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Chapter 10: Parents of a Werewolf
That night, a meeting was held in Dumbledore's office. A somber mood prevailed. Tension was high. Only two members of the staff were missing. Madame Pomfrey was tending to Remus and the others of the group, and Professor McGonagall had left to bring Remus' parents. A few of the staff members cried softly when the headmaster gave the announcement of the attack on Remus. Other than the occasional sniff, the office was silent, until Professor Binns spoke.
"We cannot allow him to remain at Hogwarts."
A momentary glint in Dumbledore's eye showed he was not pleased with Binns' prejudice. "I doubt you have the welfare of the other students in mind when you say that." His voice was hard and full of steel.
"But of course. He is now a danger to every human being in this school." Binns made a quick about face, sensing that to express his true opinion would seriously harm his standing with Dumbledore.
"There are precautions that can be taken to avoid such danger."
"At what cost? There is nowhere that he can go where he won't come in contact with humans." Binns voice rose, showing his true feelings on the matter.
"Your insinuation that Mr. Lupin is no longer human is incorrect." Dumbledore remained calm, though the hard look in his eye had returned.
"How is that so? I cannot see any humanity in a werewolf. They live to bring misery on the innocent, to prey off the lives of hardworking people. If this… thing remains at Hogwarts, he will bring danger to us all."
Dumbledore stood, fury emanating from every line of his face. "You will not speak in such a way about my students. If you continue, you will leave my office and never return to this school."
Binns quieted, refusing to meet the eyes of any of his fellow teachers, and retreated to a dark corner of the office. Dumbledore sat again behind his desk.
"But what will we do with him every month?" Professor Salsa wasn't prejudiced, like her colleague. She was genuinely worried about her students.
"I have contacted some people to help us. The first transformation will not come for a month. This gives us some time to prepare." Dumbledore tapped his desk and a map of Hogwarts and the surrounding area appeared. "A place for Mr. Lupin's monthly transformation will be prepares here," he pointed to a spot equally distant from Hogwarts and the village. "A tunnel will be built from a point on the grounds to this place."
"How will he be protected while in this place?" Salsa asked.
"A number of wards, created by several members of our staff, will be in place, to prevent him from leaving and anyone else from leaving. I do not yet know how we will disguise the entrance to the tunnel. Are there any suggestions for this?"
A moment of silence, then the Herbology teacher, Professor Sprout, spoke. "There is a tree. You could call it a living tree. It won't allow anyone to pass. It could be placed over the entrance."
"Interesting. What is this tree called?"
"It is known as a Whomping Willow. But they are extremely rare and even more expensive."
"How might we procure one?"
"I have a friend who works with these trees. I can ask him to bring one to us."
"Yes, this might work. I hope I am correct in assuming that there is a way to force access?"
"Yes, each tree has a point, that if pushed, it will freeze."
"Excellent. Please tell your friend that we need one immediately."
"Certainly." Professor Sprout left to contact her friend.
Soon after her departure, the fire glowed green. Professor McGonagall stepped out, followed closely by Remus' parents. Both looked worried, Mrs. Lupin was clutching a handkerchief.
"Mr. and Mrs. Lupin. I'm glad you came, though it is with grave tidings I welcome you." Dumbledore conjured a pair of armchairs and gestured toward them. "Please sit."
They sat, Mrs. Lupin wiping her eyes.
"This evening, something terrible happened to your son." Dumbledore began, looking each of the newcomers in the eye. Mrs. Lupin let out a sob. "Remus, and several of his friends, decided to explore the Forbidden Forest. Just inside the Forest, he was attacked and bitten by a werewolf."
Silence followed this announcement, for a moment while it sank it. Then Mrs. Lupin screamed and fainted. Mr. Lupin stood, furious.
"My son was bitten by a werewolf! While under your care! Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that you were supposed to be protecting these children."
"Mr. Lupin, please sit. The circumstances were not entirely under our control." Dumbledore remained calm in the face of Lupin's fury.
"I WILL NOT SIT! I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE ANY CIRCUMSTANCES THAT YOU CANNOT CONTROL!"
"You will sit, and cease yelling, while I explain, or I will force you to be silent." Lupin obeyed, faced with the threat of Dumbledore's wand. Dumbledore wakened Mrs. Lupin, as she needed to hear the full story as well. She cried throughout the entire explanation.
"Remus left the castle, accompanied by several other first year students, with plans to explore the Forbidden Forest. This is against the rules. It is impossible to protect our students entirely from the dangers of the Forest. This is why they are advised against entering and punished if they are caught doing so. This is the first documented time a werewolf has been seen in this Forest, especially so close to the school.
"This unfortunate event happened while the rest of the school was at the Halloween Feast. No one was present to protect these students, not even the groundskeeper.
"I do not yet have all the details of this outing, as the other students involved were too shaken up to tell the story, but I cannot imagine that Remus was involved directly in the plot to enter the Forest. Rather, I believe that he, along with one of the other students, was trying to prevent the others from entering. He is much too responsible to knowingly put his life in danger without such a reason."
The Lupins sat a moment, while this sank in. "Will you force him to leave the school?"
"Some of the staff members wish me to, but I cannot. This happened while he was under my care, and I will help him as much as possible to learn to live with this tragedy, and to live a productive life in spite of it. Unless you wish him to be under your eye at all times, he will attend the school while it is in session."
"What about the other students? Will they be told?"
"They were told at the feast that he was attacked, but not by what. They will not learn the entire truth, unless Remus tells them himself. I will not willfully allow one of my students to be shunned and ridiculed for something he can do nothing about."
"And there will be measures taken to ensure his safety every month?"
Dumbledore nodded his assent and detailed the plan that had just been made. It was acceptable to Lupin. Mrs. Lupin asked tearfully if she could see her son. They were led down to the Hospital Wing, where Remus lay, still unconscious. When Mrs. Lupin saw the wounds, still fresh, she nearly fainted again. Madame Pomfrey told them that there was no magical cure for werewolf bites. They would have to heal naturally, though kept clean by magical means.
The Lupins stayed with their son for the rest of the night. Mrs. Lupin refused to sleep and declined any refreshment offered. She was distraught that such a thing would happen to her child. Tears fell throughout that long night, even from her husband.
The next morning, Jenna, Lily, James and Sirius woke to Professor Dumbledore in the Hospital Wing. Neither looked very pleased.
"I hope you realize the gravity of your actions last night." Disappointment showed in Dumbledore's face. "You will each be punished with weekly detentions, with whichever staff member needs assistance, for the remainder of the term. Fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor and if any of you are found entering the Forest again, you will be immediately expelled. Further, you will all help Mr. Lupin keep up on his studies, as his wounds prevent him from leaving the Hospital wing for several weeks.
"Going into the Forest was irresponsible and foolish. All of you could have been killed. One of your friends was marked for the rest of his life. There is no cure for werewolf bites, as I'm sure you know."
The four students refused to look Dumbledore, or each other, in the eye. Silence reigned for several minutes, as each of them realized the severity of the situation. Finally Lily spoke.
"How is he?"
"Mr. Lupin is still asleep. He will remain so for several more hours. Do not try to wake him. I will leave you for now. Stay here until I give you permission to leave." Dumbledore left, shutting the door softly behind him.
Silence followed Dumbledore's exit. Silence until lily started crying. "It's all my fault. It was my idea."
They were all thinking the same thing. James and Sirius for encouraging it, and Jenna for not stopping it soon enough. Jenna got up from her bed, and climbed into Lily's, putting her arms around the crying girl. A few moments later, the boys joined them, each taking strength from the others. No one spoke for a long time.
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