Chapter 24: A chance

It was quite rare that I get all of my pressing business done. Yet, here I was. All urgent business had been completed…well except for one meeting. Pulling my gold watch out I see I have a little over five minutes before Mr. John Lupin and his wife, Victoria were due to my office. I remember teaching both in Transfiguration. Both had been very talented in my class with Victoria achieving Exceeds Expectations in their OWL's.

Their son had it seems been just as talented a young wizard. However, four years ago tragedy struck the Lupin household and the young Remus had become the victim of a crazed werewolf. Under most circumstances this would have meant the young lad could never have attended Hogwarts. However, luckily for the young man, I was Headmaster.

While obviously once a month the boy would be a danger, the other 29 days of the month the boy would be as normal as anyone else. Even more so, to allow such talent to go to waste because of something he couldn't help would just be horribly wrong.

I opened a copy of Transfiguration Today and read for a good ten minutes for there was a knock at my door. Stowing the magazine in my desk and politely called out, "Please, come in." As expected, the Lupin's came into the office. Motioning for them to take the chairs opposite of me I sat back down behind my desk and intertwined my fingers and looked at them for a few seconds. I daresay what I would tell them would be welcome, if not implausible news.

"Thank you for coming today, first, please extend to Remus my wishes that he may have a happiest of birthdays tomorrow. "

John Lupin smiled sadly. "Thank you for that Professor Dumbledore. But I'm afraid Remus is inconsolable. I'm afraid he had his hopes given up. Being eleven he should and did receive his owl to Hogwarts, but given his er" He looked to his wife who had a cold look in her eyes and when her husband caught her eyes, she looked down in shame. John paused before continuing. "Er…circumstances, he knows it is not possible. I'm afraid he is taking it rather hard. I guess getting the letter was just a reminder of what he can't…"

But at that time his wife cut him off. Her cold grey eyes had found mine. It didn't need my mastery of legilimency to know and feel the anger that roiled in her eyes.

"How could you allow a letter to be sent to him? It was horribly insensitive of you, Albus! We all know he can't be here. He could slaughter the whole lot if he did! And yet, you…you...allow it to be sent. How could you?"

Even as she stood and shouted the last sentence I could feel a small smile form on my lips. "Ah, but I would not count your hippogriff's before they are hatched." The two look confused and from a drawer in my desk I pulled out a large envelope and pulled the parchment from it and laid it out on my desk.

"I daresay you saw the building being constructed as you came through Hogwarts. Most people think it is a building for particularly vicious ghosts to haunt. However, this is not true. This is a place for Remus to come during his transformations. The only entrance to the building will be protected by a recently planted Whomping Willow. He will not be able to get out of the building nor will any student be able to go in. He and his fellow students will be safe and no one will be the wiser about his condition. Therefore, there should be no reason why Remus shouldn't be allowed to come to Hogwarts. Unless of course you can think of a reason I have not."

The Lupin's looked at me dumfounded. After a few minutes they turned to each other and I could almost see the cogs of their mind whirling trying to find a reason this plan wouldn't work. I already knew they wouldn't. All precautions had been taken to ensure Remus and the other student's safety.

I got up from behind my desk and walked around to them. "Remus will always be welcome at Hogwarts as long as I am Headmaster, and I intend to be Headmaster for a very long time. Remus is from all that I hear a very bright and powerful wizard. There is no need to keep him from a fine magical education simply because once a month he becomes a werewolf. He is still a person who deserves the same education as other young lads his age. I will not take no for an answer. I expect to see him on September first."

The Lupin's rose and Victoria once again looked me in the eyes. Instead of the cold storm I saw minuets ago had been replaced by a warm and loving motherly gaze. "Albus..I…I…thank you." She broke down, tears falling fast from her eyes. "We never thought… he would come here." I patted her on the shoulder and smiled over to John who like his wife had tears in his eyes. I led the way to the door of my office. "You two had better be off and inform Remus that he has some shopping at Diagon Ally to do."

After they left I want back to my desk and settled into the chair. It was situations like this that made me feel like I actually have ever accomplished anything of note. One day, when I finally go on and they revise my chocolate frog card, I hope they speak of how I made Hogwarts a more open place for all magical boys and girls, where blood status or lycanthropy didn't matter. I couldn't help but think of my misdeeds with Gell…Grindelwald and how I had foolishly ignored my own conscience and plotted the horrible things for those I now protected. I had lied to him about my true feelings for Muggles, Muggle born, and the others in order to impress him. Yet, I wonder how much of my actions were an attempt to make amends for my indiscretions.

Ah, speaking of indiscretions, that reminded me. I pulled out another and longer piece of parchment from my desk. It was the latest list of speech's and actions of my former pupil, Tom Riddle, sent to me by a close source. With a sigh I started to read.