Disclaimer: All of these characters belong to the wonderful J. K. Rowling, not me.
I know this is a storyline that's probably been done out the window, but I felt like having a go at it for a little while. It's nothing original, really, but I like it.
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Remus paid the owl that delivered the Daily Prophet after fishing around in his pocket for a minute for the coins. He received several pecks from the annoyed bird and he finally pulled out the change and stuffed it into the pouch around the creature's leg. "Here—take it," he grumbled. The full moon was in three days, and his temper was starting to wear thin on occasion.
The man pulled his cloak about himself tighter and went back inside. It was an unusually cold day for September. Remus stroked the fire up again with his wand and sat down at the table.
He had found the small cottage in which he currently lived by himself with Dumbledore's help. The kindly old wizard had informed him of it, having heard from some friends that they were selling it for a very low price.
It wasn't big, but it kept the weather out and had a cellar with a very heavy trap door… It had been built for the purpose of hiding from Death Eaters, over a decade ago.
Built to keep one dark species out, Remus thought wryly, and now used to keep another in.
He went over to the wood-stove and checked the progress of the water he was heating. Satisfied, he poured it into a cup and then added several tealeaves, giving them a minute to let the flavor seep out and into the water before taking a sip.
What he really craved was meat, of course, but the budget was scarce for him at the moment. He had again tried and failed to get work—his name had become infamous as the first werewolf student and then the first werewolf teacher. Remus shuddered with distaste as he recalled one column in which a relationship beyond platonic had been suggested of him and Hogwarts' headmaster.
Remus sighed and focused on swirling the tealeaves about in the cup and was suddenly reminded of Harry and his troubles in Professor Trelawney's class. He took a sip of the hot drink and considered. I wonder how Harry is doing? School's started by now—I'm sure he's glad to be back.
Remus's stomach growled fiercely and he was unpleasantly pulled back to the real world and the very hard realization that he hadn't eaten anything in two days. The young man dropped his drawn face into his hand and set the tea down. He struggled against tears, for the thought, If Padfoot were here with me, he could go catch a few rabbits, had struck him cruelly. He took several very long, deep breaths and refused to think of Sirius.
Composed, Remus eyed the discarded newspaper. "I'm sure whatever you have to say to me isn't anything worse than what I've got going for myself right now," he said to it, then reached across the table and unrolled it. He picked up the tea again and took a sip while he glanced at the headline.
Remus choked when he saw it and had to quickly set the cup down to catch his breath, then he stood, both palms flat on the table either side of the paper as he read.
Crowd cheers Dolores Umbridge as she leaves Ministry of Magic after successfully passing new werewolf legislation.
There was a picture of a short, stout woman who had very large eyes and mouth walking down some steps and waving to the cheering people.
Remus was suddenly very glad he'd had nothing to eat; he felt nauseous. He wasn't sure what the legislation was, but he could bet it wasn't good if a whole crowd of people was cheering like that.
The werewolf braced himself as he began reading the article.
Dolores Umbridge has finally achieved the goal she has been working at for several months now, ever since the scandal of a werewolf teaching at Hogwarts, a prominent wizarding school, was uncovered for public eyes. Remus Lupin, the former teacher and werewolf, came very close to biting the students and infecting them several times.
"I saw my life flash before my eyes!" Draco Malfoy, son of prominent figure Lucius Malfoy, said when asked about his experiences. "The freak was barely able to control his temper! I always knew there must have been something wrong with him! I can't believe Dumbledore would have put us all in such danger!"
When Umbridge heard of the horrendous events, she knew something had to be done. "I won't stand by and let people like Lupin endanger the public," she said tearfully to Daily Prophet reporter Shelila Lewis. "I've got to do something about it!"
And so she has. It has taken Umbridge these several long and hauling months to get approval for the legislation that was passed yesterday. She faced fierce opposition from the Werewolf Support Units, who claim that werewolves are sane humans during any time other than the full moon.
Umbridge's struggle has not been widely publicized due to her fear that a werewolf might assassinate her before she finished her noble work.
When the new laws were taken before the council for vote yesterday, there were only three who voted against them being passed.
Umbridge has been unavailable for comment since her glorious victory, but she was heard exclaiming, "I did it for the good of humanity! May we all now live in a world where we can be much safer and more confident all the nights of the month!"
For a detailed list of the newly inacted laws, see page three.
Remus was growling fiercely in the back of his throat by the time he finished the article. He fiercely tore the front page away and ripped the picture of the waving Umbridge in two. Both halves of her immediately began running around in panic, and the enraged werewolf caught them and tore them up again and again until there was nothing left of the picture or the story but tiny shreds.
Remus clenched his fists and sank down heavily to the floor, taking deep breaths. Acting like this would just prove that woman right, he told himself sternly. Keep your cool, Remus. He stood up again and looked at the paper; it was deprived of the first two pages and was open on the top to the list of new laws. He sighed wearily and began once more to read. He might as well know what he needed to do now to keep himself alive.
Here is a simplified list of the new laws passed under recent werewolf legislation:
· Werewolves' records are open to the public and a werewolf may not deny anyone right of access.
· Employers may deny a werewolf paid work without having to give valid reasoning other than the fact that he is a werewolf.
· All werewolves must come into Werewolf Registry unit before the date of December 31, 1993, 11:59pm to make sure their information is correct.
· All werewolves must receive a number, and this number will be permanently applied to the backs of their necks. Failure to do so will result in death by execution.
· Citizens are allowed to attack werewolves on any suspicion, or if they feel in the slightest way threatened. There will be no penalty.
· Silver may be used in contact with a werewolf.
· Wolfsbane may be used in contact with a werewolf.
· For a werewolf to show any display of aggression, he will be at once killed.
· Ministry officials retain the rights to investigate a werewolf's home and/or place of current residence without warrant or notification.
· The murder of a werewolf is no longer a crime.
Remus's nails were digging so hard into the palm of his hand that he realized he had cut himself open. He slowly pried the stiff fingers back and looked at the wounds. Claws, he thought to himself. He made his way to the stuffed easy chair and sank into it, curling up. He hugged himself tightly and started to sob. The new laws were going to make life very difficult—there were so many who were going to jump at the opportunity to add "Werewolf Killer" to their names.
And they were his fault. If only he hadn't been so optimistic to think that he could take the teaching job…
But it was all he had wanted, to teach…he had always loved to teach…
Remus looked up when he heard a faint tapping on the window and saw a brightly colored bird waiting to be let in. He smiled faintly. "Sirius," he whispered, and quickly let the tropical creature into his home.
It was a tiny parrot of some type, green feathers with red and orange on the wingtips and tail. Its beak was short and orange and it landed on Remus's shoulder and rubbed against him affectionately.
Remus managed a weak laugh and rubbed his fingers through the soft feathers affectionately. "Hey there, little fellow," he said. "What've you got for me?"
The bird lifted his leg and pulled at the thread that tied a letter to it with his beak.
Remus chuckled and assisted the tiny creature with the knot.
Freed of its burden, it gave a tiny chirp and waited to be scratched once more before it flew away.
"Picking up bad habits from that lousy mutt," Remus said to himself before reading the hastily scrawled letter.
Moony,
I saw the laws that got passed. How are you doing? Write me quickly to let me know that you're safe!
—Padfoot.
Remus smiled. He wasn't expecting that anything should happen to him; he kept to himself and would just need to make a stop in London tomorrow to get the number on his neck. He rummaged around for some parchment and a quill then sat down at the table and began to write.
Pad—
And there was a loud pounding at the door.
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So, there you go. Read, and review, and I'll update much quicker! I hope you liked it!