Promises

15th July, 1971,11:32 p.m, Lupin household

When Remus Lupin was a child, he never broke a promise. When he was a teen and started to hang out with kids that had a knack for trouble, he would break some here and there to get out of trouble. When he was an adult, he broke one every other day about small, insignificant things like promising he would be home by nine when he knew he would work late. But when he looked back on his childhood, he couldn’t remember ever promising something and not holding up to it.

Not when he was 5 and he promised his dad that he would never tell anyone about his ’issue’. Not when he was 7 and the nice redhead girl in Cokeworth made him keep the chessboard she gave him before he moved away to a different place (he didn’t tell her that wizards don’t use muggle chessboards, she was a muggle, after all). And not even when he was 10 and his mum made him swear not to tell his dad that she thought that he could go to Hogwarts.
Remus knew that was a false dream. Hogwarts didn’t accept people like him. That was that. He’d be homeschooled and moving around the UK every year. Like it’s always been.

Or so he thought.

His entire perspective of life was being taken out of the nice box remus had put it in and ripped apart, strangled, stomped on, and replaced. He had been sitting on the armchair in the living room late at night, waiting for his father to come home. The fireplace cracked as remus flipped the page of The Hobbit. He thought that it was a good book, despite what his friend Jack said (Jack only likes comics, anyway). The calico cat, which six-year-old Remus had named Calico, had curled up on the couch and was sleeping soundly.

His fingers were about to flip the page as the fire made a sound different than the other ones.
Remus looked up just as the flames turned green.

Then the guy walked out of it.

Remus blinked, unsure of what to do. The guy didn’t look like he could rob the house. He looked like he couldn’t even stand, he was so old.

“Mr. Lupin”

“Hi…sir”

The man who somehow knew his name and address was very strange. Even if you could look past the waist length beard, the pointed hat, and the kind of robes that Dad only wore when he was catching up with ‘old friends’, walking straight out of the fireplace was weird.

“Do you know who I am, Remus?”, asked The Strange Man.

Being completely honest, Remus had no clue who this guy was and thought that it was a bit stuck up to be asking that to a boy who barely knows anything about the ‘wizarding world’.

“I’ve seen you before. I just can’t remember your name. Sorry”, Remus lied.

It was just then his mother came downstairs, clearly surprised. She was hurriedly taking out the rollers in her hair and fixing her nightgown, as if trying to impress someone.

“Dumbledore! What a surprise!”, Hope said whilst trying to fix the state of the living room without being obvious.

Hope Lupin, by anyone’s standards, was a perfect woman. She married an attractive man at 22, had a son at 24, never faltered when said son became a human eating monster that needed to kill something so badly, it attacked itself, and always looked. perfect.
Remus looked like her, somewhat. He took her mousy brown hair, face shape and her wide eyes, but that was about it. He looked mostly like his dad.

“And you, Remus! It’s 12 am! Go to sleep!”, Hope yelled.

Right now, his dad was on his way home from work, hence why Remus was up so late in the first place.

“Mum, I can’t go to sleep knowing that a guy that looks like he wants to talk to me is just downstairs. Am I right, sir?”

“Quite right, Mr. Lupin”, answered the Dumbledore guy.

“Well, you won’t be talking about Hogwarts! Lyall isn’t even home and I’m a muggle!”, Hope exclaimed.

It was that exact moment in which Lyall Lupin walked through the door.
Over the last 6 years, Lyall had gained dark eye bags and a long, jagged scar on his right arm from one particularly severe full moon. While Remus had Hope’s hair and eyes, he had everything else taken from his father. His nose, his boring, brown eyes (seriously, his mom’s eyes were the most beautiful blue he’d ever seen), his lanky limbs, and, of course, the stupid, ugly, crooked, crisscrossed teeth.

“Professor Dumbledore? It’s the middle of the night. What could possibly be this urgent?”, Lyall questioned worriedly.

Professor? At Hogwarts, surely. Dumbledore was obviously a wizard. They’re just wasn’t something about him that seemed to be the teach your children that vibe. All of Remus’ past teachers would dress in warm tones and smile at him when they saw him like he was their favorite student. Which, he probably was. Dumbledore, however, looked as though he had 1000 favorite students in his career.

“Well, Lyall, as you know, it’s the 15th of July. Which, as you also know, is also the day in which is when all Hogwarts students receive their letter.”

What?!

Hogwarts, as in the school that would never in a million years accept a werewolf, was giving him a letter? The letter that would accept him into the school? Was this a mistake? There had to be another Remus Lupin in the UK. No way there wasn’t.

“Dumbledore, you know about his condition, right? This isn’t a cruel joke or something?” Lyall questioned.

“I assure you, this letter”, Dumbledore produced a very nice looking letter from his robes,”belongs to a Mr. R. Lupin, 2nd bedroom on the second floor of Maesmwar Road, Llangollen, Wales.”

“But I’m a werewolf. Werewolves can’t go to hogwarts. It’s never happened before and never will.”, Remus told him.

“Mr and Mrs. Lupin, would you be so kind to make some tea as I talk to Remus?”

“I don’t want him to go to that school and the other kids to find out. That’s my worst nightmare.”, Hope, now with her hair down and wide awake, said defiantly.

“I promise, it would not get out”, Dumbledore assured her.
At this, Hope walked out of the living towards the kitchen, with a hesitant Lyall in tow.

“Do you how to play Gobstones, Remus?”, Dumbledore asked as he produced a game that looked exactly like marbles, a game Remus was always fond of.
“No, but I can play marbles quite well”, Remus answered.

“Well, it’s the exact same thing, but when you lose, the stones expel very a horid smelling liquid. Would you fancy a game with me?”

“Yeah, go on then.”

As they played, Dumbledore explained how the Whomping Willow would be planted at Hogwarts just for Remus, providing a safe, secret passage to a secluded place where he could transform without harming anyone. The details felt unreal, like something out of a storybook rather than the life Remus had always known. He couldn’t fully grasp how much thought and preparation had gone into making it possible for him to attend Hogwarts.

"So... I'd be locked up every full moon?" Remus asked quietly, rolling one of the Gobstones in his palm, trying to focus on the game and not his racing thoughts.

"Not quite locked up," Dumbledore responded gently, his eyes twinkling over the tops of his half-moon glasses. "More like... provided a sanctuary. A place where you can be yourself without fear of harming others. The Shrieking Shack, as it will come to be known, is there for your safety, and the safety of others. But I promise you, Remus, your time at Hogwarts will not be defined by these moments."
Remus looked down at the game board, blinking hard. The idea of attending Hogwarts, of making friends like any other boy, was something he hadn’t dared to dream of since the attack that changed his life. He was a werewolf, after all. People like him didn’t get chances like this.

“What about... the other students?” Remus asked, the fear bubbling up again. “What if they find out? People are scared of me, and I don’t blame them.”

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful.
“The truth is, Remus, people often fear what they do not understand. But I believe in your capacity to prove that there is far more to you than the condition you carry. And should any student discover the truth, I trust they will see you for who you are.”
Remus wasn’t sure he shared Dumbledore’s optimism, but he couldn’t deny the small flicker of hope inside him. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance that he could belong somewhere. That he could be normal, if only for a little while.

“Besides,” Dumbledore added with a warm smile, “you’ll be in Gryffindor, I’m sure. And Gryffindors are known for their bravery.”

“I... don’t feel very brave,” Remus admitted, glancing up at the professor.

“Bravery doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid,” Dumbledore said softly. “It means you go on despite the fear.”

Remus sat quietly for a moment, absorbing those words. Maybe bravery wasn’t about feeling invincible. Maybe it was about taking chances, even when you were terrified of what might happen next. He looked at the letter Dumbledore had placed on the table between them, the Hogwarts crest gleaming in the candlelight.

“So, Remus, without your parents opinion, would you like to go to Hogwarts?”, Dumbledore asked, moving his marble.

“I’ll go”, Remus said firmly,”I’ll go to Hogwarts.”
Dumbledore smiled warmly as he shook Remus’ hand, looking very satisfied with himself. He stood up and with a wave a of his wand, the Gobstones quickly vanished and the chair Dumbledore had pulled up to the table was put back to its place near the window.
“I’m glad to hear it. Do you have any questions, Remus?”, Dumbledore asked.

“Why did you come at midnight? You had all day to do this. Why now?”, Remus questioned.

“Well, I’m sad to tell you, Remus, but in the wizarding world there are prejudiced people. And in order for you to get into Hogwarts, your letter must be accepted by a team of 50 wizards and be voted for by at least 26 of them. Of course, they put of the only werewolf’s letter until 10 p.m. tonight. And, of course, the votes were split perfectly in half the first 3 times they voted. But you won. So you got your letter.”

At that, Dumbledore left the living and went through the door into the kitchen. The second the door shut, Remus tore into the letter and read through each h and every textbook he would need. There were so many things that he would need.

Remus couldn’t be happier.