A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY COURTNEY!!!! Sorry, this is being posted on her birthday, so I had to make a shout-out. Many thanks to those who reviewed. I apologize for the poor quality of my sorting hat song, but I don't usually rhyme, so it was hard. I'm also sorry I'm always so slow to update. That's all for now, enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: all characters except for a handful of originals are JKR's, no copyright infringement intended.
Once, They Were Friends
Book One: Moony
Chapter 5: Birthdays, Teachers, and Mysterious Plans
The boys awoke the next morning, tired but excited to start their new classes. They ran down to the great hall for breakfast and waited for Professor McGonagall to hand out their schedules. While they were munching on scrambled eggs, sausages, and toast, she passed them out to each student.
"Potions first, then Defense Against the Dark Arts, then Transfiguration for a double block," read off James. "We all have the same schedule, don't we?" The others nodded in assent.
Suddenly, with a great whooshing and flapping, about a hundred owls descended upon the tables, dropping letters and packages to students. Much to Remus' surprise, a letter landed neatly next to his drink.
"Who's written to you?" asked Sirius with food in his mouth.
"I think it's my mother," said Remus. He opened the letter and read to himself.
Dear Remus, it said,
Hope your first days are going well. I just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday. Make sure to have a good time. Pay attention in your classes, be good to your teachers, and have fun. Everything is going well here. Please write often; I want to stay in touch even when you're away.
Lots of love, from your mother.
PS: In a few days, I'll be sending you something, but it was heavy, so I couldn't send it with this owl! Love from mom.
"Hey, Remus, how come you didn't tell us it was your birthday?" asked James.
"I don't know," said Remus. "I guess I forgot about it. In all the excitement and everything."
"You should never forget your own birthday," said Sirius. "We'll come up with something fun to do later. Maybe some exploring for the kitchens, so we can get you a cake. I'll have to think about it." He had a mischievous grin on his face, and James returned the look.
Remus only shook his head. "You don't have to do anything special. Look, we should head out to our first class. We don't want to be late."
So they got up from the table and began to search for their first class, Potions. It was in a classroom on the far side of the school, in a big room with lots of windows. Sun was streaming in, but most of the students were hesitant to enter, choosing rather to hang back near the door.
Once most of the students had gotten there, a fairly young woman with dark hair that fell to her waist entered from another door. "Come in, come in," she said, smiling. "I don't bite." The students, Gryffindors and Slytherins, took seats with their friends, most reluctant to sit near the front. "Welcome to Potions," said their teacher. "I'm Professor Nichollo, and eventually I'll learn all of your names too." She smiled at them again. "Now, this class can seem intimidating. You have a lot of directions to follow when you try to make a potion, and everything has to be just right, or the potion won't work. But I'm here to tell you that it isn't that difficult, not really. Now, have any of you every done any cooking or baking? Go on, raise you're hands, don't be shy." Most of the girls and a few of the boys raised their hands timidly. "Well then, you'll probably be just fine in this class."
At these, most of the students looked skeptical. Someone in the back of the room called out, "How's that?"
"Well," said Professor Nichollo patiently. "I'll show you." She summoned a large plate from behind her desk. "This is a plate of brownies. Everyone can take one, just pass the plate down. What are some of the ingredients that went into these brownies?"
Students called out things like "flour," "milk," "chocolate," and "eggs." Some tried to call out these things with food in their mouths, and bits of brownie sprayed over a few of the desks.
"Good, good. Now, do any of these things look or feel or taste like the brownies you're eating?" Most of the students shook their heads and mumbled "no." "Right," said the young professor. "That's what Potions is. You take a bunch of ingredients, put them together in the right way, and you have an end product that is completely different that what you started with. Now, there are more rules to potion making than there are to cooking, but if you approach it the same way, it'll be a lot easier for you." She paused to walk over to the blackboard in the front of the room. "Now, take out some parchment, and we'll get started. We are going to be looking at some of the basic potion-making ingredients you will be using this year, so you understand why they do what they do."
The students soon discovered that, while Professor Nichollo could be a fun, kind teacher, she was also going to be challenging. They were left with a small amount of homework, just to finish copying some notes into a chart, but also with the promise of a project that would be coming up at the end of the month.
Their next class was Defense Against the Dark. Instead of lingering in the doorway, James and Sirius were more confidant, and they took seats in the middle of the classroom. "Not so fast," said a rough voice from a chair that was facing away from the classroom. He spun around to face them. "I'm seating you alphabetically."
He was an older man, black hairs peppering what was mostly grey. He was unshaved, though he didn't really have a beared. His features were rough, and his eyes were sharp and cold. He was studying the students as they entered, and when the bell rang to signal the start of class, he began. "So you all are first year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws? Alright, I'll seat you in a minute. Let me get my notes. Abazorius, Benjamin, Black!" He called out names and pointed to a table for three. He went down the rows calling the names. "Next, Calvin, Dawson, and Evans! After them, Morgan, Lupin, and Lincoln. Then Patrick, Pettigrew, Potter." Here he paused. "Are you William Potter's grandson?" James nodded. "I worked for him when I first started with the ministry. He's a great man. So is your father. If you're anything like either of them, I should be expecting good things from you."
"Thank you, sir," said James.
"Right," said the professor, "Well then, only a few more. Oaks, Rogoff, Spencer. Finally, Tuddle, Vasserman, Wadsworth. Good, everyone has a seat."
Remus wondered for a moment how he was expected to remember all these people, who, except for three, had now real importance to him. He didn't have long to think about this, though.
Their teacher walked back to the front of the classroom and surveyed the rest of his students. His eyes rested on Remus for a moment, and something subtle changed in his expression. Remus couldn't tell what the change was, but he didn't like it. He looked at he girls sitting next to him, but they didn't seem to have noticed anything.
Their teacher cleared his throat, calling the class to order, though there was really no need. "My name is Professor Kirn, and I'll be teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts for your Hogwarts career. I suppose you might be wondering what qualifies me to teach you such an important subject. We can begin with a little of my history. I started off with a career in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement when I graduated school. I was working to become an Auror, and became a successful one under the guidance of William Potter. Working with him, I helped hunt down the last few supporters of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald. However, it was hunting dark creatures which really fascinated me.
"I began working with the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Beasts, hunting them in the wild where they could both endanger wizards and Muggles, and could pose the threat of exposure. I killed a number of acromantula, hunted a vampire or two, and I worked on a team that drove a clan of giants deep into the mountains, far, far away from wizard kind. In the prime of my career, I even exterminated--" he paused and glanced at Remus with a sinister smile, "five werewolves."
Most of the class looked impressed. James smiled and looked over at Sirius, who whispered, "Cool." He looked over at Remus, who wasn't paying attention to anybody else. He was surprised to find his friend's expression shocked, almost fearful. Remus was taken aback by this proclamation, though he knew he shouldn't be. He knew the staff wouldn't all be as accommodating as Dumbledore, knew some of them would have had past prejudices to overcome before they could accept a werewolf as a student. He just didn't know some of their hatred would be so violent.
A girl with bright red hair in front of him was raising her hand. "Yes, Miss . . . Evans," Professor Kirn said, looking down at his student roster.
"Professor, aren't the policies of the ministry to capture and relocate rather than kill large and dangerous creatures? Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them stresses that. And aren't werewolves considered human most of the year? Wouldn't killing them be considered murder?"
Both the professor and Remus were surprised by this young girl's questions. Remus was surprised to find someone who wasn't impressed by the killing of werewolves, who didn't regard them as monsters unfit to live. Professor Kirn was surprised to find a first year student, and especially a female Gryffindor, who had read her textbooks and had an understanding of wizarding law. He had not yet faced such a student, and he didn't like it, not one bit.
"To answer your questions, Miss Evans, yes, it is now ministry policy to relocate rather than kill in all but the most extreme of cases. And yes, by most law, werewolves are considered, for the most part, human, with a few exceptions. When I was working with for the Committee, however, these laws had not yet been taken into effect. Also, even the current laws regarding werewolves state that if a person suffering from lycanthropy does not adequately provide a safe place for habitation on full moons, or puts him- or herself in a position that could endanger the lives of others, then, on full moons, they are classified as a 'dangerous beast' and are dealt with accordingly. That is the law, and it must be followed."
He was looking at Remus for the entirety of this speech, but, because he sat behind the red-headed girl, no one took notice besides him. This class was going to be a problem, and he knew it.
A discussion of course goals took up most of the remainder of class, and they were left with an assignment to outline the first chapter of Fantastic Beasts. The bell rang, and Remus, Sirius, James, and Peter regrouped and ran to lunch.
After break, they had their double block of Transfiguration. They were some of the last few students to reach the class, which they shared with Hufflepuff students. Nearly everyone had taken seats already, but the four boys found some in the back. The classroom was empty except for a brown cat with odd markings around its eyes and a very stiff posture. Someone asked loudly, "So when is this professor getting here? Awful rude of a teacher to be late for her own class!" A few other kids laughed. Somehow, the cat looked as if it was not amused.
Suddenly, the cat was no longer a cat, but a very stern looking Professor McGonagall, whom they had met at the sorting the night before. "As you can see, Mr. Kellerman, I am not late, and I would hope that the next time you enter my class and there is apparently no teacher, you will remain as well behaved as if their was. That is fair, is it not?" The Hufflepuff boy nodded. "Good," said the professor.
"Welcome to Transfiguration," she said to the rest of the staff. "This is the study of changing one thing into another, and it is one of the most difficult courses you will take at Hogwarts. It is a study based on the practical application of complex magical theory. The work we will begin work this year changing small inanimate objects into other small inanimate objects, the least complex forms of transfiguration. We will progress to work with small animals by the end of this year, working to change them into objects with similar form. Today, we will just be discussing theory, and next class we will begin with some actual magic."
The remainder of the class was spent taking notes and answering questions which grew increasingly more difficult. James and Sirius found that they were competing for the chance to answer with Carol Morgan and Lily Evans, who always had their hands raised. Remus usually knew the answer, but chose not to raise his hand during this first class. He was called on once or twice, and was correct in his response, but he doubted himself and so was reluctant. He would have to work on that fear, but that was for another day.
Finally, the bell rang, and Remus followed his friends towards the door. "One moment, Mr. Lupin," said Professor McGonagall. He stopped, and so did James and Sirius. "I need to talk to Mr. Lupin for a moment. You three go on to dinner and he will catch up with you." So the others had no choice but to head for dinner. "Next Saturday is the full moon," said McGonagall, turning to look at Remus. He looked anxiously at the door, and she was able to read his fears. "Relax there is no one there. Do you know what the arrangements are for you to transform?"
"No, ma'am."
"Alright then. Professor Dumbledore has found a long tunnel, which leads into a small building just outside of Hogwarts' grounds. This is the building where you will spend full moons. It is completely secure, and no one will be able to enter it. Over the entrance of the tunnel, the Whomping Willow has been planted, so no one will be able to get in that way either. Madame Pomfrey will show you how to get past the Willow on Saturday."
"Where will I meet her? Outside?"
"No, I think it would be best to meet her in the hospital wing. Get there well before moon rise, and the nurse will show you where to go."
Relieved that there were good arrangements for the full moon, Remus looked impatiently out the door. His stomach was growling, and he wanted dinner. "Can I go?" he asked, as politely as he could make the question sound.
"Yes, you may go to dinner," said the professor, and he ran off, eager to rejoin his friends.
He found a seat next to Peter, arriving in the middle of hushed discussions over the possibility of tonight's adventure. Remus helped himself to dinner, and listened in on their plans.
"So we have to find the kitchens," James was saying. "Where do we start?"
A/N: I was going to do more, but it didn't fit in this chapter, so that will be the next one. Just a note: I will be fixing a few small mistakes in the first few chapters, as I now have a few more things planned out and need to make some edits. That will be happening before I post new chapters, so just be patient. Remember, reviews make me write faster, so pretty please give me feedback.