Chapter 15: A Guiding Friend

"Come on, Mum and Jason! Hurry!" Nick cried, pulling me along Diagon Alley towards Ollivander's wand shop. Just yesterday, Nick had received a letter addressed to him. Nick's address was printed neatly on the outside of the envelop.

Nicholas Pasen

Professor Lucianna Pasen's office

Hogarts' Potions room, Dungeons

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

This letter was, of course, Nick's Hogwarts acceptance letter, and Nick was very excited about it. He insisted that Jason and I take him to Diagon Alley immediately to get his necessary supplies, so that was what we were doing today. The first stop was Ollivander's. The first wand Nick picked up made five of Mr. Ollivander's shelves fall to the ground. The second blew to pieces as soon as it touched Nick's hand and turned to ash. Luckily, the third time was a charm, and the wand Mr. Ollivander found for Nick fit him perfectly.

Next, we went to go buy Nick's books. Unfortunately, this infamous Gilderoy Lockhart was at the same bookstore we were, trying to sell yet another book while under the careful watch of two St. Mungos healers. This one was called Son of the Founders: How I Rediscovered Myself and My Parents' Love. It appeared that Gilderoy now believed he was the son of Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw – which, of course, he was not, for obvious reasons. The only reason people bought his books now was to have a good laugh and to make fun of poor Gilderoy. I was glad to get out of the bookstore and move on to getting Nick's robes. Before leaving Diagon Alley, we stopped in a shop which sold magical pets. Nick adored the various owls on display, and I got an idea on what I would be getting him for Christmas that year.

The first of September arrived quickly – no surprise there. The day Nick had been waiting to come for years was finally here, and like any other first year since the beginning of Hogwarts, Nick was filled with excitement, anxiety and nervousness.

"What house do you think I'll be in, Mum?" Nick had asked me on the night of August thirty-first.

I told him there was no way of knowing. Not even the sorting hat knew, at least not until it sat on Nick's head. Nick was brave and determined, so I knew he would make a fine Gryffindor. He was also kind, compassionate, and just, and he would fit right in with the Hufflepuffs. In addition to those traits, Nick was, in my opinion, smart enough to do well in Ravenclaw. As a formal Slytherin and head of Slytherin house, I knew what average Slytherin was like, and none of the Slytherin qualities and values fit my son, except for the quality of ambition.

"Well, you know, the sorting hat always takes your opinion into consideration." I explained. "What house would you like to be in, if given the choice?"

"Gryffindor, of course!" Nick exclaimed without hesitation, but then he remembered I was a Slytherin, and due to the common Slytherin stereotype, probably thought I disliked Gryffindors. "I'm sorry, Mum. I didn't mean it; I just don't think I'd be a very good Slytherin. You aren't going to disown me, are you?"

I laughed. "No, Nick you do mean it, but its okay. Most people don't want to be in Slytherin either. Only people with Slytherin in their blood, along with a few others, truly want to be in Slytherin, and that's fine with me. And of course I won't disown you! I'll always be proud of you, no matter what house you're sorted into."

"Thanks Mum." Nick said and gave me a hug.

Nick wasn't like the other first years. Since he was already at Hogwarts, he wouldn't be on the train, but Jason, Minerva, and I all agreed that he should be on the boats to "get the full Hogwarts experience", as Minerva put it. Hagrid agreed to take Nick with him when he went to pick up the other first years so that Nick could begin to get acquainted with his classmates. When I meet the first years outside the Great Hall, Nick waved to me, with a timid, nervous smile on his face.

When I read off the names of the first years to get sorted, I wanted to skip ahead to Nick, but since I was required to call the students alphabetically, I obviously couldn't do that. Finally, I came to his name. "Pasen, Nicholas!" I called proudly.

I smiled at Nick as he sat down on the stool. He smiled back, and I placed the sorting hat gently on his head. Time seemed to pass as slowly and grass grows, but finally we heard the word….

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Nick beamed, and the Gryffindors applauded as he found a seat at their table. When the feast began, I was originally going to go congratulate Nick, but decided it would be better not to, as it would probably embarrass him. After all, none of the other students parents went to congratulation came to congratulate their kids. Let him blend in, Lucianna. I reminded myself.

Unfortunately, Nick had a hard time blending in to begin with. Most of the students found out pretty quickly that I was his adoptive mother, and that had never happened at Hogwarts before, so therefore, it was considered "weird" by many students. On top on that, Nick was shy. He was much shier than I would have expected him to be. When I first adopted him at age seven, he was a bit shy towards the other professors and me, but I assumed he had grown out of that stage. Apparently, he hadn't, and it made me feel like a failure as a mother.

I asked Jason what to do about Nick's lack of friends. "I think he's afraid kids will misjudge him because he's a werewolf."

Jason thought for a moment. "I think I know the perfect person to help."

I give him a quizzical look. "Who?"

Jason smiled. "Teddy Lupin, of course. His father was a werewolf, after all. He would understand perfectly."

I pondered that thought. "Not a bad idea." I said.

That night, I called for both Teddy and Nick to come to my office. Teddy arrived first. "Am I in trouble, Professor?" he asked nervously.

Just as I was about to answer, Nick ran in. "Yes, Mum?" He asked but stopped short when he saw Teddy.

Teddy's eyes lit up. "Hey, I know you." he said. "You're a first-year in Gryffindor, aren't?"

Nick nodded. "Cool!" Teddy exclaimed. "I'm Teddy Lupin, and I'm a Gryffindor, too, expect I'm a second-year. You're… Nick, right?"

"Yeah," said Nick shyly.

Teddy smiled and turned to me. "So, Professor, why did you call for us at the same time?" he asked.

"It appears you and Nick have more in common than just being Gryffindors."

"Really?" asked Teddy. "Like what?"

"Well, Nick is a werewolf." I replied

Nick stared at me with fear and distrust. Teddy's eyes, however, lit up. "Really? " he asked again, glanced at Nick and looking him over. "I would have never guessed. But… why are you telling me?"

"Why don't you tell Nick about your father? Is that alright, Nick?"

"Yes." Nick muttered. I could tell he was angry with me for spilling his deepest, darkest secrets. Good mothers didn't do that to their son, but I only wanted to help him.

Teddy stared at me in confusion, but then he caught on. "Oh, I see!" he exclaimed, and turned to Nick. "Have you ever heard of Remus Lupin?"

"I… I think so." Nick stammered.

"Well, he was my dad. He did a lot for Harry Potter and protected him. He also served in the Order of the Phoenix and was killed by a death eater in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry Potter, who's also my godfather, told me my dad once taught him how to form a patronus. But that's not the only reason why I admire him." Teddy explained

"What's the other reason?" Nick asked, beginning to get over his shyness.

"My dad was a werewolf. He could have hated himself and what he was, but he didn't. He didn't give up until the day he died, and still to this day, he inspires me."

Nick was silent for a moment. "He sounds… amazing." He whispered.

Teddy laughed. "He is. That's why I get so upset when people make up lies about him." He paused for a moment. "Hey, do you want to eat lunch with my friends and me today? They're the best friends anyone could ever ask for, and they are very accepting and supportive of my dad, so they'll accept you for sure. We don't even have to tell them about your lycanthropy if you don't want to."

Nick smiled. "Sure. Thanks, Teddy."

I dismissed the boys, and watched them leave with a smile on my face. My son had finally found a friend, and I was sure every Hogwarts professor would agree; Teddy was the best friend any lonely student who needed someone to be there for them could have.