The Songbird and the Serpent
Part I: Hogwart's
Lupin's first year at Hogwart's...
Chapter 1
After receiving his Hogwart's letter, time seemed to fly by at astounding speeds for Remus Lupin. Before he knew it, he was on the Knight Bus with his mother, heading for Hogsmeade. The parting with his father earlier that morning had been rather painful; Remus had never had to deal with leaving home for even a day or two before, and now he would be away from his parents until Christmas, which was a good three and a half months away. The prospect frightened him a little, but he was far too thankful for the opportunity to go to school to let his fears get in the way.
The bus dropped them off near the Hogwart's castle gates, where a huge, hairy man in a patchy fur coat met them. He had to be at least twice the size of a normal man, and for a moment Remus felt his fears flare up. His mother, however, was smiling broadly.
"'Ello there...lovely ter see yeh again, Wynne!" Said the huge man, holding out his monstrous hand. Remus imagined it could likely crush his skull with ease, and he felt himself growing faint. Mrs. Lupin took the hand and shook it happily, and then the man turned his small black eyes to Remus. "An' yeh mus' be young Remus then...I'm Rubeus Hagrid, keeper o' keys an' grounds 'ere at Hogwart's." He said, reaching the huge hand towards the tiny, frightened boy practically cowering behind his mother.
After a short and awkward pause he plucked up his courage, as despite the man's size he obviously wasn't trying to hurt anybody. His mother certainly wasn't afraid of him, after all. He apprehensively took the hand offered him, his own completely dwarfed by the man's fingers in the handshake.
"Righ' then...I'm ter take yeh up ter meet Dumbledore...follow me." He said with a smile, and Remus and his mother followed Hagrid up to the large front doors of the impressive castle. As they made their way into the entrance hall Remus couldn't help but let out a small gasp of surprise. He'd never seen such a large room in his life, or one so beautiful. As they were led up various staircases and down multiple hallways towards their destination, Remus found himself becoming utterly lost in his surroundings, having previously seen very little beyond his own house.
Eventually they came to Dumbledore's office door, and Hagrid gave the password and bid them a cheerful farewell as they stepped onto the staircase now rising towards the headmaster's office. They found him sitting at his desk, and when they entered he stood to greet them.
"Ah, Mrs. Lupin...I remember when you were still Miss Wynne Flowerdew...sitting at the back of my classes drawing in your notebook. I still have a particularly amusing sketch of myself that was confiscated from you in your 4th year..." Said Dumbledore, striding towards Remus' mother, who was turning a slight shade of pink out of embarrassment as she shook his hand. He was a tall, thin man with a very long silver beard, and hair to match. He was wearing spectacular purple robes embroidered with gold stars, and wire-rimmed half-moon spectacles. Remus got the strong impression that this man was exceptionally powerful, despite his age and seeming frailty. He turned to Remus, offering his hand. "And you must be Remus. It's a pleasure to meet you..." He said with a kind smile.
"Oh, Sir...the pleasure's all mine..." Said Remus in a shy voice, returning the smile as he shook hands with the man, who then offered him and his mother seats, which they gladly took. He reclaimed his own seat behind his desk.
"I'm just glad Dippet retired in time for me to make this possible. I had been trying to persuade him, upon hearing of your letters, to accept you at the school...but as you know, he wasn't exactly responsive. However, I see no reason whatsoever why we can't have young Remus here. I've taken it upon myself this last month to organise certain means of working around your lycanthropy, and provided we take the proper precautions, we shouldn't have any trouble at all." Explained Dumbledore, and Remus nodded, wondering just what these means and precautions could be.
"Now...first for a few words of warning. I'm sure you're aware of the negative light in which those of your kind are portrayed, and although I myself have no particular prejudice against werewolves, you can be sure that many of your fellow students, not to mention their parents, will. Therefore, under no circumstances are you to let anyone know that you are a werewolf, Remus. Only you, myself, and certain members of the staff are to know. Luckily we have a rather enlightened staff here at Hogwart's who are willing to accept you, now that they understand how it is to be achieved." He continued.
"Excuse me, Sir...but just how IS it to be achieved?" Asked Mrs. Lupin, and Dumbledore smiled.
"Well, if you will kindly follow me, I will show you." He said, and motioned for them to stand. He led them out of his office, down the steps, and back through the hallways and down the staircases to the entrance hall. He then continued to lead them out onto the grounds, turning to explain as they headed further out into the darkening evening.
"Now, before every full moon, Madame Pomfrey, our school nurse, will accompany you out here..." He said, and they stopped walking. He gestured towards a very large willow tree that had begun to thrash its dangerous-looking branches around as they approached. "...To the Whomping Willow tree. I had it planted last month specifically for your use. Now..." He continued as he bent down to pick up one of many long, thin branches that had likely been snapped off of the tree by it's own movement. "...All you need do to make it stop moving is prod this knot at the base here...and you see, it's stopped. Now, follow me...and hurry, because it will start moving again momentarily..." He said, and led them to a hole amongst the trees roots that Remus had not been able to see from further away.
They climbed down into the hole after Dumbledore, and he led them down a very small, dark passageway with a very low ceiling, forcing Mrs. Lupin and Dumbledore to bend over slightly to walk through it. At the end of the passage, there was a very large reinforced metal door, which Dumbledore opened, and gestured for Remus and his mother to pass through. They were now in a small, sparsely furnished room. The windows were boarded up from the outside, and there was a single door leading off to the right.
"This, Remus, is where you shall stay during the full moon cycle. The morning after you return to yourself, Madame Pomfrey will arrive and heal you up as best she can, and then you're free to spend the rest of that day resting up before returning to the dormitories and to your classes. This means, of course, that you may be missing a few days of school every month, so you'll have to work very hard to keep up in your lessons." Said Dumbledore seriously, and Remus nodded.
"I will...er...where exactly are we right now?" He asked.
"We're right outside of Hogsmeade. I've been doing my best to spread rumours about this place, which we built only last month to accommodate you, and so far it's working. People have been very curious of course, but no one's brave enough to come any closer than the surrounding fence as of yet." Dumbledore explained, and Remus nodded. Dumbledore motioned for them to explore the place, and in the room to the right Remus noticed a staircase, which led up into another room, which contained only a bed and a chair. Every window in the place was heavily boarded up, and the front door too. The only way in or out was through the heavy metal door leading back to the dark passageway.
"This is wonderful, really...I just don't know how we'll ever repay you for all this..." Said Mrs. Lupin, and Dumbledore smiled.
"It's no trouble, truly. It would be a terrible crime to deny this boy an education just because of his unfortunate condition...I only hope that someday all children in similar situations can be so lucky." He said, and led them back through the large reinforced door, down the passageway and out onto the grounds once more. When they returned to the entrance hall, he turned to them.
"Now, the rest of the children will be arriving tomorrow evening. You have somewhere to stay tonight, I trust?" Said Dumbledore, and Mrs. Lupin nodded.
"Oh yes...I reserved a room at The Three Broomsticks for the night."
"Excellent, excellent. Do say hello to the lovely Rosmerta for me, won't you? Well then, I shall see you tomorrow evening, Remus. Just get yourself to the train station and keep an eye out for Hagrid. He'll be taking you and your fellow first years across the lake...a bit of a school tradition. Mrs. Lupin, it was lovely to see you again. Do tell your husband I send my regards, won't you?" Dumbledore said with a grin, and after some more hand shaking and farewells, Remus and his mother made their way back into Hogsmeade for the night.
Remus arrived at the small Hogwart's Express platform the following evening after the tearful good-byes to his mother. The train hadn't arrived yet, so he took a seat on an old bench on the platform and waited, setting his trunk on the ground next to him. He didn't have to wait long, and soon the train was pulling in to the station, and he saw Hagrid wander down the platform to collect the first years.
"'Ello there, Remus!" He called out, and Remus stood and made to pick up his trunk. "Oh, don' bother wi' that, it'll be taken up ter the castle with the rest of 'em..." Said Hagrid, so Remus abandoned his trunk and wandered over to stand by the huge man just as the train's passengers began to empty out onto the platform. A noisy, chattering sea of black robes began to sweep past, and Remus jumped slightly as Hagrid began to bellow over the heads of everyone going by
"Firs' years! Firs' years this way! Follow me!"
After a few minutes a small crowd had formed around Hagrid, and he led them off down a steep, narrow path flanked on both sides by a dark throng of trees. Remus walked at the front of the group, right behind Hagrid, and listened to the chattering of the other children behind him. Eventually they came to the edge of a huge lake, where many small boats were waiting for them. There were cries of awe and excitement as the children got their first glimpse of the turreted castle across the lake, and Hagrid turned towards the group.
"Righ' then...four ter a boat...come on, got ter get movin'!" He said, and Remus found himself a boat and clambered in. He could feel someone else climb into the boat behind him, and turned to see a small boy with dirty blonde hair and a look of fear in his eyes. The boy smiled nervously, and almost toppled out of the boat when two others climbed aboard and the vessel started moving on it's own towards the opposite side of the lake.
They came to a curtain of ivy on the cliff face at the other side of the lake, and passed through it into an underground tunnel. Remus guessed that they must be right below the castle, and when they came to a stop at a sort of harbour they all climbed out of their boats and followed Hagrid out of the cavern, onto the grounds, and towards the open front doors, where a stern-looking witch wearing green robes was waiting for them.
"Good evening first years and welcome to Hogwart's...I'm Professor McGonagall, and if you'll kindly follow me, we'll be heading to the Great Hall for the start of term feast. However, before you can sit with your fellow students, you must be sorted into houses. Your house will be like your family here at Hogwart's; you will have classes with them, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room. We have four houses here at Hogwart's, named for the four founders of the school; Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff. Your house will be chosen by the Sorting Hat, which you will place on your head when I call your name. While you are here at the school, your triumphs will win you points for your house, while any rule breaking will lose points. At the end of the year the House Cup will be awarded to the house with the most points. Any questions before we go?" She said, and looked around, "no? All right then, follow me." She continued, and the group followed her through a door to the right which led to the Great Hall, which Remus noticed was illuminated beautifully by hundreds of floating candles.
There were four long tables set up for the four houses, and another table at the top of the hall to accommodate the staff. Remus noticed a few pale, silvery beings seated at the tables, or floating around the hall, and guessed that they must be ghosts. His mother had told him about the ghosts at Hogwart's, but the sight of them was still quite a shock, as he had never seen a ghost before. Hagrid was taking his place at the staff table as McGonagall led them up the centre isle towards the front of the hall, where a stool was set, holding a very tattered hat. Remus guessed that this must be the Sorting Hat.
The students sitting at the tables were all facing the front of the room, as if waiting expectantly for something. Remus thought it must be the Sorting, but when he looked at Professor McGonagall, she was turned to face the hat. Remus looked at the hat, trying to see what everyone was waiting for, and then a tear near the brim opened up and the hat began to sing
About a thousand years ago,
Four people forged a plan,
To start a school of magic,
And that's how this place began.
Gryffindor preferred the brave,
And Ravenclaw the smart,
And Slytherin liked those who craved
Great power in the arts,
Helga Hufflepuff preferred
The loyal and hard working,
And these attributes referred above
Decided all the sorting.
And so the four created me,
To carry on this work
In future generations,
And this task I shall not shirk.
So put me on and I shall see
The truth inside your mind,
I'll put you in your proper place,
All based on what I find.
The hat finished its song, and the Hall broke out into applause. Once the noise died down again, Professor McGonagall pulled out a list and began to call the first years forward to be sorted. Remus began to wonder what house he might end up in; he didn't think he was very brave, or very smart, and he certainly didn't "crave great power in the arts," so he thought he'd probably end up in Hufflepuff. Then again, hismother was in Ravenclaw, and he had heard that families tended to end up in the same house most of the time. He was still thinking it all through in his head when he heard McGonagall call his name
"Lupin, Remus!"
Startled, he made his way forward, picked up the hat, sat on the stool, and placed the hat on his head. It was so big that if fell over his eyes, and he sat blindly waiting for it to speak. Suddenly he heard a small voice in his ear that he was sure was only audible to him
"Hmm...A difficult one...a rather good brain in your head, loyal and hard-working, yes, but I'm feeling a great deal of bravery in you too, so I'm going to have to go with..." and now the voice rang out in the room around him
"Gryffindor!"
There were loud cheers from the Gryffindor table, and Remus happily made his way to it and took a seat next to a pretty girl with red hair who smiled up at him as he sat down. It seemed he was the fourth to be sorted into Gryffindor so far, along with the redheaded girl, a tall black girl sitting next to her, and a smirking boy with jet-black hair that was sitting opposite him at the table. The boy that had shared Remus' boat earlier soontook a seat next to him as they all applauded his addition to the house.
The smirking boy across the table was leaning absently on his elbow as he looked towards the front of the room, and suddenly gave a grin and a thumbs-up to the boy now approaching the stool. This boy, who had very messy dark hair and wore wire-rimmed glasses, returned the gesture as he shoved the hat on his head. In a matter of seconds he was joining them at the Gryffindor table, and Remus politely joined in the applause as the boy with the messy hair sat down next to his smirking friend.
Gryffindor gained only two more students; a short girl with wild blue eyes and blonde hair, and a very shy brunette girl who sat slightly apart from the others. Once everyone had taken his or her seats, Dumbledore stood up to address the hall.
"I have only two words for you; Bon Appetite." He announced with a grin, and the many golden platters on the tables were magically filled with food. Remus helped himself to a few things that looked pleasing, but found that he wasn't really very hungry. His stomach was twisting in anxious knots as he picked at his plate, and all he could think about was how quiet and safe and familiar it was back at home. He grew ever more nervous as he looked around the room at all the people now deep in conversation. He had never had any real friends before, and wasn't entirely sure how to make them. He supposed that talking to someone was the best way to start, but he couldn't seem to make any words come out. He glanced at the ceiling for something to do and stifled a gasp of surprise. It looked as though the room was open to the night sky, a velvety black filled with twinkling stars.
"It's enchanted." He heard a voice say, and looked across the table in the direction from which the voice had come. The boy with the messy hair and wire-rimmed glasses was smiling at him, and began to shove apple crumble unceremoniously into his mouth.
"Oh..." Said Remus in a small voice, looking back up at the enchanted ceiling.
"Thought it was real, did you?" Said the smirking boy in a mocking tone, sweeping his black hair out of his eyes. Remus felt his face grow red and didn't reply. The boy then turned back to his messy-haired friend, grinning broadly.
"Oi, James...did you see the looks on my cousins' faces when I got sorted? Classic..." He said, and they both glanced at the Slytherin table and laughed.
The golden platters were now empty, and Dumbledore stood up once more to address the now silent hall.
"And now that we've all stuffed ourselves silly, I have a few start of term notices. First years, and indeed every other year, should note that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term, so if you're interested please contact Madame Hooch. And finally, the school caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that no magic is to be used between classes in the corridors, and that a full list of forbidden items has been posted in his office for you to view at your leisure. And now...off to bed!" Said Dumbledore, and there was a flurry of movement as everyone began to stand and make their way towards the doors and out into the entrance hall.
"Gryffindor first years! Come with me!" He heard a pleasant voice call, and turned to see a pink-cheeked, black-haired girl standing towards the end of the table. She was sporting a small pin marked with a letter "P" on her robes, and Remus guessed that it must mean she was a prefect. He made his way over to her along with the other Gryffindor first years, and she led them into the entrance hall and up the huge central staircase.
They followed her up a fair few more staircases, past hundreds of paintings, whose inhabitants waved and greeted them cheerfully as they passed by. Eventually they came to a large painting of a rather fat lady in a pink dress, who asked them for a password. The pink-cheeked witch gave the password, reminding the first years to remember it
"Shrivelfig..." she said, and the painting swung aside to reveal a hole leading into the Gryffindor common room, which looked warm and comfortable, full of overstuffed armchairs. Once they all got inside and the portrait swung back into place, the prefect turned towards them.
"Wow...quite a small turnout for Gryffindor this year! I don't think a house has had so few new students in ages...anyway, this is the Gryffindor common room, as I'm sure you've guessed. Boy's dormitories are up the stairs to the left, girls up the stairs to the right. Your dormitory room will be marked 'first years' and you'll find all your belongings up there waiting for you. Oh, and my name's Hestia Jones, and if you have any questions just ask me or my fellow Gryffindor prefect, Roman Webster...I don't know where he's got to..." She said, then bid them all goodnight and made her way up to her dormitory. The girls followed her up to the girl's rooms, and Remus turned to follow the other first year boys up to their room, which was the first door at the top of the stairs.
The room was comfortable and set with a four-poster bed for each of them, hung with red velvet drapes, and four nightstands. Remus found his trunk at the foot of the bed nearest to the window and began to unpack his belongings. He was drifting back to thoughts of home when a voice called him back to the present
"Oi! I asked you a question..." Said the messy-haired and bespectacled boy, who was unpacking a stack of books. Remus turned to him.
"Sorry...wasn't paying attention...what did you say?" He said, and the boy smiled.
"I just asked your name, that's all. Thought we should all get to know each other." He explained, flopping onto his bed, which was across from Remus'.
"Oh...Remus Lupin." He said in a quiet voice, and smiled politely.
"Nice to meet you, Remus...I'm James Potter, and this moody git is Sirius Black." The boy explained, gesturing towards the previously smirking boy, who gave a very insincere smile and continued to unpack his things. James then turned to the boy in the bed beside Remus'. "And what about you, then?" He asked, and the boy's watery eyes grew wide with shock at having been addressed.
"Er...Peter Pettigrew. Hi." He said hesitantly, smiling rather awkwardly at the others. James grinned and looked around the room, then took a cue from Sirius, who had changed into his pyjamas, and did the same. Remus and Peter followed suit, and suddenly Remus became painfully aware of just how tired he actually was. In all the excitement of the evening, he hadn't really paid much attention to his physical state. But now his legs felt stiff and his joints ached from fatigue. He climbed into bed, and politely answered to James' overly cheerful calls of goodnight to the rest of the room's inhabitants, and then before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
