Remus awoke the following morning feeling cross and ill. He hadn't slept well. His cold demeanor toward his roommates the night before had had the desired effect. He could hear them whispering about him through the curtains that hung around his bed as they prepared for sleep, and not one of them had spoken to Remus before heading down to breakfast the following day.
Remus dressed alone before making his solitary way toward the Great Hall. He wasn't feeling hungry, but he had eaten so little the night before, and he knew he would need his strength to get through the first day of classes. Selecting a seat at the farthest end of the Gryffindor table, he forced himself to nibble on a slice of unbuttered toast while he studied his course schedule.
It was not merely nerves that plagued him as he swallowed a mouthful of pumpkin juice. The moon would reach its fullest on Sunday. Very likely, he would need to be confined on Saturday. His stomach clenched uncomfortably as he wondered what preparations had been made for him. He had not spoken to Dumbledore since the elderly wizard paid his visit to the Lupin residence, and though he had seen the Headmaster during the opening feast, he had never met his eye.
His life, from necessity, had been built around the obsessive observance of the cycles of the moon. He didn't think it was possible for another subject to distract him from his upcoming transformation. But after finishing his meager breakfast and gathering this course schedule in hand, he soon found an altogether new and unexpected challenge. Hogwarts was impossible to navigate.
Between the moving staircases, vanishing steps, and doors that at certain times of day opened onto a solid brick wall, the castle itself seemed a living thing. It was constantly changing. Remus wondered how anyone could manage to get to their classes on time. When at last he found the Charms classroom, panting and wheezing from the effort of racing down the hall, he had already forgotten to worry about the full moon.
"Sorry!" he gasped, his face turning red as nineteen other students turned to stare at him. Despite his efforts, he was the very last to arrive. "I was halfway up the staircase when it moved. I ended up on the fifth floor, and had to find another way down…"
"It's quite alright, Mr. Lupin," said Professor Flitwick, a very short man with fluffy white hair. His tone was rather kind, and there was a knowing expression on his face that suggested he had been acquainted with Remus's condition. "We must make allowances for first-years finding their way. Why don't you take a seat next to Miss Evans?"
Indeed, Lily Evans was seated nearby. On her left was one of the girls she had been chatting with during the feast the night before, but a seat on her right remained empty. At Professor Flitwick's suggestion, she smiled at Remus and motioned to the chair. Remus turned away without a word, pointedly choosing a seat on the opposite side of the room. With any luck, Evans would forget about him as easily as his roommates had done.
Or so he thought. After a brief introduction to the levitation charm, followed by a practical demonstration, their first Charms class came to an end, and Remus was immediately confronted by Evans.
"Is it just me you take issue with, or are you determined to be rude to everyone you meet?"
Inwardly, Remus sighed. It would not be as easy to ignore her as he had hoped. While Potter, Black, and Pettigrew continued down the hall, heedless of his existence, Evans had lingered behind. He hadn't been expecting such a blunt approach, and he took a moment to think before he replied, "I'm here to learn, not to make friends."
"And you can't do both?" Evans asked.
Remus merely shrugged, hoping she would allow the question to pass unanswered.
Evans seemed to interpret his silence in her own fashion, for she presently smiled, and announced, "Well, that does make me feel better. I almost thought I'd done something to offend you. But if you're just shy, then you're not much different than… Sev!"
She broke off, her attention arrested by the sight of a familiar head of greasy black hair. Severus Snape was newly adorned in the colors of his house, just as Remus and Evans' school robes had assumed the scarlet and gold colors of Gryffindor overnight. His hooked nose had been bent toward his course schedule, trying, Remus did not doubt, to ascertain the quickest route to his next class. As Evans pronounced his name, however, he turned toward them with a pleasant smile. But seeing Remus by Evans' side dispelled the expression in a moment, as if he was embarrassed to betray even this slight sign of affection before an interloper.
Remus, on the other hand, allowed himself a satisfied smirk as Evans quickly abandoned him to converse with her friend. He had a feeling Snape would feel more kindly disposed toward him if he knew that Remus had no intention of setting himself up as a rival for Evans' affection.
Indeed, he had plenty of time to observe the pair later that day. The first-year Gryffindors shared Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins, and while the two houses seemed to naturally segregate themselves from one another, Evans bravely, or perhaps thoughtlessly, selected a place next to Snape at the start of class. This drew the attention of Potter and his two companions, but the other students were too wrapped up in their own conversations to notice anything unusual. Only Remus, alone as usual at the very back of the classroom, had leisure to observe the smirks of Potter and Black, and the open-mouthed, questioning gaze of Pettigrew.
Their teacher, Professor Corvus, was a middle-aged woman with a clear complexion and tawny skin. Her hair was cropped very short, and was so black it appeared almost blue in the light streaming through the tall, mullioned windows of their classroom. Her eyes, as dark as her hair, appeared cold at first, but as she turned to survey her students, her soft smile put Remus more at ease. A thin scar stretched over her narrow nose, and Remus found himself wondering if it had been caused by a curse, or by one of the creatures he saw lurking in murky glass tanks behind her desk.
"In this class, we will study both the knowledge of dark creatures and the practical application of defensive magic," Professor Corvus explained once initial introductions were complete. "We will start with common household pests, such as gnomes and imps, then move into nocturnal beasts. The spells we will practice should help you defend yourselves against such creatures. For example, can anyone tell me how to best avoid a gytrash?"
A few students shifted uncomfortably in their seats, looking as though they had never heard of such a creature, let alone knew how to confront one. Even Remus was stunned by the question. He had heard the creature mentioned in a few Muggle novels, but even these described the gytrash merely as a spectral dog, said to prey on unsuspecting travelers caught on the road late at night. He didn't think Muggle folktales were what Professor Corvus had in mind.
Only one hand shot into the air. Snape, seated at the front of the class, was ready with his answer the moment Professor Corvus acknowledged him.
"The gytrash is vulnerable to bright light. It can be frightened away by a simple wand-lighting spell," Snape said in a rush. He dug into the pocket of his robes and withdrew his wand, saying as he did so, "Like this, lumos!"
The end of his wand ignited with a bright, white light. Professor Corvus nodded her approval, and said, "Exactly. Well done, Mister…?"
"Snape, ma'am," said Snape with undisguised pride.
"Very well, Mr. Snape. Five points to Slytherin."
From the row directly in front of Remus, James Potter scoffed loudly. But if Professor Corvus heard him, she feigned not to notice. She had already resumed her lecture, and was advising the rest of the class that they, too, would be learning the wand-lighting spell in the course of the following weeks.
"Big deal," Potter whispered, leaning close to Black. He kept his voice low, but it was still intelligible to Remus's sensitive hearing. "Any baby with a wand can cast that spell. I'd've done it myself, if I knew what one of those jaye… gye… whatever she said was..."
"Gytrash," Black whispered back, "Big spooky dog. Actually, I rather like them…"
Professor Corvus had turned her back to them. Waving her wand across the blackboard at the front of the class, she conjured up a rough outline for the rest of the term. While she directed the students to take note of the schedule, Snape turned in his seat. He seemed to have realized they were gossiping about him, for he glared at the Gryffindor side of the classroom.
Black let out a low whistle. "See how he looks at you, James! I think he might have heard you…"
Potter snorted, "Let him hear me. He could know every curse in the spellbook, and I still wouldn't be afraid of him.."
Potter continued to whisper his insults a bit longer, but Snape had already turned away. He was attentively copying the notes that Professor Corvus had placed on the board, and seemed to feel that Potter and Black were no longer worth his notice.
Remus had little opportunity to eavesdrop on Potter and Black's conversation. Professor Corvus was interested in gauging what prior information they had gleaned about dark creatures, and posed a series of questions for them to answer independently, referencing their textbooks as needed. Remus could see the muggle-born students, among them Evans, puzzling over their work. Occasionally she leaned close to Snape, presumably asking for clarification on some term. Remus had his own work cut out for him. His father worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical creatures, and had given him some information. But this was all jumbled together with the fairytales his mother often read to him. He could not now recall, for example, if vampires were truly adverse to garlic, and spend some time pondering the question of whether gnomes were said to wear little pointed hats.
He was rather pleasantly occupied when distantly a bell tolled through the castle, and Professor Corvus called, "That will do for today. You may leave your papers at your desks. Mr. Lupin? If you would collect everyone's work and bring it to me before you leave, please."
Remus had already stuffed his book into his bag and was preparing to dart out of the classroom, determined to be on-time for the final class of the day. But when he heard his name, he paused. He had been silent, purposely avoiding notice, and yet Professor Corvus seemed to single him out. No one else seemed aware of anything amiss. Remus watched as they happily chatted with their friends, drifting casually out of the classroom and taking no notice of him.
Sensing some hidden intent behind the professor's instruction, he reluctantly made his way toward the front of the classroom, gathering papers as he went. By the time he stood before her desk, a stack of parchment in his hands, the classroom was empty. Professor Corvus swept her wand across the board, clearing her notes, then turned a kind smile toward Remus.
"Forgive me for asking you to stay behind," she said, "But I wanted to speak with you, privately."
Remus expected as much. He waited patiently for Professor Corvus to begin. No doubt she wanted to discuss his curse. He braced himself for an interrogation about his condition, or even a string of sneering insults at the mistake Dumbledore had made in inviting him to the school. What he had not expected was for Professor Corvus to take a seat at her desk and push a schedule toward him.
"You heard me say we will be studying nocturnal creatures in a few weeks?" she asked.
Remus nodded his head, glancing briefly at the paper she had pushed toward him. It appeared to be a detailed syllabus of her course topics.
"I will be instructing the class on the treatment of werewolf bites. I wanted you to be prepared, so that there will be no surprises in class."
Remus was grateful for the warning, for he flinched the moment she said "werewolf." He then chastised himself for being so weak. If he reacted that way any time werewolves were mentioned, his secret would not remain so for long.
Professor Corvus paused for a few seconds, then she tentatively added, "You understand, of course, that when I say treatment... That there is no cure for lycanthropy? Once bitten..."
"I know there isn't a cure," Remus said quickly. His parents had taken him to so many healers after he was attacked, and they all said the same thing, "You can treat the bite to prevent infection, but it won't stop you from transforming."
Professor Corvus nodded. "I thought the subject might be distressing for you, so I decided to advise you of it now. If you would rather be excused, I understand. I do not expect you to sit through a werewolf lecture. If you do not wish to participate, do not force yourself."
This was a courtesy he had not expected to find in any of his professors. He knew that Dumbledore would need to advise the faculty of his arrival, but to be treated with such consideration astonished him. Professor Corvus seemed to genuinely care about his comfort, and he couldn't understand it.
"Thank you, professor..." he said tentatively, "But I'll be fine."
"I have no doubt of it," Professor Corvus said, rising from her desk and taking the stack of papers Remus still held in his hands. She began to walk with Remus toward the door of the classroom, still smiling in her kind way as she added, "I hope I am not the first to say welcome to Hogwarts? I am quite pleased you decided to come."
Remus could have said it wasn't his choice, but he was too bewildered by the welcoming to say anything other than, "You are?"
"I suppose you could say we're kindred spirits."
They had reached the threshold of the classroom. Professor Corvus had walked with him as far as the door, but she stopped, as though intending to turn back once Remus was shown out. But her last words had rooted him to the spot, and he was gazing at her with a new sort of wonder. Glancing into the hall to make sure they were not overheard, he asked in a hushed voice, "Kindred spirits? Then you're... You're not a... werewolf, are you?"
The professor's expression did not change, but there was a bitter note to her voice as she replied, "Not exactly. But I think I understand a little of what you're going through. I understand what it's like to feel out of control... To be betrayed by my own body... But out situations are different. I would help you, if I could. But for now, all I can do is make you comfortable in my class. You will let me know if you're struggling, won't you?"
What else could he do but nod his head? His mind was already swimming with the implications of this speech. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Before he could be on his way, free to ponder the mystery on his own, Professor Corvus called him back once more.
"I do hope you enjoy your time here at Hogwarts, Mr. Lupin," she said genially, "You may be nervous now, but eventually, you will look back on these days and regret that they passed so swiftly."