Prologue
Little did Remus Lupin know, his life was about to be turned upside down. Quite literally. Little did he know that the first week of March would be the last ‘normal’ week of his life. And the week to come would be an adventure, to describe it lightly.
See, Remus Lupin to start with was a strange boy. The top student at Hogwarts High (aside from Lily Evans) yet simultaneously the most delinquent-like (aside from Sirius Black). Sneaking out of the orphanage that housed him most nights, just to lay upon the roof and study the stars. Listening to the faint hum of the city.
Some nights it was quiet, some nights emergency services could be heard dotted around but most nights catastrophes would keep Remus up all night. Though it wasn't all bad, hearing the accidents before they could be reported on the news gave Remus’ friend James Potter a sense of “sneakery [yes it’s a word Remus]”. Knowing something the world didn't yet.
On the flip side, Peter Pettigrew (who had no idea Remus lived at the orphanage and no idea it was the perfect place to hear the city's secrets) thought Remus was magic or had a sixth sense. Somehow being omnipotent to crime just hours before it's officially reported.
Remus Lupin was content with his life. He didn't want any more change.
He was happy with his small friend group:
James Potter, the photographer for a local newspaper Remus could never remember the name of. The sun of the group. Brightening up a room just by walking into it. He had a charm to him that made him able to befriend anyone. He was Hogwarts golden boy, head boy and captain of the football team. And it was publicly known James had an overwhelming crush on Lily Evans. Which resulted in him trying to either impress her or ask her out every chance he got.
Lily Evans herself was Remus’ study partner. Meeting every weekend just to catch up on schoolwork or life in general. Being the golden girl at Hogwarts had some benefits. With Lily's top grades and outstanding perseverance she landed herself an apprenticeship at ‘LUMOS LABS : THE PLACE WHERE THE FUTURE STARTS.’
Meaning she had something better than an after school club to attend every weekday.
Next was Sirius Black, the star of the group. Remus didn't really know how to describe Sirius. A force to be reckoned with alright. It was around 50/50 if the younger kids were scared of Sirius or hopelessly in love with him. Being the quote on quote ‘bad boy flirt’ gave him a slight bipolar reputation.
Sirius tended to think with his fist first as opposed to Remus. Giving Remus the unanswered question of how the hell is Sirius not expelled.
Even though they couldn't be more different, somehow Sirius and Remus just fit. Like two different puzzle pieces, from two different puzzles. But they still fit perfectly together.
The final member of their small clique was Peter Pettigrew. Remus didn't talk to Peter much. Causing him to have an inkling that Peter was still slightly scared of Remus. By Peter knowing Sirius since he was practically a toddler gave him a tolerance of Sirius’ ‘bad boy flirt’ demeanour.
But with Remus only meeting the trio a few years ago, he still sometimes feels like an outsider.
To describe Peter himself would be a daydreamer, the cloud of the group. Always easily distracted, the quiet one in class and trying his best. Leader of the chess club and single member of the communication club. He mainly just messed around with an old radio, trying to revive it with the help of Professor Flitwick.
With James, Sirius and Peter growing up on the same street gave them a 12 year head start of being friends. Remus only joined the school 2 years ago. And due to the fact that kids at the orphanage weren't the nicest, Remus had a fear of so many children all in the same place. So he dared not risk saying the wrong thing to any of them.
Don't get it wrong, Remus was forever grateful to the mistresses at the orphanage. Taking him in and caring for him after the accident that cost him his parents. Though most were strict and Remus guessed that's how the kids wound up so unruly and rude, Remus had a favourite. Mistress Pomfrey. She would talk to him as if he were a friend and not something unpleasant she'd found under her shoe, unlike the other mistresses. She would smuggle him books and then at the end of each week she would sneak out and help Remus read some of them. She would tend to his wounds after fights with the other kids. And most importantly she would try her best to love Remus as if he were her own. And for that Remus cherished every minute with her. Remus doesn't remember much about his birth mother, he was only four when it happened, but he supposed this is what maternal love feels like.
So when the time came that Mistress Pomfrey skipped into fourteen year old Remus' room handing him a letter saying he could go to High School Remus didn't know how to feel. He wondered how hard she had work to get him a place there, how she had brought it up to the other mistresses and how an earth they had agreed.
When he voiced his worries all Mistress Pomfrey had to say was he could do so much more, that he was destined for better things than sitting around this dingy old place. He had a spark in him, and she wasn't going to let it go to waste.
A week before his first day Mistress Pomfrey had taken Remus shopping. They meandered round each and every school shop. Uniform and stationery alike. Mistress Pomfrey had a list she checked off every time they bought something. Though when it came to pay she had always guided Remus away. So Remus was left wondering how much it all cost.
It was then he vowed to make her proud. Make him worthy of all this kindness. He would try his absolute hardest to pay his life debt to her.
When his first day finally rolled around she'd woke him up extra early to get him dressed, get his bag packed and give him his timetable. For that first month or so she would walk Remus to and from school too. She would enquire about how he was finding his lessons and if he had made any friends yet. He lied. Thinking he only had her to call a friend.
But that all changed with James Potter.
He only became friends with the trio after James had borderline broken down the toilet door begging Remus to stop eating lunch alone in there.
Two years had flown by getting to know them. Getting into a routine, learning everyone else’s routine and slowly expanding his friendships.
So overall, Remus Lupin had had enough of change for the time being.
If only the spider knew that.