Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry it's been so long since my last update! I feel awful about it, but school is keeping me impossibly busy, and writing something for which I do not receive a grade often has to be a later priority. I swear I'm not going to stop writing, and to that end, thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! I love you all, and please continue to review- it makes my day every time, I swear! This chapter is a bit shorter than most of mine, but it is a bridge between years one and two, and I'll be able to get on to the really important stuff soon. Today's chapter title, Dygwyl, simply means Holiday, since that is the focus of this chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, and would never claim to be brilliant enough to create these wonderful characters. Almost everything belongs to JK Rowling and co. I would really appreciate not being sued, as I'm making no money off of this. Thanks.
Chapter 10- Dygwyl
Winter passed in a rush, and spring came upon Hogwarts. Remus had a hard time believing how very fast the year had gone by when they reached final exams. Peter was the only one of their group who had any difficulty, as James and Sirius seemed able to pass all of their exams with their eyes shut and brains switched off. Remus had a slightly more difficult time, but he compensated for it by studying, and passed all of his tests with flying colours. So it was that they reached the end of the school, and June 20th found them all packing their trunks with mixed feelings. It was nice to have exams over, and they were all looking forward to a holiday, but they had grown so close that the idea of not being together for three whole months was not a pleasant one for any of them.
"Don't worry!" Peter said suddenly as they all packed in a rather glum silence. "We'll get together this summer, won't we? You can all come to my house to visit! My mum wouldn't mind, I'm sure!"
"As long as none of you try to come to my place." Sirius said sullenly- he was not happy about going home. James smiled at Peter.
"Sure, Pete! We'll do that." Peter brightened considerably at this; encouragement from James meant the world to him.
Remus didn't say anything; he was unsure what he would be doing all summer. Obviously he would be unable to visit around the nights of full moons, but maybe at other times of the month? He knew his parents liked the fact that he had such good friends, and they wanted him to spend time with them, but Remus was unsure whether his parents' jobs would make the situation difficult.
The four sat together at the Feast that night, celebrating the end of the term, and, of course, played several very entertaining tricks on the Slytherins throughout the course of the event. After all, what was a feast without a bit of entertainment? They went to bed very full and sleepy, sorry that they couldn't spend their last night of the term engaging in midnight mischief, but far too tired to even consider it.
They woke late the next morning, and found it necessary to rush to meet the train on time; thankfully, the Hogwarts house elves took care of their luggage, or they would certainly have been late. As it was, they barely made it onto the train in time, and had to search for a compartment to sit in. There were two older students in the last compartment, where they usually sat, but the two recognised them immediately and vacated the compartment, leaving it free.
The four passed the time much as they always did on the train, with games of Exploding Snap and treats from off the snack cart, and Remus took a nap shortly before they were to arrive at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The ride seemed very short, as none of the boys were eager to be separated, but all too soon the train was slowing to a halt, and they had to gather their belongings and inspect their clothing, hoping to look enough like Muggles to escape unwanted scrutiny. They filed off of the train, carrying their things, and looking for their parents. Peter's mum was waiting only a few feet away, and he introduced all of his friends to her.
"So nice to meet all of you! Peter's written so much about you, I feel like I know you already! Do come and visit this summer, won't you? Peter can send you an- owl, is it dear?- with the details! You will come, won't you?" The three boys all agreed, and wished Peter a good summer, all promising to write frequently.
"Oh no." Sirius said disconsolately a moment later. "There's my mum." Mrs. Black was advancing toward them, a stern expression on her face, showing no sign of pleasure at seeing her son.
"Come along, Sirius. We do not have all day to waste." Mrs. Black told him icily, and turned to leave. James and Remus hastily bade Sirius goodbye, James assuring him that he was welcome to come visit at any time, and Remus promising to ask his parents if Sirius could come stay at some point during the summer.
Remus' parents appeared next, and were introduced to James. Remus was very glad to see them again, as he had missed them quite badly, even though he was having tremendous fun at Hogwarts. They looked tired, and he knew from their letters that they had been kept very busy working with Dumbledore all year; he was just thrilled to see them whole and well. The three left, heading for the Floo network opening, after Remus and James had said goodbye.
It only took a few minutes to get home, and Remus was thrilled to see that everything was the same as it had been at Christmas time. His father took all of Remus' belongings up to his room, and the three sat down to eat dinner. It really was very nice to be home, Remus thought that night as he went to sleep in his own bed. The thought that his parents were just downstairs was a comforting one, and he fell asleep happily.
He slept in late the next morning, and awoke in time for a late breakfast with his parents. They were eager to hear absolutely everything about school and his friends and what he had done all year, and he was happy to tell them. It had been the best year of his life, despite the hardships caused by his lycanthropy. His parents were thrilled to hear all of this, and told him how proud they were of him. He had gotten extremely high marks in all of his classes, topping the class in Astronomy and Defence Against the Dark Arts, and coming second or third in all of his other studies, with James and Sirius being the only students who scored higher than he did in any subjects.
"So are there any specific plans for this summer?" Remus asked, rather hoping that they might be traveling or something. His parents looked at each other a bit uncomfortably before answering.
"Well, Remus, it's like this." His father began. "Dumbledore suggested we take this summer off from the work we've been doing, and we agreed, so that we have more time to spend with you, but there are several very important jobs we do need to get done anyway. We have several research projects we're working on, and some important tasks for Dumbledore as well. What this all means is that we'll be doing a lot of traveling about, and you may be able to help us with some of our work, just as you used to do." Before going to Hogwarts, Remus had regularly assisted his parents, which he enjoyed. He nodded, glad to have this job back.
"Remus, you need to know this." His mother said after a moment, looking rather unhappy. "You know that in our work there is a real danger of being hurt or killed; what we haven't told you yet is that we have been working in direct opposition to a Dark wizard who is on the rise. Not much is known about him, but he is becoming very powerful, and we're doing everything we can to stop him. He, in return, has begun to try to attack us, to stop the work we're doing. It's a dangerous time, Remus, and so this summer, we're going to have to be very careful about where we go and who we talk to. We know you are perfectly safe when you are at Hogwarts, but we're going to have to take extra precautions when you're here with us."
"I'm afraid that means you're not going to be able to go visit your friends this summer, Remus." Mr. Lupin told him sadly. "I'm sorry, really I am, but we will not risk your safety." They both looked at Remus anxiously, waiting for a response.
"I figured as much." Remus said calmly. "Can I still write to them?" Mr. and Mrs. Lupin looked at each other for a moment.
"Yes, of course you can!" Remus' mother said. "You mean to tell us you knew we were going to have to do this?"
"I thought it seemed logical." Remus said with a shrug.
"Sometimes you are too smart for your own good, Remus!" Mr. Lupin said, laughing.
The summer passed far too slowly for Remus' liking. He sent owls to all of his friends regularly, always excepting full moons of course, and learned to distinguish between their handwriting from a distance, so that he could tell who was writing to him while the owl bearing the message was still several feet away. Peter's writing was small and careful, James' sloppy and Sirius' elegant in a hurried, careless fashion. He learned from the letters that the others were having good summers; Sirius had spent almost all of his time with the Potters, and they had both gone to visit Peter for a week. Remus was glad they were having a nice time. He was having fun with his summer as well- he truly enjoyed helping his parents with their work, and felt he was learning a lot. They had traveled over much of Europe, and seen a great number of fascinating sites.
The end of August brought with it another full moon; they had returned to Wales by this time, and Remus had his transformation in the little shed behind the house. The next day, he received an owl from James and Sirius, who were both at the Potters house, telling Remus that they were going shopping in Diagon Alley that day at lunchtime, and asking him to join them. Peter had apparently gone earlier in the summer, but as Remus had not yet gone to buy his supplies, he needed to do so, and knew that going with James and Sirius would be much more fun then going alone.
"Can I please go?" Remus begged. His mother looked at him appraisingly.
"Remus, you really ought to stay in bed today. I know you're in no shape to be running around London." Remus looked downcast, and she sighed, relenting. "Oh, all right then. Did the note say where to meet them and when?"
"Yes- at noon, inside Flourish and Blotts. Thank you!" And Remus dashed from his bed, somewhat unsteadily, and began to get ready to leave. His mother let him Floo to Diagon Alley by himself, after making him promise to be home by six at the latest, which he did gladly.
At exactly twelve o'clock, Remus entered the bookstore, feeling exhausted. Usually a short walk such as the one he had just taken from The Leaky Cauldron to Flourish and Blotts would not have tired him in the least, but the day after his transformation, it was about all he could handle. He was in pain as well, though he hid it well. He had injured himself badly the night before, and although his parents were skilled with Healing spells, they could not completely heal him from such injuries. So he walked slowly and carefully, and tried not to appear too tired or in pain.
James and Sirius were waiting inside the door, and within seconds, the three were greeting each other exuberantly. It really was a shame that peter couldn't be there, Remus thought, but it was nice to see James and Sirius. They had both grown in the months since he had last seen them; Sirius was still taller than James, and they were both much taller than Remus. He frowned as he realised that he had grown very little, making him appear very small beside his friends. His mother insisted that he would grow, it was only a matter of time, but Remus hated being short. There were things in life he hated more, though, so he didn't usually let it bother him.
"Remus! Come on, you have to see this great book James found!" And they were off, looking at every book of hexes and practical jokes the bookstore had in stock. Remus finally had to remind them that they were there to shop for school supplies. They purchased all of the required textbooks, and then moved on to the robe shop. James and Sirius both needed all new robes, having outgrown theirs over the summer. Remus needed new robes because, as he was careful to keep from the others, he tended to destroy his clothes quite a bit while transforming, and several of his old robes were no longer wearable. The kind-faced witch who fitted their robes clucked over him, so small and thin, he really ought to eat more, and wasn't he such a sweet looking boy? Remus tried hard not to roll his eyes.
Having purchased robes and books, the boys bought replacement potion supplies, school supplies, and last but not least, plenty of magical jokes and tricks for use at Hogwarts. James and Sirius had to stop at the Quidditch supplies shop to drool over the newest brooms, and look at Quidditch paraphernalia of all types. They stopped for ice cream at Florean Fortescue's, and went in together on a pet rat for Peter, who's birthday coincided with the beginning of the term. Before Remus knew it, it was time for him to be heading home, and he was extremely exhausted. James and Sirius noticed, and relieved him of most of his packages, despite his protests. They saw him to the Leaky Cauldron, helped him Floo all of his belongings back to his house, and then siad goodbye.
"I'm glad we finally got to see you, Rem!" Sirius said. "Can you believe we go back to school in only five days?" He looked ecstatic.
"Yeah, it's going to be great!" James said happily. "We won't be the littlest ones anymore, and we'll already know all the teachers and how to get everywhere and all of that! It's going to be a good year, I can feel it."
"Right!" Remus said, getting excited at the thought of returning to Hogwarts. "Don't forget, we also know several things that are not common knowledge around the school! That'll work to our advantage as well." He grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, and prepared to go home. "See you on the Hogwarts Express!" And with that, Remus threw the powder into the flames, shouted his address and stepped into the fire.
The next five days passed far too slowly for Remus' liking. He packed his trunk three days before he had to leave, and kept having to dig through it to find things he needed. His mother and father both made a point of spending extra time with him, as he wouldn't be seeing them again for a while, which he enjoyed a great deal. He knew he was going to miss them, but hopefully it would be easier to make the transition back to living at Hogwarts this time. One thing that he was very glad of was the fact that the moon would not be full for over three weeks after their arrival at school, which thankfully gave him some time to prepare. It was actually easier to transform at Hogwarts, because the Shrieking Shack was so much larger than the shed he had to use at home.
The morning of September 1st, Remus woke early, and made sure everything was packed. He and his parents left home a bit early, because he was anxious to get to the train with plenty of time to spare. As a result, Remus was the first of the group to get on the train, and he immediately went to the last compartment, saving it for the four. James, Sirius and Peter all came directly there, and the trip back to Hogwarts passed rapidly. The Sorting occurred without any problems, and Gryffindor welcomed six new boys and seven new girls. The Feast was as fantastic as they had come to expect.
That night, as he lay in his four-poster by the window, staring at the waning moon, Remus smiled sleepily. As much as he loved his parents, Hogwarts was where he loved to be, for many reasons, but one most importantly; Hogwarts was where his friends were.