Chapter 2 Chapter 3
Chapter 1
My mother took me to Diagon Alley for my school supplies. I’d only been to town once before. I was completely overwhelmed by everything around me. I’ve always been fond of Quidditch and the sight of the brand new ‘Shooting Star’ was enough to take my breath away. My mother had to drag me, protesting, from the window. Mother bought me a great horned owl who I named Archimedes, with her pin money. I nearly cried, she’d been saving up to buy the final plate for her collection.
Two days later my mother and, much to my surprise, father, accompanied me to King’s Cross Station where I was to catch the train to school. We arrived an hour and a half early. I’d been up since 4:30 anxiously counting down the seconds before I was to go, checking and rechecking my trunk. I was eagerly awaiting my new adventure and nearly dragged my parents out the door when the time came for us to leave.
As the train sat puffing beside us, my mother wiped her eyes and suddenly I didn’t want to leave. I was about to travel to a new school god knows how many miles from home, I had a hideous ailment which would make anyone flee from me, and my mother was crying. As she blotted her face it occurred to me, for the first time in my life I was leaving my mother. Who would take care of me when I was sick? Who would comfort me when I was upset? Who would tuck me in at night? Suddenly my own eyes brimmed with tears. I hugged my mother fiercely, sobbing against her chest. What she said then must have taken a lot of courage. She’d always been overprotective and now, here was her only chick leaving the nest She held me at arms length and said to me: “Remus, you’re going to go to school and become the best damn wizard in the world. You’re going to make a lot of friends and you’re going to have fun. I love you. More than anything else, I love you.” She paused then, and continued so softly I could barely hear her, “No matter where you are. No matter what happens. I will always be with you.” With that she kissed me and shooed me onto the train. I think, in retrospect, she knew then that she’d never see me again.
I settled myself into an empty compartment and my mother and father disapparated home. I took out a book and tried not to cry. Fortunately for me I was soon engrossed in ‘The Lord of the Flies’ and had almost forgotten that I even had a mother, let alone that I was leaving her for the fist time in my life. The train pulled away from the station just as Jack and the twins were recounting the killing of the pig. The compartment door slid open and I found myself facing 4 males. A boy with blonde, almost white hair, a boy with black greasy shoulder length hair, and what appeared to be two gorillas. I looked at them over my book and cleared my throat, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to introduce myself or if they should introduce themselves. The blonde boy spoke, answering my unspoken question. “I’m Malfoy.” He jerked his head to the greasy boy beside him, “this is Snape,” and, indicating the two gorillas, “Crabbe and Goyle. And you are?”
“Remus, uh Lupin, Remus Lupin.” I sputtered.
Malfoy indicated to the seats in the compartment. “Are you going to invite us to sit down or not?” he said.
I moved my rucksack to the overhead rack and they sat down. I fumbled my book shut and placed it beside me. Malfoy, Snape, Crabbe and Goyle were ignoring me. I sat back and listened to their conversation.
“Father wanted me to go to Durmstrang,” Malfoy was saying, “He’s a friend of the headmaster. Mother wanted me closer to home though. They take a much more practical view of the dark arts there, they actually teach the dark arts instead of this ‘defense’ rubbish they teach at Hogwarts. My father says that when he went to Hogwarts they didn’t allow riff raff muggle born. into the school. Only students from pure wizarding families were allowed in. Now that Dumbledore has become headmaster though, well, the place has gone to the dogs.”
I felt a twinge of anger at Malfoy’s last statement; I had a deep respect for Professor Dumbledore. He had accepted me at Hogwarts when no other Headmaster would have. I wasn’t sure I liked these boys and their ideals; after all, I could be considered some of the riff raff they disliked, My grandmother was a muggle. As the voyage progressed I liked my new compartment mates less and less. I had never seen such prejudice and hatred especially in ones so young. I didn’t want to imagine what they’d do if they found out about my condition. Probably beat me to death, chop off my head and stick a willow branch in my heart. I was just thankful that they didn’t ask me any questions; in fact they barely acknowledged that I was present at all.
After an interminable time we arrived at Hogsmeade station. On the train platform was the largest man I'd ever seen in my life. He was easily twice as tall as a regular man with a thick mane and beard of unruly black hair. He called the first years over to him and led us to a platoon of little boats. I got into a boat with three boys who appeared to be friends. They smiled at me but didn’t say anything, I sat in the front of the boat and didn’t look round at them. My stomach was rolling with anticipation, and I put my head between my knees. I heard an excited gasp behind me and looked up to behold Hogwarts. The castle stood outlined against the black sky, twinkling with a thousand lights. This was where I was to spend the next seven years of my life, my stomach gave another lurch and I vomited.
One of the boys behind me spoke, “that was nice, I hope I don’t have to share a dorm with you.”
‘Welcome to Hogwarts,’ I thought to myself.
Chapter 2:
The next two weeks flew by in a blur. Most of the other students treated me like one of their own. They only exceptions were Malfoy, Snape, Crabbe and Goyle. I was sorted into Gryffindor House, which pleased, by mum, she was in Gryffindor when she attended Hogwarts. There were six boys in my year in Gryffindor. There were James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, the boys with whom I'd shared the boat, Frank Longbottom and myself. We were friendly with each other but I didn't allow myself to get close to any of them. I knew that as soon as they discovered what I am they would hate me.
On September 16 my disease reared its ugly head for the first time since I arrived at Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore set up special precautions for the other students' safety. When I first felt my illness affect me I went to the hospital wing. The matron, madam Pomphrey, was expecting me. She escorted me out to a gnarled, mean looking tree in the middle of the grounds. Madam Pomphrey touched a knot on the tree and I clambered into a secret passageway which led to a secure building in which I would remain until I was myself again. When I returned to school the next morning I felt, and looked, a wreck. I'd injured myself. I didn't want to go to class but I was afraid people would ask me questions if I was absent. I stumbled into my first class, charms, and tried, blearily, to concentrate. As Professor Flitwick, the charms professor, handed out feathers for us to levitate, James Potter leaned over and hissed "Where were you last night? You look like crap." Thankful that I'd worked out a story beforehand, I glibly lied and told him I'd been working late in the library and returned to the dormitory when everyone was asleep. James looked incredulous and my heart skipped a beat, then he smiled, punched me lightly on the shoulder and told me not to burn myself out trysting with the co-eds. I felt a tide of relief flood through me but I noticed James exchange a dark look with Sirius Black. I wondered how long it would take them to figure out my secret.
September faded imperceptibly into October. I fell into the school routine easily. Fortunately my condition affected me again on a Saturday so I was spared the grueling task of surviving next day's classes, as well as fending off questions regarding my absence. Halloween was a big affair at Hogwarts. The Great Hall was decorated with enormous jack-o-lanterns, and live bats fluttered about. We had a huge feast with enough sweets to put everyone into diabetic coma. Despite myself, over the past two months I'd become friendly with James, Sirius, and Peter, and we were chatting animatedly. When the golden plates finally cleared away we stood to leave but Professor McGonagall pulled me out of the Great Hall into an empty office. She looked very stern and I thought she was going to tell me off for becoming friendly with James, Sirius and Peter. I needn't have worried, what she told me was far, far worse.
My parents had been murdered. It seems that the 'people' in our village didn't like the fact that there was someone with my condition living among them. They sealed the doors and windows of our cabin put an apparation block over the area, and set fire to the cabin. As though the news of my parents murder wasn't bad enough I now had the knowledge that they'd burned to death, suffering terribly, because of me. I stared at Professor McGonagall, hoping against hop that this was some sort of joke. Then is sank in and I collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Professor McGonagall knelt beside me and pulled me into an awkward hug. No one, other than my mother, had ever hugged me. I felt as though I would explode with the pain. Then my pain turned into white-hot anger. I wanted to kill every person in my village. I wanted to torture them and burn them all alive like they'd done to my parents. I didn't even realize that Professor McGonagall had led me to the hospital wing. She sat me on a bed at the far end of the ward, let me change into a flimsy hospital gown, and gave me a potion. I immediately fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything in this story. Remus Lupin, Hogwarts and all associated things are the sole property and brainchild of J.K. Rowling. In addition I am making no money off of this story it’s just something to keep me from going insane at 3 o’clock in the morning when it’s slow at work.
The Shrieking Shack //
Snape's Dungeon //
The Gallery //
The Library
When we got the letter saying I’d been accepted at Hogwarts I didn’t know what to think. My mother cried. And my dad, well he never did much of anything. He just grunted and reached for his beer. I guess I was in shock. I never thought I’d get into Hogwarts with my condition. I should have been ecstatic. Me, Remus J. Lupin, attending the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. However, any joy I might have felt was grossly overshadowed by apprehension. Not only was I a hideous, terrifying monster, but I also had no social skills to speak of. From the time I was 4 years old, when I developed my condition, I had never interacted with anyone other than my family. I was somewhat up to date with the latest fads but I had no idea how to act around my peers. I hoped I wouldn’t be too much of an outcast.
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The Library Annex //
The Theatre //
What's New
The Floo //
The Kitchen //
The Marauder's Map