Thursday, 2nd September

Sirius growled to himself as he checked his reflection in the mirror the next morning. He had jerked awake at six o'clock despite his mother not being there to scream him awake. Members of The Ancient and Most Noble House of Black did not laze around in bed all day.

His hair was as perfect as always, and he was about to turn away when Remus walked in. He took one look at Sirius' irritated face in the mirror and scurried into a cubicle like a frightened mouse.

Dammit! He must think Sirius was angry at him, when he was just annoyed at his own inability to sleep-in.

Sirius stared at the closed cubicle door for a moment before deciding that talking to Remus while he was showering was a terrible idea and he would have better luck if he waited for him in the common room. He left the bathroom, tiptoed across the dorm room to get his school bag and crept out to wait by the fire for an opportunity to redeem himself.

He wasn't sure what he would say to Remus when he got the chance. How could he fix the mess he had made of everything? But he had to try.

Remus stood under the shower. The heated water streaming over his body was magnificent on his aching muscles. The shower was far more powerful than the one at home, and he knew it would help with the residual pain post-full moon. He was almost looking forward to it.

Finding Black already up and dressed when he entered the bathroom had startled him. He had expected everyone else to still be asleep and cursed himself for not thinking to check the other beds. If he had known Black was in the bathroom, he would have waited until after breakfast to shower. The boy had said nothing to him, but the glare he had given was bad enough. Remus cringed at the memory.

After he finished dressing, Remus grabbed his school bag and headed out of the room, being careful not to wake the others. There was no sense in antagonising them when they already disliked him. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he spotted Black sitting and staring into the fire with his back to the rest of the room.

Taking a deep breath, Remus hurried across the room towards the portrait hole on his tiptoes, hoping Black wouldn't notice him. When he reached the entrance, he pushed on the back of the portrait. He was almost away, but as the door swung open, the hinges creaked and Black's head whipped around, searching out the noise.

'Remus!'

Remus ignored him and clambered through the hole, shoving the portrait closed behind him in the hope it would slow Black down if he gave chase. He sprinted down the corridor looking for somewhere to hide. He ran for as long as he could, but after a while, he needed to stop and catch his breath. Bending over with his hands on his knees, he panted hard. It didn't seem like Black was coming after him. Good. Now he just needed to figure out where he was.

Remus looked around for a clue, signposts would be useful, but all he saw was an ugly stone gargoyle. As he studied it, the statue slid to the side and revealed a moving staircase behind it, slowly spiralling towards the ground around a central pillar. As Remus looked on, the Headmaster moved into view standing on the bottom step, and when the staircase came to a stop, Dumbledore stepped off and strolled over to Remus.

'Ah, Mister Lupin, how fortuitous that I should bump into you first thing this morning. Have you eaten?'

'No, sir.'

'Wonderful, perhaps you would like to join me in my office for breakfast? There are a few things we need to discuss.'

'Yes, sir.'

Remus felt like an idiot. Surely he could manage something more than a two-word response, but whenever he was in the Headmaster's presence, he found himself tongue-tied. Dumbledore must have been developing a terrible opinion of him.

'Wonderful,' Dumbledore said in a tone that suggested nothing in the world could make him happier than the company of an adolescent werewolf while he ate.

Dumbledore returned to the hidden staircase and Remus followed. When they stepped on, the stairs began moving back up, and the gargoyle sealed the gap behind them. They reached the top and stepped off onto the landing. Dumbledore pushed open the polished oak doors and led Remus into his office.

'Have a seat and I'll order the food.'

Remus took a seat at the small table Dumbledore indicated as the Headmaster summoned a house-elf and requested they send a meal-for-two up from the kitchen. The house-elf bowed before disapparating away. Moments later, a platter of breakfast foods appeared in the middle of the table, along with two plates and cutlery, two goblets and a pitcher of iced pumpkin juice. Dumbledore sat down opposite him.

'Help yourself.'

'Thank you, sir.'

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Remus was starving after his lacklustre meal the night before, and he was valiantly attempting to eat politely and not gobble the food down. Dumbledore studied him as he ate, and after a while, it was making Remus uncomfortable, so he broke the silence.

'You said there were things you wanted to talk to me about?'

'Yes, indeed. We must discuss the arrangements we've made for the full moon. It's on Sunday, I believe?'

Remus nodded.

'Our school medi-witch, Madam Pomfrey, is insisting on giving you a full check-up before then. So I will need to escort you down to the hospital wing after our meeting.'

Remus gulped at this news. He detested hospitals; they brought up memories he didn't enjoy thinking about, and he had been hoping to avoid the place until Sunday evening. But, he supposed, it would be better to face it sooner. It would make his first moon at Hogwarts less stressful if he was already familiar with his caretaker.

'But before we get to that, I wanted to speak with you about your experience here so far. How are you settling in? I noticed you seemed rather uncomfortable in the Great Hall last night.'

Dumbledore continued eating his food, concentrating on his plate and affording Remus the opportunity to gather his thoughts. He didn't know how to answer that question. Surely Dumbledore knew how infectious he was. But if he did, he wouldn't be confused about Remus' discomfort in the crowded dining hall. Was it possible that Dumbledore was unaware of how big a risk he had taken, allowing Remus into the school? And if that was the case, what would he do if Remus told him? Dumbledore might kick him out. Remus couldn't bear the thought. The only course of action was to use the lie he had prepared for the other students.

'I'm afraid of being touched, sir. The hall was crowded, and I was scared.'

Remus looked down at his plate while he spoke, so Dumbledore wouldn't see the lie in his eyes.

'Oh. I see. What an unfortunate phobia. That must be difficult for you, on top of everything else.'

'It can be, sir.'

'Well, I can see asking you to eat in the Great Hall with the other students would be unfair. I think the best thing to do is give you access to the kitchens so you can eat your food away from the crowds.'

Remus looked up in surprise.

'That would be wonderful, sir. But you've already given me so much special treatment; it doesn't seem fair.'

'Nonsense, Hogwarts prides itself on accommodating all our students' special needs.'

Dumbledore's smile was reassuring and Remus' guilt faded. This would make life so much easier.

'Thank you, sir. It's very kind of you.'

'You're most welcome, Mister Lupin. Now, moving on to less pleasant topics. The school has procured a small house for you to transform in. It's located on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, and our groundskeeper has dug a tunnel to the house from within the grounds. I believe he had help from his dog. We would like you to report to the hospital wing a full hour before moonrise, so Madam Pomfrey can escort you to the house. I assume you're proficient at calculating the times of the moon?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Good. The tunnel is the only way in or out, and it's guarded by the newly planted Whomping Willow—that was our Herbology professor's contribution—so no one will accidentally find you. Madam Pomfrey will show you around on Sunday.'

They were giving him a house. An entire house. All for him. He didn't know what to say.

'Thank you, sir.'

Dumbledore smiled again.

'Right, it's almost time for lessons to start. Let's check your timetable.'

Dumbledore stood and walked over to his desk, and Remus followed him. The headmaster picked up a book and touched his wand to it. The book opened, the pages flicking through to somewhere near the middle.

'Ah, here we are. Wonderful. You have a free period first, followed by Transfiguration. That means we can go to the hospital wing now. Poppy will be pleased. She's quite eager to meet you. But I'll take you to the kitchens first and introduce you to the house-elves.'

Dumbledore opened a drawer in his desk, pulled out a blank sheet of parchment and placed it on the desk next to the book. He tapped each item with his wand, and a replica of Remus' timetable appeared on the parchment. Dumbledore handed it to him, and Remus looked it over, noting he had double Potions after lunch and would need to retrieve his kit and cauldron from the dorm.

'Now, I believe it would be wise to conceal you while we travel through the school. It wouldn't do to start tongues wagging by having you seen with the headmaster on your first day. This won't hurt at all, but it will feel strange. Hold still.'

Dumbledore tapped him on the head with his wand, and Remus experienced the uncomfortable sensation of an egg being cracked on his head and dribbling down his back. He looked down at himself and found his body no longer looked like his body. It had taken on the exact colour and texture of his surroundings, essentially rendering him invisible.

Remus gasped. 'Brilliant!'

'Yes, it is rather,' Dumbledore said, with a twinkle in his eye. 'Right, follow me.'

Dumbledore led the way out of the office and down the corridor, heading back in the direction Remus had run earlier that morning. When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Dumbledore glanced around and, seeing no one, he spoke to Remus.

'I thought it best to lead you from a familiar location. So, from here, it's straight down the stairs.'

They travelled the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the ground floor, they continued to descend another flight to the subterranean levels. Remus took careful note of which turns they took as they moved through the corridors, looking for notable objects to serve as landmarks so he would remember the way. After several minutes, they stopped in front of a still life painting of a bowl of fruit.

'This is the entrance to the kitchen, to open it just tickle the pear.'

Remus reached out with his strange, camouflaged hand and did as instructed. The pear squirmed and giggled, and the painting swung open.

A blast of humid air hit Remus in the face, and the noise of a hundred house-elves, all talking at once, assaulted his ears. He stepped through the door, and Dumbledore followed. After it closed behind them, the headmaster lifted the charm from Remus. One elf separated itself from the rest and approached them, bowing low to Dumbledore.

'Master Dumbledores, sir. How cans Teely be of assistance?'

'Hello, Teely. How is everything in the kitchens?'

'Everythings is very goods, Master Dumbledores, sir. We are finishing cleaning up breakfast and beginning preparings the snacks for hungry students'.'

'That's good to hear Teely. I knew it was the right decision to make you kitchen manager. You're doing an excellent job.'

The house-elf grinned at Dumbledore's praise.

'Now. This is Mister Remus Lupin. He has a problem that makes it difficult for him to eat in the hall with everyone else, so he will be coming to eat in the kitchen every day. Please look after him for me.'

'Oh, yes, sir! Teely will takes very good care of Master Lupin.'

'Thank you, Teely. Mr Lupin is afraid of being touched, so try not to crowd him, okay?'

'Yes, sir! We wills be very careful, very careful indeeds.'

'Very good, you may continue with your work now. Have a good day.'

'I will, sir! And yous has a good day too, sir.'

Teely turned on her heel and scuttled back into the depths of the kitchen, melting into the scenery so fast that Remus soon could not distinguish her from the rest of the elves.

Dumbledore reapplied the disillusionment charm before leading him back into the maze of corridors and up to the first floor where the hospital wing was located. They entered through the double doors and, seeing there were no patients, Dumbledore lifted the charm again.

A young woman in red robes and a white apron bustled out of a door at the back of the room. Her dark brown hair was secured in a bun and covered with a white cap.

'Good morning, Headmaster. And hello, you must be Remus. It's good to finally meet you.'

'Hello,' Remus said, suddenly feeling shy.

The medi-witch was young and pretty. That would make the full moons embarrassing.

'Good morning, Poppy. Yes, this is Remus, I've learnt this morning that he does not like to be touched. I hope that won't make things difficult for you?'

'Of course not. We can work around that, can't we, Remus? No problem at all.'

The way the medi-witch said, "of course not," sounded to Remus as if she, at least, was aware of the risk of infection. He breathed out a relieved sigh. He wouldn't need to worry about her touching him while he was unconscious.

'Wonderful. I'll leave Remus in your capable hands then. He has Transfiguration in half an hour. I hope that will be long enough for you to complete your tests?'

'That's plenty. This won't take long at all.'

'Very good. Goodbye, Mister Lupin. I hope you have a pleasant first day.'

'Goodbye, sir. And thank you again. For everything.'

Remus hoped Dumbledore understood he meant allowing him to come to school at all, as well as everything he had done that morning.

'Right, young man. Let me show you the room we've set up for you. It's through my office to keep out anyone trying to snoop.'

Madam Pomfrey led him through her office and into a room hidden behind a bookcase. The walls, floor and ceiling of the private space were all a pale blue, and the room contained nothing but a hospital bed with a table next to it. There was a small window in one wall which overlooked the Great Lake. It was a beautiful and tranquil view, and Remus anticipated it would be soothing to recuperate here.

'Now, I assume the Headmaster told you I want to give you a full check-up?'

Remus nodded.

'It's nothing to worry about. It's just so I have a record to compare with on Monday morning. Okay, first things first. I want to measure your height and weight.'

She conjured a set of scales in the corner and motioned for Remus to step on to them. He did so, and she tutted at the result. She checked his height with a spell and told him to take a seat on the bed.

'Remus, you're very underweight for your height. And quite short for your age. I have to ask, are you getting enough to eat at home?' she said, gazing at him with an expression of concern.

'Oh, yes. I get plenty to eat. I just find it hard to eat the day of the moon, and after, my throat is too sore to swallow for a couple of days.'

'That makes sense, and transforming probably uses a lot of energy too. You were bitten when you were four?'

Remus nodded.

'Just before my fifth birthday.'

'So, the effects have built up over time,' she said, looking pained. 'Well, I'm sure we can remedy this. I'll have a look into possible solutions. For now, let's finish the check-up.'

She waved her wand in a complicated motion, and a stream of parchment erupted from the end. She looked it over, frowning and raising her eyebrows in turn as she read. When she reached the end, she turned to Remus.

'Considering how long you've been a werewolf, you're in surprisingly good health. Undernourished, but otherwise fine.'

'That's good,' Remus said, unsure how else to respond to such a statement.

'It is.'

She stared at him for a moment before sitting down next to him on the bed.

Has the Headmaster told you about the plans for the full moons?' she asked.

'Yes, I'm to come here an hour before moonrise, and you'll take me to the house in Hogsmeade.'

'That's right. We've done our best to make it comfortable for you.'

She checked the time on her wrist and startled.

'You need to get to Transfiguration.'

She hurried him out of the room and to the main doors.

'Go down the main staircase to the ground floor. When you reach the entrance hall, take the corridor to your right. It's right at the end. Have a lovely day, Remus.'

She waved him off and disappeared back into the hospital wing.

Remus followed her directions, and they led him straight to the Transfiguration classroom. The rest of the class were already inside, and Professor McGonagall was just standing up to address the class. Remus entered the classroom and glanced around for an empty seat. Spotting a desk with no occupants, he scuttled over to it and sat down, pulling quill and parchment from his bag as he did so. McGonagall watched him find his seat but made no comment about his tardiness. Remus figured she already knew where he had been.

Sirius sat at the back of the Transfiguration classroom staring at the door, waiting for Remus to arrive. He hadn't seen the boy since he darted out of the common room first thing that morning. There had been no sign of him at breakfast, and Sirius was concerned that he had scared Remus out of eating. He had looked for him during their free period for about fifteen minutes before James had dragged him off to explore the castle. They had found nothing interesting during the random search, but James was adamant they would if they just kept at it.

Professor McGonagall standing up drew Sirius' attention to the front of the room, but just as she did so, the classroom door opened, and Remus walked in. Sirius was relieved to see he was okay but surprised when McGonagall didn't comment on his lateness. Acting as though the interruption had never happened, she began her lecture.

'Welcome, first-years, to your first Transfiguration lesson. I'm sure it will disappoint most of you to learn that, for the time being, this class will consist only of theory,' she said.

The class groaned as one.

'I know, you all want to start waving your wands around and making things change, but you will have no success with Transfiguration until you understand the theory. This is because, unlike Charms, Tansfiguration relies on more than just words and wand movements. There are several variables involved, and they must all work in balance or you will fail. Now, who can tell me what one of those variables is?'

Several people raised their hands. Sirius glanced over and saw Remus was one of them.

'Yes, Mister Lupin?'

'The size of the target object, Professor?'

'Correct, Mister Lupin. Five points to Gryffindor.'

She waved her wand, and his answer appeared on the board with an S next to it in brackets.

'The size of the target matters a great deal. Anyone else?'

Sirius saw that Remus had, again, raised his hand, but the teacher called on someone else this time.

'Yes, Miss Evans?'

'Um, I don't quite know how to put this; the thing you want to change it into?'

'Very good, Miss Evans. Five points to Gryffindor.'

Miss Evans was the red-haired girl they'd argued with on the train, and she sat next to the same greasy kid as before. Except now, she was wearing Gryffindor colours, and he was wearing Slytherin's. How could either of them bear it? She beamed at the boy, and he smiled back at her. It was weird.

'We call that variable, intent. Your intention is also a very important factor.'

She waved her wand, and the word 'intent' appeared on the board with a letter 'I', in brackets, beside it.

'Anyone else? Yes, Mister Snape?'

'Wand power, Professor.'

'Correct, Mister Snape. Five points to Slytherin. Although it's not so much the power of your wand that is important, but rather the innate power within yourself, which you channel through your wand.'

She wrote 'power' on the board and a 'P' next to it in brackets with a wave of her wand.

'We will come back to power in a moment, but first, does anyone know the final two variables?'

Remus was the only one to raise his hand. Sirius wondered how he knew the answer when no one else did.

'Yes, Mister Lupin again?' McGonagall said, smiling at Remus.

'Focus and variety, Professor,' he said.

'Exactly right, Mister Lupin. 10 points to Gryffindor.'

She turned to the board and waved her wand, writing 'focus (F)' and 'variety (V)', and Remus grinned.

'Some people change this variable to viciousness to be amusing, but "variety" is the correct term. We will go over each of these during today's lesson, but we will begin with power because it's important that you all understand your limitations and the consequences of moving beyond them.'

She leant back against her desk and clasped her hands in front of her.

'As you grow and develop, your magical cores will grow along with your body, and they will also grow with gentle exercise, like a muscle. By using your magic, you will exercise your core. However, if you over-do it, you will deplete your core, and that is very dangerous.'

She paused and scanned the classroom as if checking to make sure everyone was paying attention.

'Mister Potter, can you tell me why it's dangerous?'

James jumped in his seat next to Sirius, shoving a piece of parchment into his pocket.

'Um, because it might explode, Professor?'

Everyone in the classroom laughed when Professor McGonagall pinched the bridge of her nose and said, 'No, Mister Potter, your magical core will not explode if you deplete it. Five points from Gryffindor for not paying attention.'

James blushed but sat up straighter in his chair as if to say he didn't care that everyone was laughing at him.

'It is dangerous to deplete your magical core because, unlike a muggle, a witch or wizard depends on their magic to live. You may be lucky and only find yourselves in a coma until the next full moon, or you may die.'

At the sounds of the gasps from around the classroom, she nodded.

'Yes. It is that serious. Now, can anyone tell me why the coma would end after the full moon?'

No one raised their hands, not even Remus. Sirius knew because he was watching him.

'Nobody? Very well. It is because our magical cores are linked to the cycle of the moon. When the moon is full, our cores enter a state of dormancy, effectively shutting down for a few hours, and cleanse themselves. If depleted, they will also draw power from the world to replenish. We can still do magic during this period, but its power is lessened and our immunity to disease is also lower. The full moon is not a good time to do anything dangerous. In fact, most people choose to just stay at home when the moon is full.'

Sirius was still watching Remus and saw him frown. He seemed to be deep in thought about something. He wished he could read the other boy's mind to find out what he found so interesting.

James elbowed him in the side. Sirius jerked and turned to glare at him.

'Stop staring. People will think you fancy him,' James said.

Sirius flushed and turned his attention back to McGonagall.

'We have designed the Hogwarts curriculum to exercise your cores without over-exerting them. As long as they are not completely depleted, they will replenish themselves almost instantaneously. It is extremely important that you do not attempt magic beyond the level at which you are being taught in class. If you wish to try a spell, and you are unsure whether it's within your current ability, I implore you to first. Check. With. A. Teacher.'

She glared at the class for a moment before continuing.

'For most of you, the curriculum should be well within your abilities. We have created it with the smallest magical cores in mind. However, that does not mean you should just start casting spells taught in seventh year. Do you all understand?'

'Yes, Professor,' the class chorused.

Professor McGonagall nodded, satisfied.

'Good. Moving on. The success of your transfiguration will depend on the power available to you in your magical core, and whether this exceeds the total value of the spell you are attempting to cast. It is possible to lower the power needed to cast by honing your focus, but few bother to do so.'

She wrote an equation on the board: (V x S) + (I x S) / F = total - P = T.

'The value of T must be zero or below for the transfiguration to succeed.'

Sirius glanced around the room. Most of the class appeared as baffled as he felt. Remus, though, was chuckling.

Sirius leant closer to James and whispered, 'Do you have any idea what she's talking about?'

'Not a clue, mate. I reckon she might be insane,' James whispered back.

'Let's take variety first. Who knows what they are?' Professor McGonagall asked, continuing her lesson.

Sirius thought he might know the answer to this one, and he wanted to impress Remus, so he raised his hand.

'Yes, Mister Black?'

'Well, there are four different types of things: objects, plants, animals and people. Is that what you mean?'

'That is correct, well done. Ten points to Gryffindor.'

Sirius looked over at Remus to see if he was impressed, but the other boy was looking at the teacher, oblivious to Sirius' gaze.

'When transfiguring a simple object, the variety value is one. Simple plants begin at four. Small mammals are a nine, and a human is an eleven. The same is true for the intent value. If you are turning your target into a simple object, the intent value is one and so on.'

She waved her wand, and the information appeared on the board for them to copy down.

'You will be learning object-to-object transfiguration this year, so both your variety and intent values will be a one to begin with. By the end of the year, you should be working on objects of level three. Now, size is obvious. The smaller your target object, the easier it will be to transfigure. Size values range from a one to a six. But who can tell me what is meant by focus?'

Remus was the only student to raise his hand.

'Yes, Mister Lupin,' Professor McGonagall said, giving him a wide smile.

'To transfigure something, the witch or wizard must visualise what they want to turn it into in its entirety. Focus is the representative value of how proficient you are at visualising,' he said, sounding like he was quoting from the textbook.

'That is correct again, Mister Lupin. 5 points to Gryffindor. Visualisation is the most important aspect of transfiguration. If you forget a single part, then you will fail. That is why human transfiguration is far more difficult than object transfiguration. The human body is just more complex. The minimum focus level is a two, and most of you will never exceed this level. To do so requires training and dedication, but it's possible to get this value up as high as ten. With a higher focus level, it requires less power to make the equation equal less than zero. That is why there are cases of witches or wizards being better at transfiguration than their more powerful peers. They have superior focus. With all that in mind, who can tell me what values you will need for power and focus to turn a matchstick into a needle? You have five minutes to think about it, and you may discuss with your neighbours,' Professor McGonagall said, before taking a seat at her desk and looking through paperwork.

Sirius looked at James, but James just shrugged. Peter turned around in his seat, looking confused. None of them had any idea how to work out the answer to the question, so James pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket, and they all played hangman instead.

Five minutes later, Professor McGonagall stood from her seat.

'Does anyone have the answer?'

Remus raised his hand, and so did a few other people in the room.

'Yes, Mister Snape?' she said.

He was the only Slytherin to have volunteered. Sirius guessed she wanted to give them another chance at earning points.

'If focus is two, then you would need a power level of one to succeed,' Snape said.

'Correct. Well done, Mister Snape. Five points to Slytherin.'

Sirius had no idea how he had worked that out. Probably cheated.

'Of course, that value is the bare minimum, and casting the spell with a power level of one would deplete the caster's magical core and cause a coma or death. You all will currently have a power level of three, at the very least, and by the end of the year, you will be at a minimum of five. Those are minimum values, however, and most of you will already be at a five now and will be as high as nine by the end of the year.'

She smiled at the class and continued, 'That concludes our lesson for today. For homework, I would like you to pick two objects: a target and an intent. Work out your objects' values, and complete the equation for them. Then write a paragraph explaining how much power would be required to perform the transfiguration and why. To be handed in on Monday. You may go.'

The classroom erupted in a cacophony of chair scraping, parchment rustling and chatter as the students prepared to leave. James grabbed Sirius' arm to get his attention.

'Let's use the next free period to plan some mischief!'

A slow smile spread across Sirius' face.

'I'm in.'