The Talking Hat
10th October, 1965, 11:37, Lupin Household
The house was colder than usual that night. Maybe it was the autumn chill, or the fact that his mother kept the windows open at night, for whatever reason. It was probably the fact that the house was much too old and worn down for him to not expect creaky floorboards, but Remus had a feeling.
He was still awake, his eyes barely peeking out of the covers. Remus had swore that he saw a man behind the house last night, and he couldn’t sleep since. Every little gust of wind from outside shook him to his very core. He could feel the breathing of an animal from outside his window. He was terrified of every little sound and desperately tried to convince himself that he was being paranoid.
But he wasn’t.
It happened so fast, Remus thought he was dreaming. One second he was hiding under the covers, the next a huge, strange wolf-like creature had crashed through the window and was ripping the blankets off of Remus.
The Wolf scratched him and bit him in the thigh as he screamed for Mummy and Daddy. They came rushing in, his Dad’s wand outstretched and his Mum at his side. His Dad cast a spell at the Wolf and sent it flying through the door, crashing though the wall.
Remus screamed and cried as his Mum cradled him and held her hand to the bite. His Dad was saying something to him, but he didn’t hear. He felt his Mum’s tears on his face as she sobbed.
He didn’t know, of course, that that painful feeling rushing through his body was the Wolf’s saliva combining itself with his blood. He didn’t know that he was becoming a monster that very second. He still didn’t really understand it when his Dad explained it to him as his Mum sobbed in her room the next day. He just knew that it was so bad that his Dad refused to take him to the hospital, because it might’ve gotten out of what had happened.
He did know that it hurt when he ripped at his skin the next moon. He did know that the cuts on his body hurt the next morning. He did know that there was no cure. He did know that his Dad was trying to be normal around him, but flinched when Remus reached for a biscuit.
Remus didn’t know that he would ever be seen as more than his disease. Not a lot of people did. His Mum didn’t after what happened to his sister. She saw him as a blood-thirsty beast with no remorse for others. And, sometimes, he believed her.
1st September, 1971, 9:12, The Great Hall
Remus stepped up to the sorting hat, his hands shaking slightly as he did so. Professor McGonagall smiled a kind smile at him once he sat down. The hat itself was old and musty, but Remus wouldn’t mind wearing it if it wasn’t for the fact that it was alive.
So, Remus Lupin, eh? Remus could feel it searching his mind and trying to figure out where his values lie. Hmm, interesting. You’d do well in Hufflepuff, yes
No, please. Not Hufflepuff. Not that. I’m sure I’d be teased relentlessly by them. He felt his eyes bulge out at the thought of the hat yelling out Hufflepuff.
No? Well, we’ll have to change our choice, yes? You would do well in Ravenclaw. Hmmm. Ah, I see. Better be…
“GRYFFINDOR”
The table full of people wearing red and gold erupted in cheers. Sirius erupted in cheers. Remus got up and walked over right besides Sirius.
“Merlin, you took awhile, huh? What’d the hat think? Other than Gryffindor, of course”
“Uh..” Don’t say Hufflepuff. Just fit in for once and don’t say Hufflepuff. “Ravenclaw. He was stuck between those two.”
“He?”
“Yeah, I mean, he had a guy voice, no?”
Fit in. Say ‘it’. Gawd, you’re so weird, Remus!
“Yeah, I guess it did”, Sirius answered, smiling now.
Was he smiling? At Remus? Was he making friends? If he was, maybe Hogwarts wouldn’t be too bad for Remus.