"Remus, dear! Isn't it time for your lights to be out and your head to be on that pillow?"
The boy jumped and quickly began to stash away all evidence of his late-night reading, laying a bookmark over the page, snapping the heavy volume shut, and dashing over to his bookcase, carefully stowing it between the other overdue library books he had in his possession.
He loved spending hours at the library, sitting underneath that rickety chandelier and leafing through all the knowledge he could get his hands on. Mrs. Thompson doted on him as her favorite visitor, as he always helped return books to their proper places, tidied the children's section, and assisted other visitors in their quest for information. She'd look at him over her spectacles, silver eyes brimming with next-to-familial love, and smile that all-knowing smile of hers as she signed out the tower of books he'd always carry over to her desk, stumbling under the heavy load.
"Now, Remus. What have I told you about carrying too many volumes at once? If they toppled, how would I ever manage to piece them back together? Hmmm?"
There was a rule against borrowing more than three at a time, but as the library rarely got any customers, and Remus was such an avid reader, Mrs. Thompson humored him. He used to approach her desk carrying his designated three volumes, reluctantly leaving the other thirteen on a table a few feet away from the checkout counter. She'd always send him back to them, ordering him to borrow all sixteen. After about a month of strictly adhering to the rules, Remus surrendered. Now he would always bring them all to her, using a library book cart if one was available.
Remus winced as a few yellowing pages flew out the bottom of the book as he was stuffing it onto the shelf. Falling to his knees, he hurriedly, and yet ever so gently, lifted all the stray pages and pressed them back into their proper places. On humid summer nights like this one, the glue would be just moist enough for him to temporarily affix a lost page to the binding.
"Remus! I'm coming upstairs now! If I see that lamp light gleaming from underneath your door, I won't allow you to go to the library tomorrow!"
Remus smiled. "Yes you will, mum. You're just saying that…"
Book reassembled, he slid it onto its shelf, turned off his brass bedside lamp, and wiggled into bed, pulling his great grandmother's quilt right over the tip of his nose.
The door's handle turned and the hinges squeaked as Mrs. Lupin snuck into his bedroom, carrying a melting candle. The light she carried spread just enough, illuminating the path her beige slippers would tread and all obstacles they would have to avoid, namely, famous works of both muggle and wizard literature. Mostly muggle literature, as Mrs. Thompson was the librarian of a muggle public library. The wizard books that he owned were either his grandfather's or his mother's school books. If he got into Hogwarts, he would buy some of his very own. However, the likely-hood of Remus being accepted at Hogwarts was slim to none because of…certain complications…
"Good night, dear." His mother sat down on the edge of his bed and began stroking his hair, a melancholy smile on her lips.
"What is it, mum?"
She usually just came in and said "good night". The last time she sat by him like this was when he was a six years old, terrified of the dark and what may lurk outside his window. He used to have nightmares. Every night it was the same. He'd be lost in the woods, shivering and afraid, and then he'd be running, running so fast that he'd stumble over the tree roots, and then he'd hear howling, and then he'd hear a ravenous panting, like that of a dog but much wilder, and he'd be attacked by a raging beast of fur and fangs… and he'd be left in the dirt along the forest floor, laying crimson-colored mud, and then a wrenching pain in his back, shooting up his spine, and then…
But that was five years ago. His fear of the dark was gone, even though his terrifying dreams were not, and all he had to do was continuously tell himself, "it's only a dream", and then he'd wake up. Most of the time…
"Mum?"
Mrs. Lupin sighed. "Oh, it's nothing, dear."
Remus knew she was thinking about his education again. She had written a humble letter to someone, a letter requesting that he be accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She wrote with desperation, and yet also expressed her willingness to accept whatever decision the school made. She understood. She knew what a burden I would be. It wouldn't have ever been a problem if…
…but one mustn't dwell on the past.
Tomorrow the letter would either arrive, or it wouldn't. It would be the last day to expect one, and Remus refused to get his hopes up. Mrs. Lupin had sent five other letters, one to every wizard school in Europe. No reply from any.
A muggle school couldn't be all that bad. After all, he'd have friends. Friends who would never suspect…
"Mum… you should go to bed. You have to wake early tomorrow morning for that job interview…"
"Yes. Yes, you're right, Remus. I suppose I should. Well…sweet dreams." She kissed his forehead and left, leaving the door slightly ajar, a thin line of dim light left.
Sweet dreams.