A/N: This is my first try at fanfiction. Please be kind!
Disclaimer: No character in this story, except for Emily and Philippa, is mine. They all belong to the wonderful Ms. J K Rowling.
ABOUT REMUS
CHAPTER 1: BEGINNING
I don't know when it began, rightly. I don't know when it was that his face began to seem sweeter, his eyes more enchanting, and he himself more beautiful; not in body but in mind and soul. I don't know when it is that I fell in love... I only know that it was during sixth year that I finally realised I was in love with him.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Emily Morgan and I'm a witch. I go to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'm a seventh year, and about to take my N.E.W.Ts. Somehow, I felt I needed to write this. "Well," Lily and Philippa would say, "that's not a very surprising thing. You've always been a compulsive writer." So I have.
I will begin from the beginning. Because that is how a story must be.
I shall begin with a bit of background information about my family. The Morgans have almost always been what Malfoy would call pureblood. But not quite. I have an Uncle, a distant one, who is a professional interior designer and a three cousins through him. However, his wife is a witch. So you see, I'm well versed in both the magical and Muggle ways of life. Forgive me if this bores you. But I want you to know something about me before we go on into the crux of my story. I want you to know that I'm not some girl obsessed with good-looking boys, nor one who can talk of anything but them. I know for a fact that most people consider me good to talk to because I can talk back to them about anything under the sun and I can give advice that suits them, I think. But, I'm not such a mature person so as to learn from the mistakes others make. If I'd been that way, this wouldn't have happened.
One fine day in the month of August, a handsome young owl crossed the grounds of Oakley, residence of the Morgans, out in the Scottish country. He stopped by the kitchen window, savouring the smell of stew and other delicious things that Joanna was cooking. He stepped right into the kitchen, having finally found his destination. And a letter dropped into my lap. In my excitement, I tore it open, to find what I was expecting to find. An acceptance letter into Hogwarts. Much rejoicing took place, as people are wont to say.
Then about a week later, Mother and I went down to Diagon Alley, arranging with Tom for a room at the Leaky Cauldron. We bought all my school stuff, including an owl and a magic wand. The Owl was a really handsome tawny, and I immediately named him Gwaihir, after one of the main eagles in the Lord of the Rings, a favourite book. My wand was oak and dragon heartstring, 10 ½ inches long. Excellent for Transfiguration and Charms, so Mr. Ollivander said.
It was outside Ollivander's that I first saw him. A slight boy with light brown hair and a tired looking face that would have made anyone look on in pity. I smiled, he did not. May be he did not see me; at least, that is how I comfort myself.
I saw him again, close to a week later, at Platform 9 ¾. He was with his parents, a distinguished man and a smiling woman, who both looked as if they could be quite nice and fun.
I found an empty carriage, and tried my level best to get my huge trunk up into the carriage. Just then, two boys came along to help me. When I thanked them, they saluted and were off.
I got into my carriage and looked out of the window. Mother was talking to the parents of the boy with the light brown hair. She saw me and waved to me. Just then 11 o' clock struck and Mother came running forwards to me. I kissed her and promised her a thousand letters, and then we were off!
Me being who I am, I took out a book (The Return of the King) and promptly began reading. About half an hour later, the compartment door opened with a certain amount of unnecessary noise and startled, I looked up. The two boys who had helped me and the boy with the light brown hair and another short, stocky little boy came rushing in. By the looks of it, they'd dropped more than the required amount of Dungbombs in the corridor. Needless to say, Prefects weren't pleased. Catching sight of the very startled me, the boy with the shock of messy black hair bowed deeply. The others followed suit. From the expressions on their faces, I gather my face was still blank.
Then he spoke, "I don't think we introduced ourselves. I'm James Potter, this is Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin."
"I'm Emily. Emily Morgan. Pleased to meet you." I've found out his name, Remus. I wonder whether he has a brother named Romulus. I guess Romulus is busy running Rome!
"Yes, well. Pleased to have met you too. But for our sake, if anyone asks you, you've never even heard of us," said Sirius.
I laughed. "I get your point, Sirius. But I think you should go now. A Prefect is coming this way. I can a tiger growling."
They grinned back and were off again.
I settled down to Stewards of Gondor again, not to be disturbed for a while. Around noon, the plump woman we are all familiar with came with her trolley of food, and I satisfied my gnawing stomach.
I think I must have fallen asleep after my satisfying lunch, because when I woke up, there were two more girls in my compartment. A girl with long red hair and startling green eyes and another with raven black hair and crinkly brown eyes. Both equally and astonishingly pretty. Lily Evans and Philippa Henderson. Now my best friends. I don't know how we began talking, or how we got closer. We just did. Events made us grow closer, because we found comfort in each other. Phil's favourite Uncle died fighting Death Eaters. Lily's sister sent her hate mail. My Aunt died in a field where she had been attending to injuries of Aurors as a Mediwitch.
Anyhow, I was sorted into Gryffindor and so were Lily and Phil, and them. The first year passed without much incident, except that we came to dread morning mail; the Prophet would almost always have news of killings of families Muggle and magical. And I noticed that Remus Lupin went missing for a day or two every month. Lily, Phil and I weren't close enough to James, Sirius, Remus and Peter for me to ask him why. And so the year rolled away.
James was made Chaser in our Second year, and since I became Chaser as well, we got closer. I came to regard him as a kind of brother and friend. The Quidditch Cup, after an interval of twelve years, had Gryffindor written in bold gold letters on it again. I tried my best to find out where Remus went every month. But as it so usually happens, subtle ways don't work. And so second year went away too.
Third year became a hallmark for Lily, Phil and me. We shone in all the subjects we chose, which was practically everything, except Muggle Studies. We did not particularly fall in love with Divination, while many of our fellow third-years did, especially a band of girls - Elizabeth, Catherine, Julia and Rita. They were very nice girls, with just that one little fault! Since Sirius was Lily's partner in Charms, we got a chance to get very much closer to them. It was then, I think, that I began this crazy want to become friends with Remus. He seemed to me to be the quiet but brilliant one, but sometimes wild and funny, with a very nice smile and a very sweet disposition.