Ephitymia

The letter came with a tapping in his window. For him, it wasn't a happy feeling as everyone tends to describe the moment they received their Hogwarts invite. No, he was terrified. When another strange noise could be heard from his bedroom window, Remus panicked. A feeling all too familiar. His limbs started shaking and his breath came to a halt. Hoping that whatever it was on the other side would leave him alone. He didn't dare to look, too afraid of seeing a pair of glowing yellow eyes again. Even knowing it wasn't a full moon, otherwise, he would be somewhere with no windows or outside noise.

He never pegged himself as a religious kid, but his mother was and, in that moment, he prayed every prayer she thought him. Wishing that whatever was in the other side went away. But God, or whoever he was praying to, didn't listen to his wishes.

After a few hours without daring to move from the same spot in his bed, Hope, thankfully, went up searching for him. It was dinner time, and his son didn't go after her looking for food, a strange occurrence since Remus was in that phase that he wanted to eat all the time.

"Cariad, everything alright?" as she slowly opened the door, Hope gave him time to respond without breaching his privacy right away. It was important to her to teach her son to trust her and the importance of privacy, and since the boy was bitten, he hated being seen shirtless, even by his own parents. In the lack of response, she entered the room. Finding him sitting on his bed, trembling, face covered in tears and as close to the bedroom wall as possible. His eyes closed as if his life depended on it. Seeing his distress, she rushed to him and brought him to sit on her lap. Hope kissed his head and hugged him as if all his pain could be absorbed by that.

"Oh, baby. What happened?"

"Window" he whispered.

Afraid of what she would find this time, she took a cautious look at the window, where sat a great grey owl. Who times to times beaked the window asking permission to get in, making a tapping noise. Assuring her son that everything was alright, Hope yelled her husband, Lyall, who came rushing with his wand in hand in a defensive stance.

"There is an owl in his window. I assume you know about it." hearing about the owl, Remus perked up and lifted his head from him mother's chest.

"An owl?" he asked as Lyall put his wand away and went for the window.

"Yes, cariad" she petted her hair in a reassuring way. Lyall invited the owl to sit in his shoulder as he grabbed for Remus' Hogwarts letter and went through it.

"I can't believe it, Hope" he sat in Remus bed and gave the letter to his wife with an awed look on his face. "He got in, and not only that, Dumbledore said the Book of Admittance had a warning about his condition and didn't shut him out."

Remus listen as his mom read the letter in a whispering voice. Having a feeling of some resemblance at what Hogwarts could be. It's a vague memory about his father talking about his future school and all the friends he could do, friends as his uncle Alphie. Who wasn't by blood, but Remus called him that anyway, since he was a little baby and learned how to talk. It's an old memory, his father never touching the subject again, since he was bitten.

"I don't how to feel about this, Lyall"

"Hope, it's a great opportunity. In fact, it's the opportunity of his life!" Lyall got up again, laughing easily, walking side by side. Owl still in his shoulder with not a care in the world. "I thought that was never going to be a possibility again, and I'm not against Alphard being his teacher, because god knows how his family made him study all things possible in the magic world. But Hogwarts is so much more than academics!"

"I know all that, honey, but I'm scared for his safety that's all" Remus kept looking to both of his parents, feeling hope for the first time. He loved his parents and his uncle, but he really wanted to know kids his age. "He is going to be alone in a place that everything must be a secret, because everyone will hate him if they found out. You said yourself, people are not merciful to werewolves, what would happen if anyone found out?"

Lyall looked at her and his shoulders slumped as he probably agreed if her, the owl flying to perch in Remus' bedside. Remus felt the hope flying out his body and going out his open window, his proclaimed nemesis for now on.

"Hope, we can't lock him up here forever. I understand your fear, it's mine too, but someday we are not going to be here. He needs to know how to take care of himself without us" Hope shifted with Remus still in his arms and Lyall sat next her, putting one hand in her shoulder. She ignored him as if she was considering his arguments, but don't wanting to give him the answer he wanted "Give it a year, okay? If anything goes wrong, we floo there and bring him back."

"Okay" she sighted. Remus looked at her with pretty dog eyes and she couldn't deny anything to him when he did that. Not with so much hope in his expression. "One year! But if anyone so much as give him any trouble, I'm bringing him back!"

Lyall celebrated and kissed both their heads, shifting Hope's golden curls to fall in her face. She laughed at his husband eagerness as she adjusted her hair, happy that both her boys were happy.

"Come on, little owl, I'm going to give you a treat and write a letter back to Dumbledore. We have much to discuss, so I hope you have patience to wait for me." his father left the room as fast as he came and not so much later, he could hear his father's voice leaving a message to Alphard through the floo.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Rem?" he fidgets in her lap, and she smiles at him, but Remus could see a little frown between her eyebrows showing her concern.

"I know you are afraid, but you can trust me, okay?" he rested his head in her chest again, a calming feeling invading him with every heartbeat. "I promise that I will make sure anyone never find out and that anyone never gets hurt because of me!"

"Oh, cariad, no need to promise me such things. I have complete faith in you, my baby." she leaned her head on his and hugged him a bit tighter. "I am not afraid for them, love. I just love you so very much, I can't not worry for you."

"I love you too, mom, but no need to worry for me. I'll be fine." he smiled and closed his eyes, dreaming of his school days.

Besides what Lyall said to convince his mother, when time came for Remus to go to Hogwarts he was more worried than her. Knowing how bigoted wizards could be, Lyall was trembling, his smile faltering, and Remus knew his father enough to know he was regretting his decision to let him go. So, when they were in the platform 9 3/4, he gave them his farewell as fast as he could, running to the train. Unfortunately for him, now that he was completely alone and really going, it was his time to have doubts.

He's never spent so much time without his parents, not when his mom abandoned her work to take care of her werewolf son and his da came back every day the same time from his job in the ministry. And even though he was young, he wasn't naive. Uncle Alphie made sure to talk about the type of people he could encounter in his life. His parents did too, but none of them wanted to face the consequences of how his life could turn out be in the same detailed manner as his uncle.

So, yeah. He was terrified.

Every time he passed through a cabin, he felt the color drain from his face and all his expectations being crashed. There were too many people. Too many people of many ages and strength who couldn't know that he was a werewolf. He started feeling anxious for his life in Hogwarts, wanting to run back to his parents' arms and never leave again.

"Hey, are you alright?" Remus freezes in his place. He slowly looks at the boy who was inside the carriage he was in front of, a boy he didn't notice it was there. His skin was darker than Remus, which wasn't difficult, his hair was a complete mess, and had glasses looking a little too big for his face. He had a worried look on his face and although he seemed a bit crazy, he looked like the friendliest person Remus had encountered so far.

"What?" he whispered. A little to scared that if he spoke in his common tone, the other would guess right away that he was a werewolf.

"Oh, is that you are standing there for, hm, two minutes? Yeah, probably, and I was waiting you to come in, so I could introduce myself!" he grinned and pushed Remus inside, making him stumble a little. "Sorry, you were blocking the way and you don't want to meet that crazy girl I encountered earlier."

"Right." Remus was a bit lost, this boy talked too fast to his brain, used to only three people, to process.

"I'm James Potter, by the way" he pushed his glasses back and held out his hand to Remus, who took it a little awed. "Have a sit, I have a feeling we are going to be great friends, hmm..."

"Remus"

"Remus!" Remus seated down in front of him, and taped his fingers in the sofa cushion, feeling fidgety. "So, Remus, what house do you believe you are going to? And please, don't say Slytherin."

"Hm, my da was from Ravenclaw, so probably that one."

"Good choice! Not so good as Gryffindor though, my mum and dad talk all the time how much of a gryffindor I am, sometimes I think they use that as an insult" James confidence washed with a sense of relief. His manners remembering a little of his mom, who could talk non-stop, even if a little slower, about something she loved. He hoped that whatever he went, he could still be friends with James. "But it can't be, my mother was a gryffindor herself and my dad too!"

"Well, being both your parents gryffindors, maybe you pulled that from them both. Not much to complain if it's their fault, is it" James laughed at his joke. Someone laughed at Remus joke! And it wasn't his family, who would laugh even when he wasn't funny. James didn't love him as his family and he laughed at his joke!

Feeling proud of himself, he almost didn't notice when the cabin door opened and a little flustered boy entered, he had blonde air and red cheeks. Shoving the blondie inside and out of his way, a boy with raven black hair entered after him and closed the door, looking dishevelled and relieved.

"Pete!" called James. The Pete boy smiled at James and sat beside him, not without giving a nasty, but discreet glare to the other boy who sat beside Remus.

"Urgh! I'm gonna tell you, this train is a lot bigger than I anticipated, thank god for it!" the black haired boy said. He put his trunk by his feet and looked at everyone with a grin that Remus didn't like one bit. "Well, I'm Sirius Black. Nice to meet you."

"Heya, mate. I'm James, that's Pete and by your side is Remus." Sirius took a good look at Remus, making him uncomfortable. Sirius eyes feel as if he was searching his soul and discovering all his dirtiest secrets. And even though Remus wasn't someone to have dirty secrets, he had one that would potentially ruin everything.

"Where did you get that?" Sirius asked him.

"Hm, what?" Sirius pointed to something by his trunk beside him and Remus noticed his moon keychain. "That R.J.L doesn't forget he's loved - A.P.B" engraved in a wood piece by the chain, in gold letters.

"The keychain?"

"Yes, where did you get it?" Sirius grey eyes were clouded. He pressed them in slits, make him look a little dangerous for someone with the social cues that Remus had.

"My uncle gave it to me as a gift." Remus will always remember with affection the moment Alphie gave him the keychain. He was talking to him about his condition and how not everyone would be understanding, but that no matter what, he had to remember that he had a family who loved him. Remus cried for an hour hugging him.

"Well, mine gave me a star one." Sirius took something of his trunk and showed him his keychain. In his case, the words "Being a Black doesn't mean living without love - A.P.B". Remus look at the initials engraved and his breath hitched, it was the same one. "My uncle Alphard gave it to me."

"My uncle Alphie gave mine too." he whispered. He looked at his keychain and when he looked back at Sirius, he saw fury in his eyes. He didn't understand why. Uncle Alphie never talked about his family and Remus never thought to ask. He knew he was his father's best friend and they were not actually related, but he just assumed he didn't have anyone beside them.

"Give it to me! Give it to me, right now!" Sirius yelled. His eyes were open wide now and growing red. Remus looked scared at him, not understanding Sirius outburst, and grabbed his keychain bringing closer to himself, afraid the other would take it from him.

"No!"

"He is my uncle, not yours!"

"Sirius, stop!" James asked. Hot tears streaming down Sirius face as he started trying to fight Remus for the piece.

"No! He is the reason Uncle Alphard is always missing and leaving me behind, he must be."

"I am not giving it to you, he gave it to me. It's mine!" Remus tried to get Sirius of himself with one arm, not wanting to let go his present. James joined the fight and took Sirius off him. Shoving him hard against the compartment door. Seeing he was outnumbered, Sirius stormed out of the cabin with his trunk in his hand, but not before giving a death glare to Remus and wiping out his tears.

"What a dick." James said, Remus and Peter agreed to him and a moment passed without anyone saying anything. Feeling in debt, Remus thought that it was he's obligation to lighten up the mood. It was the first day and he already had an enemy.

"He will probably be a slytherin" noticing his attempted intern joke, James laughed. He threw himself down next to Remus and gave him a side hug as he adjusted his glasses.

"He sure will."