"His parents were killed in the attack." Eight-year-old Remus Lupin
remembered numbly as he pulled himself out of bed. He sat alone in the
bedroom of the orphanage he was placed in until they could find 'a suitable
place for a boy like him'. He really didn't understand what they were
talking about, but he knew he was different than the other children, he
knew how his parents were killed, and he wasn't happy about it.
The memory haunted him while he slept, and when he woke, he pretended like nothing had happened. Like his parents were not killed by a wolf, or worse, that it was not just an ordinary wolf, but also a werewolf. He tried to keep it a secret that the werewolf too had bitten him, but he had survived. Come the next full moon, he would transform from the body of an eight-year- old, to the form of a wolf.
At night, young Remus cried himself to sleep. No one understood what it felt like not to be normal. He hated how he was treated, and most of all, he hated that he had no friends. Every night before bed, he'd ask for a friend, someone that wouldn't be afraid of him. He hardly knew that that wish would come true, only six days before his ninth birthday.
--- The rain poured heavily on the ground, as he watched from the front window as a young girl, about the same age as himself, was brought into the house. She was soaked from head to toe, and looked sickly. Her short black hair looked like a ball of yarn and her slanted eyes seemed to be filled with tears. To Remus, the young girl looked to have just been brought from some traumatic experience.
"Miss Casio, I presume you have room for one more?" the man looked over at Remus with disgust on his face.
"Yes, we have one bed left. She will share a room with Remus if he promises to behave and not hurt her?" Emily Casio turned to look at Remus who nodded in response. "Then it is settled, the young girl will stay with Remus."
Remus smiled excitedly to himself. He'd have a roommate; they trusted him enough to have a roommate! He took the girl by the hand and led her upstairs. Her hands were as cold as ice, and she had said nothing since she had stepped inside the orphanage. He knew what it was like, new place, no one to trust or count on, but he also knew that they wouldn't allow you to just die on them. It was part of the unwritten code of the house, or at least so he thought.
Once upstairs, Remus showed her to her bed, and found her things had been brought up for her. Sitting down on his bed, he watched her just stand there, unsure of what to do next.
"I'm Remus, we'll be sharing this room until someone wants to take us into their home." He explained, watching as she took a seat on the windowsill.
"Yoshino Aki," She replied, as Remus gave her a confused looked.
What kind of name was Yoshino? He thought to himself, but decided he didn't want to offend the girl.
"Nice to meet you. You look like your sick, you should change into something warm and dry." He said, pointing to Aki's trunk. "You're things will be inside there. The bathroom is just through that door," Remus pointed to the door on the opposite side of the room, "and that's about it."
"I'm not sick." She replied numbly, "but something warm and dry would be nice. Hai, it would be nice."
He watched as she walked through the room, an odd looking outfit in her hand. He would have to ask her what she was wearing when she came back out. But until then, he was left to himself, and to his own thoughts.
'I have a roommate! Finally! Someone to talk to!' his mind slowed down, and soon his mood shifted, 'But she might be afraid of me when she finds out what I am.'
Aki walked back into the room, Remus no longer bearing the smile he had when she had entered. The tears quickly returned to her eyes, as she took in the look on Remus' face. He was the only one that had talked to her since she had come there, and now he looked upset.
"Did, I do something wrong?" she questioned in her Japanese accent.
"No." He replied simply, taking in the red kimono and the sandals on her feet. "That is a pretty dress."
"It's a kimono. Gekkou-chan gave it to me just before she..." Aki looked away, she felt ashamed and guilty for her sister's death. "Gekkou-chan would never have allowed mama and papa to send me away. She would never have allowed them to make me come here. I miss Japan. I miss home!"
"Your family sent you away? Why?" Remus questioned, he didn't want to hurt her feelings but he didn't understand why any parent would send away their daughter.
"Because I'm not normal, because I'm 'sick'. It's not my fault the kitsune possess me. I am not sick!" she glared at Remus as if daring him to say she was.
"What's a kitsune?"
"A fox demon. In my case it's like being a werewolf, I think they exist, but only I turn into a fox."
"They exist, werewolves that is." Remus said quietly, not meeting Aki's eyes.
He wasn't ashamed of what he was; he just didn't like admitting it to anyone. He should have been able to tell Aki, after all, it wasn't every day that your roommate had the same problem you did.
"I've scared you. Baka Aki!" she cussed and looked away from Remus. "I am sorry, I should not have scared you by telling you my problem!"
"It is not that." Remus stated looking up at her, "It's just, I've never met anyone else that was similar to myself. I'm a werewolf. That's why Miss Casio asked if I'd behave. She's afraid I'm going to bite someone. I haven't in the year I've been here."
"You're a werewolf?" Aki questioned, a look of shock washing over her face. "Wow, I've never met a werewolf before, but then, I've never met someone like me either."
"You're not afraid of me?"
"No, I don't think you can hurt me. I'm already possessed by a kitsune- tsuki." Aki smiled at him, "I'm glad I'm not alone."
"It's nice to have someone to talk to. No one's talked to me since I came here."
"Remus..." Aki looked out the window, "what do they do for you when you turn into a werewolf?"
Walking to stand beside her, Remus pointed out to the field in the back. He explained that a day before the full moon, Miss Casio took him out to the back and activated the wards so that no animal could get out of the invisible box. Though he had faint memories of trying to get to the house, he had always been kept back. When he woke up three days later, he had always found that Miss Casio was standing just outside the box, but waited all the same for the young boy to come to her.
There was a knock at the door, and the two children turned to look at the headmistress of the orphanage. The woman was tall and slender; she had a stern face, wrinkled, and reddish-orange hair that was turning a slight shade of grey around her hairline. She had square glasses perched on her long nose.
"I presume you two are behaving yourself?" Emily Casio questioned sharply, glaring at Remus.
"Yes Miss Casio." Remus replied before Aki could even sputter a response.
"Good. Tomorrow I am taking the children to town. You two are to stay here. I will not have two disgraces running around harming others!" Emily snapped, turning the woman walked out of the room, and with a click of the lock, she was gone.
Aki stood there, confused, and still attempting to sputter any sort of response. She had never been talked to in such a manner as the woman had, in fact, she suddenly felt dirty. Was she dirty because she wasn't all human?
"Don't worry about Miss Casio, she's not always like that. She's actually a very caring woman. She's just like that when a new child is brought here." Remus explained watching as a single tear rolled down Aki's cheek. "Don't cry."
"Hai, I won't cry." She wiped away the tear, and forced a smile. "What time is it?"
"Nine-thirty. We should go to bed. Miss Casio will wake us tomorrow morning before she goes out. She'll want us to stay outside, the house elves will make sure we are fed, but she's just worried we'll hurt ourselves outside." Remus explained as he curled up in bed. "Good night Yoshino,"
"It's Aki, in Japan, the sir name comes first." Aki giggled and fell asleep.
"Good night Aki," he whispered as he smiled to the darkness.
He had much to be thankful for. He had a friend now, one the understood how it felt to be different than everyone else. One that knew what it was like to be alone and without anyone to trust. But now the two had someone to trust in, each other, they would never be alone again, unless it was when they went to school and they were sorted into a different house. Otherwise, he refused to lose his only friend.
The memory haunted him while he slept, and when he woke, he pretended like nothing had happened. Like his parents were not killed by a wolf, or worse, that it was not just an ordinary wolf, but also a werewolf. He tried to keep it a secret that the werewolf too had bitten him, but he had survived. Come the next full moon, he would transform from the body of an eight-year- old, to the form of a wolf.
At night, young Remus cried himself to sleep. No one understood what it felt like not to be normal. He hated how he was treated, and most of all, he hated that he had no friends. Every night before bed, he'd ask for a friend, someone that wouldn't be afraid of him. He hardly knew that that wish would come true, only six days before his ninth birthday.
--- The rain poured heavily on the ground, as he watched from the front window as a young girl, about the same age as himself, was brought into the house. She was soaked from head to toe, and looked sickly. Her short black hair looked like a ball of yarn and her slanted eyes seemed to be filled with tears. To Remus, the young girl looked to have just been brought from some traumatic experience.
"Miss Casio, I presume you have room for one more?" the man looked over at Remus with disgust on his face.
"Yes, we have one bed left. She will share a room with Remus if he promises to behave and not hurt her?" Emily Casio turned to look at Remus who nodded in response. "Then it is settled, the young girl will stay with Remus."
Remus smiled excitedly to himself. He'd have a roommate; they trusted him enough to have a roommate! He took the girl by the hand and led her upstairs. Her hands were as cold as ice, and she had said nothing since she had stepped inside the orphanage. He knew what it was like, new place, no one to trust or count on, but he also knew that they wouldn't allow you to just die on them. It was part of the unwritten code of the house, or at least so he thought.
Once upstairs, Remus showed her to her bed, and found her things had been brought up for her. Sitting down on his bed, he watched her just stand there, unsure of what to do next.
"I'm Remus, we'll be sharing this room until someone wants to take us into their home." He explained, watching as she took a seat on the windowsill.
"Yoshino Aki," She replied, as Remus gave her a confused looked.
What kind of name was Yoshino? He thought to himself, but decided he didn't want to offend the girl.
"Nice to meet you. You look like your sick, you should change into something warm and dry." He said, pointing to Aki's trunk. "You're things will be inside there. The bathroom is just through that door," Remus pointed to the door on the opposite side of the room, "and that's about it."
"I'm not sick." She replied numbly, "but something warm and dry would be nice. Hai, it would be nice."
He watched as she walked through the room, an odd looking outfit in her hand. He would have to ask her what she was wearing when she came back out. But until then, he was left to himself, and to his own thoughts.
'I have a roommate! Finally! Someone to talk to!' his mind slowed down, and soon his mood shifted, 'But she might be afraid of me when she finds out what I am.'
Aki walked back into the room, Remus no longer bearing the smile he had when she had entered. The tears quickly returned to her eyes, as she took in the look on Remus' face. He was the only one that had talked to her since she had come there, and now he looked upset.
"Did, I do something wrong?" she questioned in her Japanese accent.
"No." He replied simply, taking in the red kimono and the sandals on her feet. "That is a pretty dress."
"It's a kimono. Gekkou-chan gave it to me just before she..." Aki looked away, she felt ashamed and guilty for her sister's death. "Gekkou-chan would never have allowed mama and papa to send me away. She would never have allowed them to make me come here. I miss Japan. I miss home!"
"Your family sent you away? Why?" Remus questioned, he didn't want to hurt her feelings but he didn't understand why any parent would send away their daughter.
"Because I'm not normal, because I'm 'sick'. It's not my fault the kitsune possess me. I am not sick!" she glared at Remus as if daring him to say she was.
"What's a kitsune?"
"A fox demon. In my case it's like being a werewolf, I think they exist, but only I turn into a fox."
"They exist, werewolves that is." Remus said quietly, not meeting Aki's eyes.
He wasn't ashamed of what he was; he just didn't like admitting it to anyone. He should have been able to tell Aki, after all, it wasn't every day that your roommate had the same problem you did.
"I've scared you. Baka Aki!" she cussed and looked away from Remus. "I am sorry, I should not have scared you by telling you my problem!"
"It is not that." Remus stated looking up at her, "It's just, I've never met anyone else that was similar to myself. I'm a werewolf. That's why Miss Casio asked if I'd behave. She's afraid I'm going to bite someone. I haven't in the year I've been here."
"You're a werewolf?" Aki questioned, a look of shock washing over her face. "Wow, I've never met a werewolf before, but then, I've never met someone like me either."
"You're not afraid of me?"
"No, I don't think you can hurt me. I'm already possessed by a kitsune- tsuki." Aki smiled at him, "I'm glad I'm not alone."
"It's nice to have someone to talk to. No one's talked to me since I came here."
"Remus..." Aki looked out the window, "what do they do for you when you turn into a werewolf?"
Walking to stand beside her, Remus pointed out to the field in the back. He explained that a day before the full moon, Miss Casio took him out to the back and activated the wards so that no animal could get out of the invisible box. Though he had faint memories of trying to get to the house, he had always been kept back. When he woke up three days later, he had always found that Miss Casio was standing just outside the box, but waited all the same for the young boy to come to her.
There was a knock at the door, and the two children turned to look at the headmistress of the orphanage. The woman was tall and slender; she had a stern face, wrinkled, and reddish-orange hair that was turning a slight shade of grey around her hairline. She had square glasses perched on her long nose.
"I presume you two are behaving yourself?" Emily Casio questioned sharply, glaring at Remus.
"Yes Miss Casio." Remus replied before Aki could even sputter a response.
"Good. Tomorrow I am taking the children to town. You two are to stay here. I will not have two disgraces running around harming others!" Emily snapped, turning the woman walked out of the room, and with a click of the lock, she was gone.
Aki stood there, confused, and still attempting to sputter any sort of response. She had never been talked to in such a manner as the woman had, in fact, she suddenly felt dirty. Was she dirty because she wasn't all human?
"Don't worry about Miss Casio, she's not always like that. She's actually a very caring woman. She's just like that when a new child is brought here." Remus explained watching as a single tear rolled down Aki's cheek. "Don't cry."
"Hai, I won't cry." She wiped away the tear, and forced a smile. "What time is it?"
"Nine-thirty. We should go to bed. Miss Casio will wake us tomorrow morning before she goes out. She'll want us to stay outside, the house elves will make sure we are fed, but she's just worried we'll hurt ourselves outside." Remus explained as he curled up in bed. "Good night Yoshino,"
"It's Aki, in Japan, the sir name comes first." Aki giggled and fell asleep.
"Good night Aki," he whispered as he smiled to the darkness.
He had much to be thankful for. He had a friend now, one the understood how it felt to be different than everyone else. One that knew what it was like to be alone and without anyone to trust. But now the two had someone to trust in, each other, they would never be alone again, unless it was when they went to school and they were sorted into a different house. Otherwise, he refused to lose his only friend.