Professor Lupin
September 8th, 1971
The Gryffindor dormitory was buzzing with activity as the four boys settled in after their first few full days of classes. The small desks provided for each student were piled high with parchment, ink bottles, and open books, though only two of them seemed remotely interested in using any of it.
“Alright, I’ve got it this time,” James declared, waving his wand over his Charms essay.
Sirius glanced up from his spot sprawled across his bed, one leg dangling off the edge. “You’ve said that three times already, Potter. Face it—you’re doomed to mediocrity.”
James narrowed his eyes. “We’ll see who’s mediocre when Flitwick announces who got the highest marks.”
“You’re on,” Sirius said with a smirk, sitting up. He grabbed his own quill and began furiously scribbling.
Peter, seated at the desk nearest the window, stared helplessly at his Transfiguration homework. His parchment was covered in messy scratches and half-erased sentences. He groaned and pushed it away. “I don’t get it. How does visualizing a needle make a matchstick turn into one? It’s not working.”
“Show me,” Remus said, setting his own book aside. He leaned over to look at Peter’s notes, scanning them quickly. “Here, your wand movement is a bit off. It’s more of a sharp flick at the end, not a sweep.”
Peter mimicked the movement, looking uncertain. “Like this?”
“Perfect,” Remus said. “Now, try the incantation again.”
“Transfiguro acicula!” Peter said, his voice trembling slightly.
The matchstick wobbled, shimmered, and then turned into a lumpy, misshapen needle.
“I did it!” Peter said, grinning as he held it up.
“Well done,” Remus said with a small smile.
Peter beamed, but Sirius leaned over from his bed, raising an eyebrow. “Careful, Pete. You’ll make us all look bad with needles like that.”
“Better than yours,” Peter shot back, his newfound confidence surprising everyone.
“Professor Lupin strikes again,” James said, laughing as he dropped his quill and turned to Remus. “Seriously, where’d you learn all this? You’re better at explaining things than Flitwick and McGonagall combined.”
Remus flushed, ducking his head. “I’m not that good. I just… I don’t know. It makes sense, I suppose.”
“Don’t be modest,” Sirius said, grinning. “You’re a natural. Who knew we had a genius in the room?”
“I’m not—” Remus started, but James cut him off.
“Oh, you are. Admit it. The rest of us are out here struggling, and you’re breezing through everything. What’s your secret, Professor Lupin?”
Remus laughed despite himself, shaking his head. “No secret. I just… I didn’t think I’d be good at this. I never was before. When I was homeschooled, I was awful at everything—well, everything except reading.”
“Reading’s a start,” Sirius said, tossing a balled-up piece of parchment at him. “And now you’re a certified prodigy. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you humble.”
“Or we’ll just make you do all our homework,” James added, winking.
“You wish,” Remus said, smiling.
The evening wore on, the four boys falling into an easy rhythm despite the teasing. Sirius and James continued their competition, each trying to one-up the other with increasingly ridiculous wand flourishes.
“Accio quill!” Sirius said, attempting to summon James’s quill from across the room.
Instead, it launched itself into the air and hit Peter squarely in the forehead.
“Oi!” Peter exclaimed, rubbing his head.
“Sorry!” Sirius called, though he didn’t look sorry at all.
James snorted. “Nice one, Black. Let me show you how it’s done.”
“Don’t—” Peter started, but it was too late. James flicked his wand, and Peter’s ink bottle wobbled precariously before tipping over.
“Potter!” Peter yelped, grabbing for the bottle as it spilled black ink all over his desk.
“Oops,” James said, though he was laughing too hard to sound remorseful.
Remus sighed, pulling his wand out. “Tergeo.” The ink vanished instantly, leaving Peter’s desk spotless.
“You’re a lifesaver,” Peter said gratefully.
“And an overachiever,” Sirius muttered, though he was grinning.
As the night wore on, the pile of finished homework grew, though Sirius and James’s competition showed no signs of slowing.
“You know,” Sirius said, lounging back on his bed with his hands behind his head, “if we keep this up, we’ll be the top students in Gryffindor.”
James snorted. “Not with Lupin around. He’s already got the title of Professor.”
“Which makes us his loyal apprentices,” Sirius said dramatically. “Teach us your ways, oh wise one.”
Remus rolled his eyes but couldn’t help smiling. He felt like he belonged, even if it was among a group of absolute lunatics.
“Alright, apprentices,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “Let’s start with not spilling ink everywhere.”
The room erupted in laughter, and for a moment, Remus forgot about the scars, the full moons, and the weight he carried. Here, in this dormitory with these boys, he was just one of them. And for now, that was enough.