Chapter 2: The unexpected visit
Remus hadn't sleepwalked for two whole weeks! Until now. He was frustrated and angry at himself, this time he had gone further and was completely and utterly lost. It was still dark but it was cold and he had been walking for what seemed like hours now. Admitting defeat, he stuffed his hand into the worn pocket of his striped pyjama pants and drew out his phone. The screens bright light stinged his eyes and he was just about to unlock his passcode when he heard a voice.
"You'll have to get used to not having one of those things."
Remus jumped. Spinning around, he scanned for the speaker but without success. Was this some strange Scottish person about to attack him with a bag pipe? The voice didn't sound Scottish though. It sounded...English. Which meant he had either walked incredibly far or...
"I'm not from the ministry."
Phew. That could have been the end of his hiding. But..
"Who are you? And where are you? " Remus asked.
"Ah yes. I forgot I still had my invisibilty charm on. Just wait a second."
Now Remus was curious. Who was this queer stranger who could turn himself invisible and liked to roam the countryside early in the morning? Before he could come to any conclusions, a man stepped forwards brandishing a glowing torch. Or something like that. He had a sharp, crooked nose and crinkled blue eyes. Dangling gracefully from his chin was a greying beard that was so long it almost touched his toes. Though this was not the oddest feature of the man. A deep purple cloak was clipped round his neck with an ornate badge (some sort of crest. He recognised it from somewhere, but he couldn't place a finger on it) and underneath it was what Remus initially thought was his dad's dressing gown but upon further investigation he realised that it was a magenta robe. Remus must have looked very shocked because the next thing the man said was:
"I guess purple isn't everyone's cup of tea."
Finding his voice, Remus hastily replied:
"Oh no! It's not that Sir. It's just that, well, you wouldn't be..a..um...a wizard?"
He wasn't sure why he had called the man sir, it just felt like the right thing to say. The stranger didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. He just lowered his half moon glasses and knelt down.
Almost whispering, the man answered:
"Of course I'm a wizard. And so are you. But you already know that, don't you?"
Remus nodded. After a slight pause, the man continued.
"Though I understand why you are surprised to see me. I expect you have never met any other magical folk other than your parents, and I doubt they still use magic. After all, they left their wands behind when you ran away. Your parents are clever people. No one in the ministry could track them, not without their wands." Straightening back up, the man added, "But I'm not from the ministry. I'm from Hogwarts."
"You're from Hogwarts?"
"Indeed. I am the headmaster there. My name is Albus Dumbledore."
"Really? Oh, what's it like? Are there lots of classrooms and children and teachers? Is it true that the evil house was the house of Grindlewald?"
"Evil house?" Albus Dumbledore chuckled.
"Well, I guess you'll have to wait and see. The new year starts in a month and then you can find out for yourself."
"Really? ….But...Oh no sir. I'm afraid I can't. You see, I have this disease..."
"I am fully aware of the situation, Remus Lupin."
Of course he was. Remus should have known. Strange man randomly appears and starts talking to you about your life and you assume he is not aware of the biggest part of it all.
As if suddenly remembering they were outside in the cold early in the morning, Dumbledore took Remus' hand and said:
"Hold tight. We're going back home the quick way."