CHAPTER 12

Return to King's Cross

The exams took place the week before the end of term. First came Professor Flitwick's, where they were expected to charm their partners with various spells. James and Sirius paired up, and both of them did so well that James walked away from the exams spilling his whole life story to anyone who would listen, while Sirius's hands couldn't stop compulsively clapping. Remus and Peter paired up, and Remus put a tickling charm on his partner.

"Very good, very good, Remus," Flitwick squeaked from on top of his books. "Very good indeed. Now, your turn, Mr. Pettigrew."

Peter took a deep breath, and pointed his wand at Remus, "Rictickempra!"

A large tick the size of a walnut appeared attached to Remus's face. He screamed, and Flitwick jumped off of his books, pointed his own wand at the large insect, and the tick flew off of Remus's face and onto the ground, where Remus squashed it into the stone.

"Now, Mr. Pettigrew. It is rictusempra, not rictickempra."

Peter turned purple.

The next exams were Professor McGonagall's, where they were to turn a mouse into a snuffbox. Points were docked if the box had whiskers, and points were given for how decorative the engravings were.

James's snuffbox was engraved with a woodsy scene, including a beautiful stag on the top, staring at him from the metal. Professor McGonagall was very pleased, and asked Sirius to show her his. Sirius's was in color, black and red, with fire pouring around a dragon that looked very vicious. The two boys received top marks.

Remus's ended up with one whisker to the side, but he plucked it off before Professor McGonagall inspected it. On the lid was a beautiful full moon. Professor McGonagall's lip curved into a small smile as she inspected it, and then said, "Very nice, Mr. Lupin. Very nice."

Peter was the last of the friends to be inspected. His was still squeaking and had four little legs dangling from the lid as the professor held it up.

"Mr. Pettigrew, is it a snuffbox or a mouse? I can't tell. Choose one and call me back when it's one or the other."

Peter's face turned blue.

They quickly skived through Herbology (James doing not so well, and Remus receiving full marks), Potions (they all passed with flying colors, except for Peter, of course, who melted the cauldron and made his cure for love explode in an amazing display of fireworks), flying (James received a two hundred percent from Darsing), and lastly, Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Remus had studied all month for this last test. It was written, and Remus found himself smiling when he saw that a good fourth of the exam was about werewolves. He hurried his way through the questions, but had to pause for the grindylow section.

Sirius was done first, of course. Followed by James, who despised the subject. Finally, Peter put his pencil down, thirty seconds after Klein had asked them to pass in the tests. It was an odd occurrence that half of his answers were the same as Marcus Chillers, the boy sitting next to him.

That afternoon they all four went to sit by the lake, and James and Sirius talked excitedly about how they had aced the tests without any studying whatsoever. Remus was looking over the papers, circling the questions that he hadn't been too sure on, counting them up, and finding the percentages. He finally came to the conclusion that he had passed all of them, with at least an Excellent. He was offering to help Peter conclude his grades when Peter held his stomach and declared that he was going up to the hospital wing because he thought he was going to be sick.

"Geroff, Pete," Sirius said, putting his hands behind his head. "You'll pass. If Darryl can pass, you can pass."

"Hey, did you hear about Darryl, by the way?" James asked, mussing his hair.

"No, I didn't."

"He's requested that he doesn't share a room with us next year," James laughed, and Remus looked up from his papers.

"Why?" he asked.

"He says, and this isn't a direct quote, mind you, it came from Darsing --- but he says that he is always being outdone because this crazy loon," he jotted his finger at Remus, "keeps trying to show off with his brains, and this punkish git," he pointed at Sirius, "makes regular threats to do the Bat Bogey hex on him. And the punkish git's friend who thinks he's something special," he proudly pointed at himself, "won't stop bragging about how's he's going to play Quidditch. And who can forget their little friend with the odd obsession with the rat?" He did not need to point at Peter for them to know who he was talking about. "He said that he heard noises at night, and that he thinks that we're up to something. After that Halloween prank, he's been breathing down our backs, supposedly. And he just can't take that responsibility of watching us anymore."

"So, are they going to let him move out?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"Nah," James said. "They say that the only way he can get rid of us is for him to back his bags and go to Beauxbatons. And what are the chances of that happening? It looks like we're stuck with him until graduation."

Sirius groaned and lay back on the ground. Remus nodded his head as if he thought it was for the best, and then went back to tallying up his Potions score for the third time.

The end-of-term feast took place the day before their departure. They had received their scores from the exams, and Remus had miraculously been exact on his estimations. He had received all good marks, except for two Excellents in Defense Against the Dark Arts (which he couldn't explain), and Transfiguration (which, also, he couldn't explain). He had decided to confront at least Professor Klein about his grade before the feast. He found the professor leaning over his bag, packing to leave.

"Erm --- Professor Klein?"

Klein looked up to see him standing there and glared. "Oh, Mr. Lupin. What do you want? I'm very busy."

"I just wanted to ask you about my grade on the exam --- it wasn't what I expected, but I knew all of the answers except for three of them. Those were on the grindylows. I added it up in my head and it should have been an Outstanding."

Klein scoffed. "Are you telling me that I am wrong and you are right?"

"Well, not exactly, Professor," Remus said, wringing his hands together. He hadn't done that habit for a while. "I --- well --- I just think that you may have miscalculated. Can I look at the answers quickly? Just to see what I missed at least?"

"They're already packed away. And if you expect me to go digging through all of my things to find one piece of parchment for you, you are more self- indulged than I thought." Klein smirked and went back to packing.

It was the only suitcase he had.

"Well, can you remember what I did wrong?" Remus prodded. "I would like to learn from my mistakes."

"What will it matter? So you can get good marks next year?"

"Yes, sir. I'd like to improve myself."

"There's no possible means of doing that, Mr. Lupin," Klein spat, "No matter how much they try to --- educate --- you, you will always be what you are. There's no changing that."

There was a pause, then Remus said quietly, "I disagree with that, sir."

"Oh, you do, do you?" Klein said, becoming very bored with the conversation. "Well, fine, then. I remember very clearly that you missed most of the questions on the grindylows, not just three by any means --- and there were a few on the werewolf section-"

"You're joking," Remus interrupted.

"No, I am not joking, Mr. Lupin," Klein said as he shut his suitcase. "You must have been dozing off during our discussion last term."

"I think that I would have gotten those right, Professor Klein. They were pretty easy, compared to-"

"Are you calling my class easy?"

"No, sir."

"Leave, Mr. Lupin."

"But-"

"Now, Mr. Lupin."

Remus sighed, ran his fingers through his hair, and trotted out of the room.

Lily Evans girl was walking in his direction, her own exam results in hand. He stopped, dumbfounded, and she gave him a bit of a look with those sharp green eyes before he attempted to cover his hesitation with a shake of his head.

"I wouldn't try it if I were you," he warned, his voice sounding brasher than he meant. Why wasn't he being able to feel his feet?

She stopped and stared at him, seeing his cheeks become peaky. "And why not?"

"Well, because I just tried, and I didn't get anywhere with it," he said. "You can go ahead if you want to. I've got him all warmed up for you. He'll love another person asking him to change their grade."

Remus began to walk away, and she looked from him to the door back to him.

"Hey, wait up!" she said, catching up with him.

He looked at her, dumbfounded. What was she doing, following him back to the dormitory? Did she see the way he stared at her when she startled him?

"What?" he asked, scrunching up his nose.

"I forgot your name," she said, and extended her hand. "We met at the beginning of the year. Remember, I'm Lily?"

"Remus," he said, shaking her hand, and then continuing down the corridor.

"You're Potter's friend, aren't you?"

"James? Yeah," Remus said, getting sick and tired of being only known as "Potter's friend."

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized, "You must get rather tired of that --- not being called anything else."

"I'm called other things!" Remus said indignantly, although they both knew it was a lie.

"So where did you come from, Remus Lupin?" Lily said as they turned a corner, "Are you from a wizarding family, too?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, I just supposed --- it seems they all run together --- and Sirius Black and Potter and that other boy ---"

"I'm half-blood," Remus said quietly, "My grandparents are Muggles."

"How does that make you half-blood?"

"It's enough for most that care to consider me no good," Remus tried to explain to her, "And you're Muggle born?"

"Yes," she said, "Is it that obvious?"

"No," Remus said, "But to think on it, I hadn't ever really wondered. I suppose I don't think about those things --- you're the first to ask me what I was ---" he paused for a minute, and then said, "It's rather funny, though. If purebloods run together, then your Slytherin friend is taking quite a risk."

"Who? Severus?"

"Yeah."

"Oh," Lily gave a small frown, "He's not pureblood --- he's a half-blood, too ---"

There was an uncomfortable silence as Remus had the sudden urge to give out a sort of exclamation of surprise. Severus Snape, a half-blood?! God, wait 'till he told James ---

"I think it's horrible how James treats Severus," Lily said, and Remus's eyes grew even wider, his mouth becoming even more stretched with amazement.

"Well, I think it's horrible how Severus treats him!" Remus retorted, and they came to an abrupt halt. "Are we finished now?"

Without another word, Lily stared at Remus in complete turmoil, and then she ran off in another direction, her face in her hands. Very awkward. Girls, Remus thought, and he continued walking to the dormitory.

""""""""""""""""""""

The feast was over in an instant, and Sirius felt dread well up inside of him. He was going home this summer. It would be the first time since the Howler that he would have to confront his family. He had avoided them for Christmas, but his father had insisted that he return after the second term. And what could the Potters do? Kidnap him?

James felt Sirius's depressing mood as they left for the train the next day.

"Wanna talk about it, mate?" James asked.

Sirius shook his head.

"Well, you know you would be more than welcome to come home with me if you could. Wendy's room is still vacant. We haven't got a postcard from her for ages, and it seems that she may have met someone-"

"Thanks, but you know I can't. I know I can't. So --- I can't. Let's just drop it. I want to enjoy the trip home."

They climbed onto the train behind Remus, walked past Darryl (who was glaring at them) and a dark haired boy named Davey Gudgeon, and made their way into a compartment. Peter was already sitting there, holding his wand and saving the compartment for his friends.

"I had to warn Dung off with a hex," he said proudly as they took a seat in the compartment. "And he backed off as soon as I told him who I was saving it for. Apologized and the whole bit!"

"Well, me and Dung are friends," Sirius said snidely to Peter. "You could have let him in."

Peter's face fell.

The train started up, and Remus went to looking out the window. Three more days until the full moon. At least he would be at home, away from his friends. If they ever found out, it would be more than he could stand. He looked to Sirius, who was sitting opposite him, glaring at the floor. What would Sirius say if he found out about his condition? He would probably chuck him out of the compartment faster than you could say "Quidditch."

He sighed. His mother could only stay sick for so long. What amazing story would he come up with next? Wouldn't they catch on after a while?

Don't worry about it right now, Remus thought to himself. You have the whole summer before school starts up again.

"You all right?" Sirius asked, glancing up from the floor. He looked worse than Remus.

"Could be better," he replied while shifting in his seat.

"So, what sort of adventure are we going to go on next Halloween?" James tried to lighten the mood, but it didn't work. Sirius just shrugged, and Remus wrung his hands together. Peter was the only one who looked like he had some idea, but shut his mouth when he saw that everyone else had fallen silent.

There was no enjoying the trip back home. The food cart lady looked as shaken as she had when she had come around at the beginning of the year, and she was grumbling to herself about how half of her Chocolate Frogs had just disappeared.

"Hooligans," she said as she passed a Fizzing Whizbee to Peter. "Marauding around, causing trouble."

"Marauding," James said as he bit into his paid-for Chocolate Frog. "Nice word."

Before long they had arrived at King's Cross and were departing the train to find their families. James and Sirius instantly spotted Mr. and Mrs. Potter, and Sirius waved from the platform. They waved back, and Mrs. Potter smiled at him. Oh, if only he could go home with them.

"Well, Sirius, I guess I'll see you in a few months," James said, shaking his hand. "And send me an owl or two. I want to hear from you."

"All right." Sirius smiled, and saw James walk to his loving parents. He thought he saw Sprite peek from behind Mrs. Potter's cloak.

Remus was still standing next to Sirius, looking around for his parents. Sirius looked down at Remus's head. It was taller. Actually, it was a bit taller. A half an inch at least. And his cheeks were a bit pinker as well. Remus, feeling eyes peering at him, looked up, and Sirius quickly looked away.

"You see your folks yet?" Sirius asked.

Remus shook his head. "Not yet. How about you?"

"I see them," Sirius nodded towards two sullen faced wizards, one a boy and the other a man, "but they don't see me. Let's keep it that way."

"Your father?"

"And brother," Sirius said, groaning. It was Regulus all right. As pompous as ever. He saw that Aunt Elladora had bought him a new watch that he was adjusting every few minutes.

"You have a brother?" Remus asked, surprised.

"Yeah, and you can take him any time you want," Sirius said. Regulus had spotted him, and his expression was one of a lemon's. "They see me. I've got to get going. Well, Lupin, I'll see you in the fall."

"Send owls."

"All right," Sirius said, offhandedly, and rolled his trunk to his awaiting doom.

"Oh, Sirius, you are in trouble," Regulus sniffed.

His father didn't look at him. He didn't talk either. He just turned around and walked through the barrier back into the Muggle world.

Good, Sirius thought, but he looked back at Mr. Potter, embracing James and asking with delight how the Invisibility Cloak had been working for him. He imagined himself going back to the Potter's house, eating chestnuts, staying up late and leafing through magazines with James.

He looked back at Regulus, and then at James.

"You have a brother?" Remus had asked.

Sirius smiled to himself as he passed through the barrier. Oh, yes I do, he mused. I really do.