP! that came from his window that morning just to lay in. His transformation in the basement the night before hadn't been as bad as it could have been, but it could have definitely been better. Remus was just glad to have most of the bandages off by now.
He yawned as he sat up, being sure to move carefully. Slowly, he stood and walked to the bathroom. The mirror above the sink wasn't the type of mirror that he was used to. It didn't talk back to him, giving him compliments or criticisms; it just hung there on the wall, as silent as ever. He still saw his reflection, though, no matter how unsatisfying it was.
This morning, his reflection looked as horrid as ever. His eyes had thick, dark bags under them, making him look as if he'd been punched in both eyes. His skin was unhealthy and pale, the sort of white that you usually got from being ill and not eating anything for several days. The worst part of his reflection were the newly obtained cuts and bruises.
Neither of his parents were especially good at healing, so they usually couldn't do much except let them heal naturally. Remus didn't mind since they usually didn't hurt anyway; he just wished they didn't look so nasty. Even the very small scrapes looked horrid to him as he gazed in the mirror. This was the first time he'd been able to examine what damage the wolf had caused him since he had been in bed all day yesterday.
Remus washed his face, attempting not only wake up, but to make himself look a little more presentable. The latter didn't work. Sighing, Remus slowly dragged his feet back into his own room and changed out of his nightclothes.
He was making his way downstairs when he became aware of a feeling of tension in the house. Silently, he crept down the last few stairs, praying that his parents hadn't got into an argument over something.
Remus strained his ears, listening for a scrap of conversation from the kitchen, but the tension he could sense was of the silent kind. Taking a deep breath, Remus pushed open the kitchen door.
Both of his parents were sitting at the table, staring—no, glaring—at each other with a letter between them. When he entered the room, Amelia promptly stood, greeted him with a (fake) smile and turned toward the stove where she busied herself with breakfast. Edwin, on the other hand, didn't seem to want to hide the fact that something was wrong as he continued to scowl at the spot where his wife had been sitting moments ago.
"What's wrong?" Remus asked attentively.
"Nothing," Amelia answered quickly, "why would anything be wrong?"
"Amelia—"
"Be quiet, Edwin. We'll discuss this in private," she hissed. Remus frowned at his parents. He'd never known them to be so hostile toward each other. They bickered all the time (he actually found it amusing at times), but now they actually seemed to be in a true argument.
"As long as we do discuss it." Edwin said through gritted teeth. He stood from the table and swept from the room as Remus stared after him.
He opened his mouth to ask what was going on again, but thought better of it. After all, he was pretty sure that his mother wouldn't tell him and he'd only end up getting her more upset. Remus took a seat at the table. Right in front of him was the letter he had seen when he first came in. Neither of his parents had picked it up when they had got up from the table.
So, he reasoned, it must not have anything to do with why they're so angry at each other. Quietly picking it up, he looked at the address. His eyes went wide.
Remus J. Lupin
Last Bedroom on Second Floor
St. Moira, Gwent
Wondering why neither of his parents had told him that he had a letter, Remus turned it over in his hand only to see that somebody had already broken the wax seal. He reached into the envelope to pull out the letter when it was abruptly ripped out of his hands.
"Hey!" he cried as he looked up at his mother who had one hand on her hip while the other grasped his letter. "That's mine. It has my name on it."
"Remus," she said sternly, "go outside and play. Now."
"But that's my letter!"
"Remus, do as you're told."
Remus looked at his mother pleadingly, hoping that she'd change her mind, but she just stared back, challenging him to defy her.
"Fine." he snapped. Standing up from the table, he stormed out of the house. Remus sighed loudly as he began to walk up the all too familiar path. He needed to do something to keep his mind off that letter or it was going to drive him crazy. So, instead, he decided he was going to bug somebody else. He'd seen Cassi nearly every day since they'd met each other, but he hadn't seen her for the past two days and he didn't think she'd mind a visit from him.
A man he'd never met before answered Remus's knock on the Brooke's door. He had very straight black hair and looked part Asian. The man's eyes narrowed dangerously when he saw Remus.
"Hello," he hissed.
Remus gulped unconsciously. "Er—hello. C-can Cassi come out?"
The man studied him, "You Remus?"
Remus nodded. The man made a quick motion with his hand. Remus flinch. When he regained his senses, he saw that the man had only stuck his hand out, waiting for a handshake. Smiling weakly, Remus took his hand, which he regretted a moment later. The man's grip was very tight and it almost felt like it would break his hand.
"Name's Devlin. I'm Cassiel's father. She's up in her room with her mother. Ya' can go meet her if ya' wish."
Unlike both Natalya and Cassi's voices, his was sharp and each sentence ended with a strong syllable. After his last word, he released Remus's hand. Remus smiled at him quickly before ducking inside and running up the stairs to Cassi's room. He really didn't feel like being in the company of that man longer then was needed.
He caught his breath outside her bedroom door before quietly knocking. Someone from inside said, "Come in."
Remus silently stepped into the room to find Mrs. Brooke brushing Cassi's hair. "Wow," he blurted out, "you have really long hair." That she did. Her black hair was pulled out of her usual bun and fell down to just about her waist.
Cassi giggled. "Mum says by the time I'm fourteen, my hair will go past my thighs."
"That's if she takes care of it," Natalya added, her back to Remus, as she began to pull all of it out of Cassi's face.
"I plan on growing it all the way past my feet! Just like Repunzel!"
"Who?"
Cassi looked at him shocked. "You don't know who Repunzel is?"
He shook his head slowly.
"You know: 'Repunzel, Repunzel, let down your long hair so I may climb your golden stair!'"
"Er—" Remus said as she looked at him expectantly, "right! I remember now. Repunzel with the long hair…"
Remus knew that he shouldn't lie, but he didn't know if this Repunzel person was known among all Muggle children or just children from a certain country. Cassi, however, seemed satisfied either way.
Her mother pushed one more pin through her hair before wiping her hands and announcing that she was done. She turned around, her eyes widening slightly when she caught sight of him. "Remus, what happened to you? You're all scratched up and bruised!"
He felt his stomach drop slightly at her sudden question. He swallowed before choking out, "Fell out of a tree. Got scraped up a bit. That's all."
She gave him a questioning look as she nodded her head slowly. "All right. You two and go out and do whatever now. Just don't get dirty or into trouble!" she warned them before they tore out of the house, passing Cassi's father along the way who nodded stiffly to the two children.
"Thank goodness!" Cassi cried as she leapt off of the porch, stumbling as she landed at the bottom. Once she had regained her footing, she giggled, "I was so bored. I was about to die. You saved me, Remus."
Remus rolled his eyes at her dramatics as he calmly walked down the steps. "Are you in my debt now?"
"No." she said simply. "So, I see you met my father?"
"Yeah. Kind of scary, if you ask me."
Cassi shook her head. "You just have to get to know him. He's really cool and fun. He taught me how to play hop-scotch."
"Hop-what?"
"Hop-scotch. It's really easy. Watch." She grabbed a stick and began to dig it into the earth.
Remus watched her only halfway paying attention as she explained why she was drawing ten blocks. He nodded every once in a while to show that he was listening, but his mind was back on the letter. It didn't go very far though since he had no idea who it was from. He couldn't even see what the seal was since it already had been broken. He had no clue, and it didn't look as if his parents were too keen on telling him about it anytime soon. He had never received a letter in his life. At first he had been too young and then the bite sort of just blocked off all forms of communication. Every letter they had ever received had been for his parents.
Remus sighed as he tried to shake these thoughts out of his head and refocus on what Cassi was saying.
"…and then you pick up the rock and hop back!" She smiled at him. "Get it?"
"Er—"
"Here. Let me do a demonstration." She picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it before hopping along the path of blocks.
He really didn't see the reason why she threw the rock other then to pick it up on the way back, but since he wanted to look like he had been listening he nodded in understanding, "Ah."
"You try." She handed the stone to him and he looked at it.
Shrugging, he tossed it and it landed on—when did she number the blocks?—the block numbered eight. He looked at the path and gave her a pained look, but she just waved him on. He hopped with one foot onto the first block and slowly made his way down the path like she had. When he hopped onto the eighth block, however, he heard her call out.
"You lose! You hopped onto the block that your stone fell on."
"Oh," Remus said trying to sound disappointed, "I forgot."
"That's okay. Let's try again!"
He looked at her and sighed.
He lost the next few games from spacing out or toppling over when he was standing on one foot. By the time he had become pretty good at it, he was just losing on purpose to amuse Cassi who would squeal with delight each time Remus messed up. He knew that she was happy because she'd won, not because he'd messed up. However, either way, he found her reactions much more amusing then this hoppity-hoppity game.
"Oh, Remus!" she cried suddenly actually making Remus start and fall over. She giggled. "Whoops! Anyway, Remus, I just had a really good idea."
"Yeah?" He stood up from the ground, dusting himself off, as he looked at her expectantly. Anything had to better then hopping up and down a path all day long.
"Let's go to the lake!"
Remus gave her an odd look. "Why? Neither of us is dressed to swim."
"Not to swim, silly, to make our own picnic area. So that next summer it will look perfect and we won't have to do anything to make it look good."
"What do you mean?"
Cassi sighed. "C'mon!" She ran inside her house with him right behind her. She ran up to her dad with Remus hanging back a bit. "Dad! Dad! I just had a really good idea."
"Let's hear it then." he said in the same stiff voice, though the look on his face did seem kinder toward his daughter.
"I want to decorate the lake!" she squealed.
Devlin looked thoughtful for a moment. "With what?"
"With a little picnic table and an umbrella over it and benches and—and… one of those beds that tie to both ends of a tree…"
"A hammock?"
"Yeah! Yeah, one of those. It'll be so cool. Can we? Can we, Dad?" She bounced on her toes in excitement.
Her father considered her for a moment, "I won't be doing all the work?"
"No, sir! Remus and I will be helping." She paused and looked back at Remus, "Er—right, Remus?"
"Yeah, of course." he said quickly, thinking that it did sound rather fun.
Devlin nodded, "All right then. We have ourselves a project. Let's get to work."
He walked toward the back of the house and into the last room. It looked relatively empty except for the cabinets and drawers that lined all four walls. There appeared to be no light, but a moment after Remus thought that, Mr. Brooke leaned over something and pulled away with a fire blazing in the lantern that hung on the wall. He walked over to one of the cabinets and swung it open.
"Hey, you, pipsqueak. Get over here, will ya'?"
Cassi whispered, "He means you."
Remus looked up, startled, as she shoved him toward her father. He stumbled slightly before regaining his stance next to the older man.
"Think you can help me carry some stuff, or will ya' collapse?"
Remus blushed. "I can manage."
"Okay, if ya' say so." He reached into the cabinet and pulled out two big boxes, setting them at his feet. "See if ya can grab one of those."
Remus looked at the boxes before crouching, lifting the first one with ease which surprised him a bit. He had suspected a very heavy box. Does Mr. Brooke really think I'm that weak? Remus set the box back down on top of the other one.
"Is it too much for ya'?" Devlin asked, looking over his shoulder at Remus's movement.
"No, I just wanted to—" He lifted both boxes, having to crane his neck around them to see Mr. Brooke's face which looked rather surprised. "Is there anything else?"
The older man's stone-like expression returned as he pulled out a large sack and swung it onto his shoulder. He waved for Cassi to come over and he handed her a smaller bag. He straightened up, before saying, "If we're ready, let's go."
Remus and Cassi nodded before following him out of the house. The walk to the lake was mostly filled with Cassi's chatter accompanied by Devlin's interrupted comments to Remus every once in a while, "Need any help there?" Every time, Remus said no. Sure, he was beginning to feel the strain in his legs from the constant walking, but the boxes felt fine.
Devlin threw down the bag he had been carrying and walked around, muttering to himself as he examined the area.
Remus scanned the area of the lake himself. He had been here once before with his dad, and it hadn't changed much. Half of the lake was exposed to the sun while the trees growing on the other side shaded the other half. Remus could tell that the best place to swim would be in the middle. But his father had warned him not to even think about swimming in the lake this summer. Edwin had promised that one day he would set charms on the lake so that the water would be clean all year round.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Devlin look up quickly and nod toward him, "Boy, can you go into that thicket of trees over there and find me about five or six good braches? They don't need to be that long."
Remus nodded slowly before trudging along the shore toward the thicket of trees at the other end of the lake. He passed through the trees until he was surrounded on all sides. He gathered branches until he had about a half dozen of them in his arms. He made his way back out of the thicket and nearly dropped his load when he saw the place he'd been only a short while before.
The area was already clean of any extra twigs or leaves. Devlin had his back to him and seemed to be hunching over something. Cassi was standing beside him, nearly jumping up and down in what looked like excitement. She looked over her shoulder, spotted Remus, and sobered immediately. She tugged on her father's sleeve and he looked over his shoulder as well before nodding stiffly and went back to what he was doing as he tucked something in his coat pocket.
Remus walked up to them slowly, wondering if he was intruding on something, when Devlin looked up quickly and said, "Got the branches, boy? Good. Put them here."
Remus dumped his load where Devlin said to and he watched as Cassi's father began to arrange the sticks into what looked like a campfire. Around the sticks he placed stones as if to keep the circle perfect.
"Ya' place this here," Devlin explain catching Remus's confused glance, "so that when ya' do come here to hang out and it is a bit cold, ya' can light a fire without having to create a whole new campfire." He straightened up, ran a hand through his hair, before turning back to Remus. "Boy, can you head back to our house to get us a pack of water bottles? Not only do we need them for drinking so we don't get dehydrated, but we also need them to mush up this dirt. It's too hard to do anything with. Can ya'?"
Remus nodded before setting off.
The rest of the day was pretty much the same. Instead of helping out, he found himself being sent away to gather things constantly. Each time he returned another portion of the project would be complete. He was quickly getting tired of this and actually wanted to start doing some work.
He was just getting back from fetching Devlin's Muggle toolbox when he noticed the sun sinking toward the horizon. Sighing as he set down the heavy metal red box, Remus wiped his hands on his jeans.
"Don't ya' need to be getting home, pipsqueak?"
Remus resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the comment before replying, "Yes, sir. My parents are probably wondering where I am." He knew that was a lie since his parents knew there were only two places that he could and would go.
"Well, get going then." Devlin said indifferently.
Remus shrugged as he began to walk off. He broke into a run as he heard Cassi shout after him, "Bye, Remus! See you tomorrow!"
Remus dashed as quickly as he could home. He didn't know why he was running; it was almost as if he suddenly found a bunch of energy within himself and was trying to get rid of it. Truth was that he had been rather tired all day, especially with the constant walks back and forth, and now he just wanted to run as quickly as he could.
It was two miles to his house, and the whole time he ran. It wasn't until he had walked into his house's shadow did he realize that his lungs and legs were protesting against this type of work. He stopped on the porch of his house, resting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
Gulping back the urge to just fall to sleep right where he was, Remus reached out to open the door when his parents' voices reached his ears. He knew he shouldn't listen in on them, but the urge to wonder if they were talking about the letter made him hesitate. After a moment's thought, he placed his ear against the door to listen in.
"Amelia, please, see reason—"
"I am seeing reason, Edwin. It seems to me like you're the one that is having a problem with that. Don't you understand what could come of this if we were to let him go?"
"Yes, he can finally get an education like a proper wizard—"
"No, don't you see, Edwin? One mistake with the timing, one mistake with the wards and he'll—people will be in danger!"
"Dumbledore is a smart man, Amelia. He wouldn't allow Remus to go to Hogwarts unless he was one hundred percent sure that it was safe. Read the letter, Amelia, he says that everything is already worked out."
"I've read the letter, Edwin." Amelia's voice was now a soft whisper and it sounded as if she had turned away from the door. "More times then you can imagine. I can think of a thousand possible dangers with his plan, though, and that's what scares me."
"He'll have thought of those dangers. You know he would have." Edwin paused and Remus pushed his ear closer to the door as to hear anything if they were whispering. "What's really worrying you?"
Remus crept along the porch as a silence fell between his two parents. He came to the living room window and peeked through it. There he saw his parents. His mother was facing the fire, and though he couldn't see her face, he was sure he was crying, and his father was standing right behind her with one of his hands on her shoulder.
"I'm so afraid he'll learn of the hate, Edwin," Amelia choked out at last, "and I'm so afraid of what will happen when he does learn of that hate."
Remus stepped back from the window and looked at the door. Hogwarts. I was invited to attend Hogwarts, the most famous wizarding school in the country. It almost seemed like a dream to him. He remembered Professor Dumbledore quite well, though he didn't remember exactly where they'd met, or when.
Even if Mum doesn't let me go, Remus thought slowly as he gripped the doorknob, at least I'll know that I was invited! He smiled to himself as he pushed the door open. His parents had not moved since he'd glimpsed them in the window. Neither of them seemed to have noticed his entrance.
"Hey." Remus was horrified to find his voice almost as choked up as his mother's.
Amelia turned to look at him, but Edwin kept his eyes on his wife. Remus saw him raise his eyebrows in question at her and she sighed. She nodded her head very slightly before sinking down into couch in front of the fire. Edwin continued to watch her for a moment before turning back to Remus.
"Rem," Edwin said slowly, "come sit down."
Remus looked from his mother to his father before walking toward them and settling himself in the big plush chair. Edwin sat across from him, shooting Amelia a nervous look. She didn't look at him.
"What do you know about other people's reaction to w-w-werewolves?"
Remus looked up at his mother as he saw her start. Her eyes went wide as she looked at Edwin in shock. Remus swallowed as he contemplated the answer. This was his chance to show his mother that he didn't care what other people thought of him, but even as he thought this, he knew in his heart of hearts that he did care.
"I-I know that th-they hate them and are afr-fraid of them even when it's not a full moon be-because of what books tell them and what they're t-taught. I-I also know that a-a lot of people are ig-ignorant to some facts about werewolves, but I-I don't care what other people think. I-I only care about what the p-people that I care about think."
Edwin nodded, but Remus wasn't watching for his father's reaction. He was watching for his mother's. She was staring back into the fire with her eyebrows knitted together in deep thought. Finally, she looked up at her son, her eyes shining.
"We don't hate you, Remus, and we aren't afraid of you."
"I know."
"But we… I… may be a bit overprotective. Can you deal with that?"
"Of course."
Amelia smiled as she turned her gaze toward Edwin before nodding. He smiled with a sigh as he took an envelope—the envelope from this morning—out of his pocket.
"I want you to go, but the final decision will be your own, understand?"
Remus nodded as he reached out and grasped the envelope. With a shaky hand, he glanced at the address again before turning it over and pulling out the letter that it held. He had to take a deep, steady breath before unfolding the letter.
Dear Mr. Lupin,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We are aware of your ailment and have made special preparations for you. 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,
Professor M. McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Summary: Remus Lupin was once a normal boy, but one fateful night changed all of that.
Author's Note: I would just like to thank my awesome Beta Ozma who helped me sort out Remus Lupin's half-blood past, and deciding that he was a half-blood the same way that Harry was. Thanks so much!
Chapter One: A New Life
It had been six long years since the Lupins had last heard Dumbledore's kind words of wisdom. Six long years since the night of the full moon when the werewolf had bitten Remus Lupin. Six long years since they had seen their little Muggle cottage.
The Lupin family had been on a long journey, all across Europe. They'd visited Healer after Healer, seeking a cure for Remus. It did not matter how many times Amelia and Edwin were told that there was no cure for their son's condition. They refused to accept defeat.
Edwin and Amelia's sole mission in life was to help their son by stopping his curse. Remus did not deserve this torture. They were determined not to rest until they'd found a cure. The thought of abandoning their quest never crossed their minds.
Amelia held out an old glass bottle that had been charmed earlier that day to activate as a Portkey and send them all to Spain. She looked around the empty room. "Edwin! Remus! Get in here. The Portkey is going to activate soon."
"Do we have to go?" Remus sighed as he threw down his bag that was packed with clothes.
Started, Amelia looked up. "What do you mean, Remus? Of course we have to go! It's a miracle that they agreed to see us in the first place. We can't pass up this opportunity. They may know something--"
"Like what?" Remus asked, staring at his hands which were clenched in determination. "That there's no cure? Or that the only way to get rid of this curse is to 'put me down'?"
"Remus…" Amelia reached out to embrace her son, but he pulled away fiercely. "We'll find a way to get rid of this, my little prince, I know we will--"
"No we won't! We never will! And I'm tired of searching for something we'll never find. I just… I just want to go home." He didn't care that their home was wherever they were at that moment. He could see his old home clear in his mind. Their old little cottage, the valley that they'd lived in, where each tree stood, and the creek… he'd always missed the creek the most. "Home…" he moaned as he leaned against the opposite wall and slid down into a sitting position.
"Home," repeated Amelia as she set down the Portkey. "Is that all you want?" Her voice was soft and apologetic, filled with dawning realization.
"Yes," he whispered.
"Then a home you will have."
Remus looked up at her hesitantly.
"Maybe not our old one, but one just as good. Maybe even better."
"With a creek?"
"Yes, with a creek and trees. It'll be low in a valley, surrounded by hills and grass… I've got to tell Edwin our change in plans." She paused in mid-step to smile at her son sadly and kiss him on the forehead. "We're going to go home soon, my little prince, and we'll never leave."
"Dad? Where are we going?" Remus asked as he waited for his father to give the cue to grab hold of the Portkey.
"Our new home." Edwin gave his son a pointed look. He glanced down at his watch.
"Yeah, I get that, but where is it?"
"You'll just have to wait and see." Amelia reached over Remus, checking his luggage. "Everyone ready?"
Edwin and Remus nodded in reply.
"Do we have everything? Clothes? Shoes? Toothbrush? Hand towels--"
Edwin put a comforting hand on Amelia's arm.
"We have everything. Stop fretting."
Amelia opened her mouth to say something, but closed it smartly. Edwin and Remus shared a look of relief as the elder Lupin looked down at his watch. "Now."
Remus placed the tips of his fingers on the coke bottle and instantly felt a familiar tug at his navel. His feet stumbled under him, having felt the return quicker then his brain could process. His father reached out and steadied him.
"All right, there?"
Remus nodded.
"Good. Now look behind you."
Remus nearly hesitated, but the curious part of him made him swing around to stare at his new home. "Wow," was the only thing he could think to say.
He saw a greyish-blue house with grey-trimmed windows and maroon shutters. Directly above the white-painted front door was a balcony, flanked on either side by windows. The house rested between green hills with a scattering of trees, just as his mother had described it.
"Wow," he repeated.
"Isn't it lovely?" Amelia asked as she walked toward the house. "It was-- well, you tell it, Edwin."
"It was my grandparents' house long ago. Ever since they died, it's been empty."
"Weren't they Muggles like Mum's parents?" Edwin nodded, beaming with pride. "So the only thing we'll need to worry about are cats, rats, and dust?"
"Just about." Edwin put a hand on Remus's shoulder and began to steer him toward the house. "Now, come on. Tour time." Amelia was already fiddling with a key to get it into the lock.
Edwin rolled his eyes as he pulled out his wand, "Aloho--"
"Got it!" Amelia shot Edwin a smug look as she pushed open the door only to be welcomed by a cloud of dust. Remus scrunched up his nose and sneezed quietly.
"This place needs a quick clean. Scour--"
"Don't even think about it, Edwin. We are in a Muggle house, we'll do things the Muggle way."
"Amelia," protested Edwin, "When you came of age, you didn't continue to do things the Muggle way--"
"Yes, I did." Amelia gave Edwin a piercing glare. "I'm quite proud of my Muggle heritage, thank you very much. And you should be too."
"I am, but--"
"So we'll find our rooms first, and then we'll--"
"This house is so big--"
"Start downstairs. I'll get the buckets and mops--"
"It'll take all winter to clean this house--"
"I don't want to use our new towels, so I'll search the cupboard for some rags—"
"A quick Scourgify Charm could take care of all of this mess—"
"No," Amelia said firmly, finally acknowledging Edwin's interruptions, "we are going to start our new life in a new home on a different note. A Muggle note for our Muggle home." She took a deep breath. "Well, let's go. We have much to do. So, where are the bedrooms, Edwin?"
He sighed. "Upstairs, Amelia."
She gave him a look.
"My grandparents had the room on the left and my father's room was the one at the end of the corridor."
"Thank you. Edwin, I'll go tidy up our room. Could you go with Remus to help with his?" Edwin nodded. "Great. This house will be as good as new in no time."
Remus and Edwin raised a sceptical eyebrow at each other as Amelia bustled off. Shaking his head, Edwin swung Remus's travel bag over his shoulder. "Come along, Rem, let's get you settled in."
Remus followed Edwin through the house, leaving footprints on the dusty floor. They walked up the stairs, being sure not to touch the grimy banister. Edwin made a disgusted noise as he emerged on the second floor, and Remus had to agree.
There were spider webs in every corner and a few rats scampered away at their entrance. Edwin muttered something about "mad women" and "no magic" before carefully leading Remus down the corridor to the lone mahogany door. Edwin twisted the knob and the door opened with a click!
The room was painted in a pale yellow with black trim around the door and windows. Setting his travel bag on the bed, Remus raised a questioning eyebrow at his father. "What's with all the yellow and black? Was he a Wasps fan?"
"Well, yes, but that's not why the wall is yellow. My father's parents painted this room the minute they heard what house he was in. They were so proud to have a wizard in the family that they wanted to do something special for him."
"I didn't know he was a Hufflepuff like you, Dad." Remus said, surprised, as he walked over to the window. "I'd always assumed that he was a Ravenclaw like Mum and Grandmother."
"No, he was a true Hufflepuff just like me." Edwin smiled sadly at the thought of his father.
"So all the Lupin men have been in Hufflepuff and all the Lupin women in Ravenclaw?"
Edwin chuckled. "Yes, though the Lupin name doesn't go that far back. Maybe you'll break that tradition and become a Ravenclaw like your mother."
"Or I could be a Slytherin or even a Gryffindor. Then I'd really be breaking the tradition." Remus grinned, looking out the window. All he saw were more acres of grass and trees. He squinted through the foliage, "Hey, Dad. What is that there?"
Coming up to stand beside his son, Edwin looked where he was pointing. "Oh, that's a creek."
Remus looked up in surprise.
"It runs into a lake about two miles from here. I could take you to see it if you like?" Remus nodded quickly, trying to suppress the grin that was surfacing. "All right then, I will. For now, though, lets get this room cleaned. You wouldn't tell your mother if I used a little magic, would you?"
Remus shook his head and Edwin grinned. "Scourgify!"
The summer had caught up with them very quickly. Edwin had been right when he'd predicted that setting the house to rights would take the Lupins all winter, even with the few magical shortcuts that Edwin had contributed. Now they were working on the back garden that Amelia had always dreamed of having. Whenever Edwin was away on business (he'd gone back to work at the Ministry shortly after the Lupins had settled in,) it was Remus's job to pull out the weeds.
"My little prince, I was just about to call you in for lunch. Have you finished the weeding?"
Remus only nodded tiredly.
"Good! I was hoping we could go greet the Brookes after lunch."
"The Brookes?"
"Yes. They've just moved into the house a mile down. They're our closest neighbours, we might as well say hello."
Nearly an hour later, Amelia and Remus were walking up the lane toward a house similar to theirs, painted in cream. Amelia smoothed out her Muggle blouse and rapped her knuckles against the door three times. Remus could hear a set of hurried footsteps coming toward them from inside the house. The door opened to reveal a pleasantly smiling woman.
She had glasses perched on her freckled nose. Her thick curly brown hair was threatening to escape from its worn barrette to fall into her eyes. But the first thing that Amelia and Remus noticed was her belly. It was extremely round, and the woman had her hand resting on it, protectively. Remus concluded that she was a few months pregnant.
"Hello, you must be the Lupins," she said with a bit of a Russian accent, "I'm so glad to meet you. My daughter and I were planning to visit you today. Come on in."
Amelia smiled, pleased to meet someone so polite.
"I'm Natalya, by the way," the woman said as she led Amelia and Remus into the kitchen.
"I'm Amelia and this is my son, Remus."
Natalya motioned for them to sit. "Amelia, can I get you anything? Milk? Tea? What about you, Remus?"
Remus shook his head as Amelia said, "Tea would be lovely, thank you."
Natalya reached under the sink, pulling out some Muggle appliances, to find a kettle. Filling the kettle with water, she set it on the stove. Then, walking to the kitchen doorway, she called into the house, "Cassi! The Lupins are here. Why don't you come down here to meet them?"
"They're here?" a high-pitched voice answered from somewhere in the house. A pair of running footsteps that sounded similar to those he had heard before soon followed the voice.
"Ah, here she is." Natalya stepped out of the doorway just as a young girl came to a skidding halt. "Amelia, Remus, this is my daughter Cassiel. Cassiel, this is Amelia and her son, Remus."
Like her mother, Cassi wore glasses and had freckles, but her hair was black and straight, pulled back into a pair of braids much neater than Natalya's brown curls. She also appeared to be, Remus noted, a bit younger then himself.
"Hi," she grinned, "it's very nice to meet you."
"Oh! What wonderful manners." Amelia gave Remus a look as he very determinedly studied the design on the table. "It's very nice to meet you too, Cassiel."
"My mother and I were going to come visit you today, did she tell you? She started feeling sick, though, so we decided to wait. It's very lucky we decided to wait or else we would have met each other halfway. Isn't that quite the luck?" She had said all of his very quickly. Her voice had the same accent as her mother's, but there was more of a mix in there. Remus could tell that her accent wasn't only Russian but a mixture of cultures.
"Yes, that is quite the luck."
Remus shifted nervously as an awkward silence fell over them. Natalya giggled uncomfortably before nodding toward her daughter. "Cassi, why don't you show Remus your room?"
"Erm—yeah. Okay." Cassiel waved for Remus to follow before skipping out of the kitchen. He shot his mother a look as she nodded to him in encouragement. Shrugging indifferently, he stood up and quickly followed her up the stairs and into one of the many rooms that were on the second floor of the house.
Inside the room, he was met with a flurry of pale blues, pinks, and yellows. Cassiel ran across the room and leaped onto her bed. She rolled over onto her stomach, facing Remus with a very bemused smile. "What do you think?"
He looked around the room, "It's very… girly."
She giggled. "I am a girl."
"Obviously." Remus paused, studying the boxes of girl-toys and girl-clothes waiting for Cassi to unpack them. "Where did you used to live?" he asked. "Before you came here?"
"Lots of places!" Cassi answered. Apparently unable to remain still for long, she was now bouncing on her bed. "Every three years or so, my mother likes to move or she gets bored. We lived in Russia until I was three, then we moved to France. We stayed there until I was six and then we lived in Germany. Now I'm nine and here we are!"
She bounced from the bed to the floor, landing with a loud thud.
"Cassiel!" Natalya's voice shouted from downstairs. "No jumping!"
"Yes, Mum!" Cassi called back. She grimaced. "I wish she wouldn't call me that even when she's angry," she confided to Remus. "She could call me Cassi or Felicia or Renee or even Brooke... my full name is Cassiel Felicia Renee Brooke; everyone in our family has two middle names, it's sort of a tradition..."
"Cassi," Remus interrupted her, it seemed the only way for him to get a word in, "you've really lived in all those places?" He could not help thinking about the years his family had spent going from Healer to Healer, all across Europe. He felt an unexpected kinship with his new neighbour. "Do you know all those languages?"
"Sort of," she said slowly, "I can understand more French, Russian and German than I speak. I've been speaking English since I was a baby though!"
"Me too." Remus agreed, smiling. "My family used to move around a lot too before we came here."
"How long have you been here?"
Remus hesitated. "Since last winter. We basically just decided one night that we were tired of moving."
Cassiel looked down at her hands slowly. "Remus?"
"Hmmm?"
"Can you be my friend? I've never had a true friend before."
"Sure, Cassi. Just as long as you're my friend too."
"Deal."
Remus lay in bed staring at the ceiling. His whole body ached from the June full moon and all he wanted to do was sleep. He even ignored the TAP! TAP! that came from his window that morning just to lay in. His transformation in the basement the night before hadn't been as bad as it could have been, but it could have definitely been better. Remus was just glad to have most of the bandages off by now.
He yawned as he sat up, being sure to move carefully. Slowly, he stood and walked to the bathroom. The mirror above the sink wasn't the type of mirror that he was used to. It didn't talk back to him, giving him compliments or criticisms; it just hung there on the wall, as silent as ever. He still saw his reflection, though, no matter how unsatisfying it was.
This morning, his reflection looked as horrid as ever. His eyes had thick, dark bags under them, making him look as if he'd been punched in both eyes. His skin was unhealthy and pale, the sort of white that you usually got from being ill and not eating anything for several days. The worst part of his reflection were the newly obtained cuts and bruises.
Neither of his parents were especially good at healing, so they usually couldn't do much except let them heal naturally. Remus didn't mind since they usually didn't hurt anyway; he just wished they didn't look so nasty. Even the very small scrapes looked horrid to him as he gazed in the mirror. This was the first time he'd been able to examine what damage the wolf had caused him since he had been in bed all day yesterday.
Remus washed his face, attempting not only wake up, but to make himself look a little more presentable. The latter didn't work. Sighing, Remus slowly dragged his feet back into his own room and changed out of his nightclothes.
He was making his way downstairs when he became aware of a feeling of tension in the house. Silently, he crept down the last few stairs, praying that his parents hadn't got into an argument over something.
Remus strained his ears, listening for a scrap of conversation from the kitchen, but the tension he could sense was of the silent kind. Taking a deep breath, Remus pushed open the kitchen door.
Both of his parents were sitting at the table, staring—no, glaring—at each other with a letter between them. When he entered the room, Amelia promptly stood, greeted him with a (fake) smile and turned toward the stove where she busied herself with breakfast. Edwin, on the other hand, didn't seem to want to hide the fact that something was wrong as he continued to scowl at the spot where his wife had been sitting moments ago.
"What's wrong?" Remus asked attentively.
"Nothing," Amelia answered quickly, "why would anything be wrong?"
"Amelia—"
"Be quiet, Edwin. We'll discuss this in private," she hissed. Remus frowned at his parents. He'd never known them to be so hostile toward each other. They bickered all the time (he actually found it amusing at times), but now they actually seemed to be in a true argument.
"As long as we do discuss it." Edwin said through gritted teeth. He stood from the table and swept from the room as Remus stared after him.
He opened his mouth to ask what was going on again, but thought better of it. After all, he was pretty sure that his mother wouldn't tell him and he'd only end up getting her more upset. Remus took a seat at the table. Right in front of him was the letter he had seen when he first came in. Neither of his parents had picked it up when they had got up from the table.
So, he reasoned, it must not have anything to do with why they're so angry at each other. Quietly picking it up, he looked at the address. His eyes went wide.
Last Bedroom on Second Floor
St. Moira, Gwent
Wondering why neither of his parents had told him that he had a letter, Remus turned it over in his hand only to see that somebody had already broken the wax seal. He reached into the envelope to pull out the letter when it was abruptly ripped out of his hands.
"Hey!" he cried as he looked up at his mother who had one hand on her hip while the other grasped his letter. "That's mine. It has my name on it."
"Remus," she said sternly, "go outside and play. Now."
"But that's my letter!"
"Remus, do as you're told."
Remus looked at his mother pleadingly, hoping that she'd change her mind, but she just stared back, challenging him to defy her.
"Fine." he snapped. Standing up from the table, he stormed out of the house. Remus sighed loudly as he began to walk up the all too familiar path. He needed to do something to keep his mind off that letter or it was going to drive him crazy. So, instead, he decided he was going to bug somebody else. He'd seen Cassi nearly every day since they'd met each other, but he hadn't seen her for the past two days and he didn't think she'd mind a visit from him.
A man he'd never met before answered Remus's knock on the Brooke's door. He had very straight black hair and looked part Asian. The man's eyes narrowed dangerously when he saw Remus.
"Hello," he hissed.
Remus gulped unconsciously. "Er—hello. C-can Cassi come out?"
The man studied him, "You Remus?"
Remus nodded. The man made a quick motion with his hand. Remus flinch. When he regained his senses, he saw that the man had only stuck his hand out, waiting for a handshake. Smiling weakly, Remus took his hand, which he regretted a moment later. The man's grip was very tight and it almost felt like it would break his hand.
"Name's Devlin. I'm Cassiel's father. She's up in her room with her mother. Ya' can go meet her if ya' wish."
Unlike both Natalya and Cassi's voices, his was sharp and each sentence ended with a strong syllable. After his last word, he released Remus's hand. Remus smiled at him quickly before ducking inside and running up the stairs to Cassi's room. He really didn't feel like being in the company of that man longer then was needed.
He caught his breath outside her bedroom door before quietly knocking. Someone from inside said, "Come in."
Remus silently stepped into the room to find Mrs. Brooke brushing Cassi's hair. "Wow," he blurted out, "you have really long hair." That she did. Her black hair was pulled out of her usual bun and fell down to just about her waist.
Cassi giggled. "Mum says by the time I'm fourteen, my hair will go past my thighs."
"That's if she takes care of it," Natalya added, her back to Remus, as she began to pull all of it out of Cassi's face.
"I plan on growing it all the way past my feet! Just like Repunzel!"
"Who?"
Cassi looked at him shocked. "You don't know who Repunzel is?"
He shook his head slowly.
"You know: 'Repunzel, Repunzel, let down your long hair so I may climb your golden stair!'"
"Er—" Remus said as she looked at him expectantly, "right! I remember now. Repunzel with the long hair…"
Remus knew that he shouldn't lie, but he didn't know if this Repunzel person was known among all Muggle children or just children from a certain country. Cassi, however, seemed satisfied either way.
Her mother pushed one more pin through her hair before wiping her hands and announcing that she was done. She turned around, her eyes widening slightly when she caught sight of him. "Remus, what happened to you? You're all scratched up and bruised!"
He felt his stomach drop slightly at her sudden question. He swallowed before choking out, "Fell out of a tree. Got scraped up a bit. That's all."
She gave him a questioning look as she nodded her head slowly. "All right. You two and go out and do whatever now. Just don't get dirty or into trouble!" she warned them before they tore out of the house, passing Cassi's father along the way who nodded stiffly to the two children.
"Thank goodness!" Cassi cried as she leapt off of the porch, stumbling as she landed at the bottom. Once she had regained her footing, she giggled, "I was so bored. I was about to die. You saved me, Remus."
Remus rolled his eyes at her dramatics as he calmly walked down the steps. "Are you in my debt now?"
"No." she said simply. "So, I see you met my father?"
"Yeah. Kind of scary, if you ask me."
Cassi shook her head. "You just have to get to know him. He's really cool and fun. He taught me how to play hop-scotch."
"Hop-what?"
"Hop-scotch. It's really easy. Watch." She grabbed a stick and began to dig it into the earth.
Remus watched her only halfway paying attention as she explained why she was drawing ten blocks. He nodded every once in a while to show that he was listening, but his mind was back on the letter. It didn't go very far though since he had no idea who it was from. He couldn't even see what the seal was since it already had been broken. He had no clue, and it didn't look as if his parents were too keen on telling him about it anytime soon. He had never received a letter in his life. At first he had been too young and then the bite sort of just blocked off all forms of communication. Every letter they had ever received had been for his parents.
Remus sighed as he tried to shake these thoughts out of his head and refocus on what Cassi was saying.
"…and then you pick up the rock and hop back!" She smiled at him. "Get it?"
"Er—"
"Here. Let me do a demonstration." She picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it before hopping along the path of blocks.
He really didn't see the reason why she threw the rock other then to pick it up on the way back, but since he wanted to look like he had been listening he nodded in understanding, "Ah."
"You try." She handed the stone to him and he looked at it.
Shrugging, he tossed it and it landed on—when did she number the blocks?—the block numbered eight. He looked at the path and gave her a pained look, but she just waved him on. He hopped with one foot onto the first block and slowly made his way down the path like she had. When he hopped onto the eighth block, however, he heard her call out.
"You lose! You hopped onto the block that your stone fell on."
"Oh," Remus said trying to sound disappointed, "I forgot."
"That's okay. Let's try again!"
He looked at her and sighed.
He lost the next few games from spacing out or toppling over when he was standing on one foot. By the time he had become pretty good at it, he was just losing on purpose to amuse Cassi who would squeal with delight each time Remus messed up. He knew that she was happy because she'd won, not because he'd messed up. However, either way, he found her reactions much more amusing then this hoppity-hoppity game.
"Oh, Remus!" she cried suddenly actually making Remus start and fall over. She giggled. "Whoops! Anyway, Remus, I just had a really good idea."
"Yeah?" He stood up from the ground, dusting himself off, as he looked at her expectantly. Anything had to better then hopping up and down a path all day long.
"Let's go to the lake!"
Remus gave her an odd look. "Why? Neither of us is dressed to swim."
"Not to swim, silly, to make our own picnic area. So that next summer it will look perfect and we won't have to do anything to make it look good."
"What do you mean?"
Cassi sighed. "C'mon!" She ran inside her house with him right behind her. She ran up to her dad with Remus hanging back a bit. "Dad! Dad! I just had a really good idea."
"Let's hear it then." he said in the same stiff voice, though the look on his face did seem kinder toward his daughter.
"I want to decorate the lake!" she squealed.
Devlin looked thoughtful for a moment. "With what?"
"With a little picnic table and an umbrella over it and benches and—and… one of those beds that tie to both ends of a tree…"
"A hammock?"
"Yeah! Yeah, one of those. It'll be so cool. Can we? Can we, Dad?" She bounced on her toes in excitement.
Her father considered her for a moment, "I won't be doing all the work?"
"No, sir! Remus and I will be helping." She paused and looked back at Remus, "Er—right, Remus?"
"Yeah, of course." he said quickly, thinking that it did sound rather fun.
Devlin nodded, "All right then. We have ourselves a project. Let's get to work."
He walked toward the back of the house and into the last room. It looked relatively empty except for the cabinets and drawers that lined all four walls. There appeared to be no light, but a moment after Remus thought that, Mr. Brooke leaned over something and pulled away with a fire blazing in the lantern that hung on the wall. He walked over to one of the cabinets and swung it open.
"Hey, you, pipsqueak. Get over here, will ya'?"
Cassi whispered, "He means you."
Remus looked up, startled, as she shoved him toward her father. He stumbled slightly before regaining his stance next to the older man.
"Think you can help me carry some stuff, or will ya' collapse?"
Remus blushed. "I can manage."
"Okay, if ya' say so." He reached into the cabinet and pulled out two big boxes, setting them at his feet. "See if ya can grab one of those."
Remus looked at the boxes before crouching, lifting the first one with ease which surprised him a bit. He had suspected a very heavy box. Does Mr. Brooke really think I'm that weak? Remus set the box back down on top of the other one.
"Is it too much for ya'?" Devlin asked, looking over his shoulder at Remus's movement.
"No, I just wanted to—" He lifted both boxes, having to crane his neck around them to see Mr. Brooke's face which looked rather surprised. "Is there anything else?"
The older man's stone-like expression returned as he pulled out a large sack and swung it onto his shoulder. He waved for Cassi to come over and he handed her a smaller bag. He straightened up, before saying, "If we're ready, let's go."
Remus and Cassi nodded before following him out of the house. The walk to the lake was mostly filled with Cassi's chatter accompanied by Devlin's interrupted comments to Remus every once in a while, "Need any help there?" Every time, Remus said no. Sure, he was beginning to feel the strain in his legs from the constant walking, but the boxes felt fine.
Devlin threw down the bag he had been carrying and walked around, muttering to himself as he examined the area.
Remus scanned the area of the lake himself. He had been here once before with his dad, and it hadn't changed much. Half of the lake was exposed to the sun while the trees growing on the other side shaded the other half. Remus could tell that the best place to swim would be in the middle. But his father had warned him not to even think about swimming in the lake this summer. Edwin had promised that one day he would set charms on the lake so that the water would be clean all year round.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Devlin look up quickly and nod toward him, "Boy, can you go into that thicket of trees over there and find me about five or six good braches? They don't need to be that long."
Remus nodded slowly before trudging along the shore toward the thicket of trees at the other end of the lake. He passed through the trees until he was surrounded on all sides. He gathered branches until he had about a half dozen of them in his arms. He made his way back out of the thicket and nearly dropped his load when he saw the place he'd been only a short while before.
The area was already clean of any extra twigs or leaves. Devlin had his back to him and seemed to be hunching over something. Cassi was standing beside him, nearly jumping up and down in what looked like excitement. She looked over her shoulder, spotted Remus, and sobered immediately. She tugged on her father's sleeve and he looked over his shoulder as well before nodding stiffly and went back to what he was doing as he tucked something in his coat pocket.
Remus walked up to them slowly, wondering if he was intruding on something, when Devlin looked up quickly and said, "Got the branches, boy? Good. Put them here."
Remus dumped his load where Devlin said to and he watched as Cassi's father began to arrange the sticks into what looked like a campfire. Around the sticks he placed stones as if to keep the circle perfect.
"Ya' place this here," Devlin explain catching Remus's confused glance, "so that when ya' do come here to hang out and it is a bit cold, ya' can light a fire without having to create a whole new campfire." He straightened up, ran a hand through his hair, before turning back to Remus. "Boy, can you head back to our house to get us a pack of water bottles? Not only do we need them for drinking so we don't get dehydrated, but we also need them to mush up this dirt. It's too hard to do anything with. Can ya'?"
Remus nodded before setting off.
The rest of the day was pretty much the same. Instead of helping out, he found himself being sent away to gather things constantly. Each time he returned another portion of the project would be complete. He was quickly getting tired of this and actually wanted to start doing some work.
He was just getting back from fetching Devlin's Muggle toolbox when he noticed the sun sinking toward the horizon. Sighing as he set down the heavy metal red box, Remus wiped his hands on his jeans.
"Don't ya' need to be getting home, pipsqueak?"
Remus resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the comment before replying, "Yes, sir. My parents are probably wondering where I am." He knew that was a lie since his parents knew there were only two places that he could and would go.
"Well, get going then." Devlin said indifferently.
Remus shrugged as he began to walk off. He broke into a run as he heard Cassi shout after him, "Bye, Remus! See you tomorrow!"
Remus dashed as quickly as he could home. He didn't know why he was running; it was almost as if he suddenly found a bunch of energy within himself and was trying to get rid of it. Truth was that he had been rather tired all day, especially with the constant walks back and forth, and now he just wanted to run as quickly as he could.
It was two miles to his house, and the whole time he ran. It wasn't until he had walked into his house's shadow did he realize that his lungs and legs were protesting against this type of work. He stopped on the porch of his house, resting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
Gulping back the urge to just fall to sleep right where he was, Remus reached out to open the door when his parents' voices reached his ears. He knew he shouldn't listen in on them, but the urge to wonder if they were talking about the letter made him hesitate. After a moment's thought, he placed his ear against the door to listen in.
"Amelia, please, see reason—"
"I am seeing reason, Edwin. It seems to me like you're the one that is having a problem with that. Don't you understand what could come of this if we were to let him go?"
"Yes, he can finally get an education like a proper wizard—"
"No, don't you see, Edwin? One mistake with the timing, one mistake with the wards and he'll—people will be in danger!"
"Dumbledore is a smart man, Amelia. He wouldn't allow Remus to go to Hogwarts unless he was one hundred percent sure that it was safe. Read the letter, Amelia, he says that everything is already worked out."
"I've read the letter, Edwin." Amelia's voice was now a soft whisper and it sounded as if she had turned away from the door. "More times then you can imagine. I can think of a thousand possible dangers with his plan, though, and that's what scares me."
"He'll have thought of those dangers. You know he would have." Edwin paused and Remus pushed his ear closer to the door as to hear anything if they were whispering. "What's really worrying you?"
Remus crept along the porch as a silence fell between his two parents. He came to the living room window and peeked through it. There he saw his parents. His mother was facing the fire, and though he couldn't see her face, he was sure he was crying, and his father was standing right behind her with one of his hands on her shoulder.
"I'm so afraid he'll learn of the hate, Edwin," Amelia choked out at last, "and I'm so afraid of what will happen when he does learn of that hate."
Remus stepped back from the window and looked at the door. Hogwarts. I was invited to attend Hogwarts, the most famous wizarding school in the country. It almost seemed like a dream to him. He remembered Professor Dumbledore quite well, though he didn't remember exactly where they'd met, or when.
Even if Mum doesn't let me go, Remus thought slowly as he gripped the doorknob, at least I'll know that I was invited! He smiled to himself as he pushed the door open. His parents had not moved since he'd glimpsed them in the window. Neither of them seemed to have noticed his entrance.
"Hey." Remus was horrified to find his voice almost as choked up as his mother's.
Amelia turned to look at him, but Edwin kept his eyes on his wife. Remus saw him raise his eyebrows in question at her and she sighed. She nodded her head very slightly before sinking down into couch in front of the fire. Edwin continued to watch her for a moment before turning back to Remus.
"Rem," Edwin said slowly, "come sit down."
Remus looked from his mother to his father before walking toward them and settling himself in the big plush chair. Edwin sat across from him, shooting Amelia a nervous look. She didn't look at him.
"What do you know about other people's reaction to w-w-werewolves?"
Remus looked up at his mother as he saw her start. Her eyes went wide as she looked at Edwin in shock. Remus swallowed as he contemplated the answer. This was his chance to show his mother that he didn't care what other people thought of him, but even as he thought this, he knew in his heart of hearts that he did care.
"I-I know that th-they hate them and are afr-fraid of them even when it's not a full moon be-because of what books tell them and what they're t-taught. I-I also know that a-a lot of people are ig-ignorant to some facts about werewolves, but I-I don't care what other people think. I-I only care about what the p-people that I care about think."
Edwin nodded, but Remus wasn't watching for his father's reaction. He was watching for his mother's. She was staring back into the fire with her eyebrows knitted together in deep thought. Finally, she looked up at her son, her eyes shining.
"We don't hate you, Remus, and we aren't afraid of you."
"I know."
"But we… I… may be a bit overprotective. Can you deal with that?"
"Of course."
Amelia smiled as she turned her gaze toward Edwin before nodding. He smiled with a sigh as he took an envelope—the envelope from this morning—out of his pocket.
"I want you to go, but the final decision will be your own, understand?"
Remus nodded as he reached out and grasped the envelope. With a shaky hand, he glanced at the address again before turning it over and pulling out the letter that it held. He had to take a deep, steady breath before unfolding the letter.
Dear Mr. Lupin,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We are aware of your ailment and have made special preparations for you. 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,
Professor M. McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress