Summary: Remus uses his talent on piano to earn some pocket money and helps a child find his love for music once again..

Rated: K

Genre: General


Competition/Challenge Block:
Written For:
Monthly Challenges for All (Year 3); Hogwarts (Term 14)

Hogwarts: Ravenclaw; A.8 - Celtic Studies #5: Musician!AU

MC4A: Shower (Mouth of Babes; Tomorrow's Shade); ToS (Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice); Fence (Bee Haven; Machismo); Star (Endless Wonder)

Word Count: 595


A Gift for Music

It wasn't the most dignified thing Remus has ever done, exploiting the gift of music his mother taught him to make ends meet, but he couldn't help but notice the number of requests there was in the muggle papers for summer tutors for various school topics. He was an introverted person, one who liked to keep to himself and stay out of trouble. Teaching children the piano seemed like a safe option, something that required time and patience, things he was pretty good at doing and had plenty of, so he took the chance and put an ad in the muggle paper with the last of the muggle money he had and left the number to the motel on there and waited.

A call came in not long after the printing went out into the city.

The mother was wanting to start her son on piano and he took the job immediately. Three times a week for an hour session was perfect for him, and for £250 a week, he couldn't say no to that. David was his name, and he seemed less than enthusiastic to be learning. Based on the various instruments that surrounded the piano space, Remus could understand why. David's mother made it very clear that he was gifted with perfect pitch, but that wasn't the reason why he took the job.

He simply wanted the boy to learn to love music again rather than loathe it.

It was slow going, and David acted arrogant at times when Remus started with the basics on scales. Remus wasn't going to allow this to deter him, he could handle power struggles as he was often the balance between it when it came to his friends and even enemies. He decided to give David the opportunity to have a voice and opinion on their sixth lesson.

"What would you like to play?" Remus gently asked, not bothering placing any scales or music sheets up.

David looked confused at first, but let out a soft sigh and slid his hand over the faux ivory keys. "Something not written."

A callback to a song Remus' mother made up on a whim for him one night came to the front of his mind. It was a lullaby she played and quietly sang along to help his anxiety and fears of the night that it always brought.

"I might have something," Remus said, placing his own hands on the keys.

Letting out a calm breath, he started to play the first portion of the song, all while reliving it from memory. His mother never wrote down the notes, but she taught him them just the same, and they ingrained into his memory, and was the beginning to his love for the sound of the piano. He focused on the music, only glancing at David briefly as he played. The boy had his eyes closed, taking in its sound. The lullaby was soothing, yet light and airy almost, if Remus had to describe it. It wasn't too fast or slow, nor was it haunting or ominous, and even to this day its song brought a sense of calm and peace.

When he finished, he looked over at David who seemed lost in a trance. Remus gave him a minute to process what he just heard, and was almost startled when he started to speak suddenly.

"That was wonderful," he said, looking up at Remus with a smile. "It would sound beautiful on the violin. May I?"

Remus nodded, glad to have revived the boy's passion for his love of music.