Moonage Daydream

The feast had ended, all the children were full and cheerful. Remus smiled as he walked with his peers back to their dormitory, only to be pulled aside by Minerva McGonagall before he could enter.  

“Mr. Lupin,” she starts. “The sun is going to set soon. We should go to the infirmary.” Remus nodded, glancing back at the Fat Lady painting that guarded the Gryffindor dormitory. He followed Minerva to the infirmary, marvelling at how she seemed to know exactly when the stairs were going to change, she moved with the grace of a dancer. Everything about Minerva was perfectly poised, her posture completely straight, not a hair out of place in her perfect bun. The infirmary was empty, rows and rows of empty beds. “This is Madame Pomfrey.” 

Waiting for them was a plump, short witch, with bright eyes and a warm smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Remus.” 

“Er, likewise, ma’am.” 

“Come on, we still have a little time to talk.” Madame Pomfrey led Remus and Minverva to a small office at the back of the infirmary. Inside there was a small fireplace, a loveseat, a little table and a set of chairs. Madame Pomfrey directed Remus to sit on the loveseat while her and Minerva took a seat on the chairs. “As you might know, you’re the first werewolf student we’ve had,” she started in a gentle tone. “But we have taken many precautions.” 

“Dungeon?” Remus asked worriedly. 

“No! No, no, dear,” Madame Pomfrey assured. “There is a house where you’ll stay and transform, you’ll be safe.”  

Remus furrowed his brow at that. Keep him safe? He would perfectly fine, it was everybody else that needed to be kept safe from him. Perhaps Madame Pomfrey was just trying to spare his feelings. “Okay. Can we go now?” 

“Oh, yes, of course.” Madame Pomfrey and Minerva led him out of the infirmary and out of the castle. They crossed the grounds, Remus hugging himself against the brisk wind, the three stopped at the whomping willow. The tree was massive, its branches thick and dangerous, nearly hitting Remus when he stepped too close. Remus’ eyes went wide as Minerva transformed into a brown house cat, dashed underneath the tree and clawed at a root of the tree. Immediately the whomping willow stopped. “Come on, dear, let’s go.” Madame Pomfrey hurried Remus into a hole beneath the tree, it led into an underground tunnel. Minerva lit up her wand, the tunnel had dirt walls and small roots sticking out of them, it wasn’t long before they came up to a set of steep wooden stairs.  

The ‘house’ was more of a shack, old, peeling paint, the furniture used and abandoned long ago, the floors creaked and groaned under the weight of him, the windows were boarded up and the curtains eaten through by moths. “I’ll be back to collect you in the morning,” Madame Pomfrey tells him before leaving with Minerva. 

The empty shack moaned in the wind, the smallest light poking through the cracks in the boards. Remus sat in the middle of the room on the floor. The room seemed to grow around him the longer he waited for the light to disappear. He closed his eyes, letting the heavy weight in his chest carry him until the light was gone. 

The moon rose, with it came the aches and pains spiking through his body. First his joints, snapping out of place, making way for a new figuration, his fingers breaking down into paws, Remus writhed on the floor, silently screaming out into the night. As quickly as the pain came, it stopped. Where Remus once was, a large grey wolf lied instead.  

~.~ 

Remus had curled into a ball once the morning rose, the pain radiating through his body. He waited for it to fade, testing out his movements. He reached for his clothes; he’d had the good sense to remove them before the change and got dressed. The hatch that led to the tunnel opened behind him, Madame Pomfrey poking her head out of it. 

“Good morning, Remus,” she hums, carefully trotting over to him. “We should get going, a quick trip to the infirmary and then you can go to your dorm room and get ready for class.” Remus nodded, working through and taking note of every area that ached as they made their way back. Madame Pomfrey provided a potion to ease his pain and sent him back to the dorm room. 

Remus paused in front of the boys’ staircase. He wasn’t there for the orientation, but he was sure there were charms to prevent boys and girls going into the wrong dormitories. He chewed on his lip. What if the stairs stopped him from going up? Remus steeled himself, gripping the railing and taking a step. He instantly let out a breath when he realized he could walk up the staircase. 

Sirius’ eyes lock onto Remus as soon as he enters the room. James and Peter followed Sirius’ gaze to find Remus. “Oi, where did you disappear off to?” James asked, Sirius keeping a piercing gaze on Remus. 

Remus shook his head, grabbed his clothes and hurried into the bathroom to change. He listened to the whispers of his roommates, deliberating about his whereabouts during the night. It seemed they had already started to build up their suspicions about him. Remus finished getting on his robes.  

The boys hurried down to the Great Hall for breakfast. The food was as delicious as the night before, and much welcomed after Remus’ night. He piled his plate high with toast, sausages, eggs, and even a bowl of hot oatmeal. James eyed Remus’ meal. “Hungry, aren’t you?” Remus nodded, shovelling food into his mouth. 

James and Sirius chatted quietly while Peter stared at Remus. “Where were you last night?” he finally asked. 

Remus paused between his mouthfuls of toast, turning his gaze up towards Peter. “Why do you want to know?” 

“Because? You kind of disappeared?” 

“Well, it’s not your business,” Remus said tersely, wiping his mouth on a napkin. “Don’t worry about it.”  

Peter quieted down, pushing his beans around on his plate. “So!” James spoke up instead. “What’s everyone’s favourite quidditch team?” 

Peter and Sirius both announced theirs excitedly, sparking a lively conversation on which was better. “Wait, Remus, what’s yours?” Peter asked. 

“Er, I don’t really follow quidditch, I’ve never even been to a game.” 

James smacked the table. “We should go! The school’s first game, we should go.” 

Sirius grinned. “Yes, we should. If Slytherin is playing I’m booing them.” 

“Any particular reason why?” Remus questioned. 

“My cousin is on the team,” Sirius scoffed. “Which is reason enough.” 

“How many cousins have you got here?” Peter glanced over at the Slytherin table. 

“A lot. Look it up if you’re so curious.” 

The three finished their breakfast and started off towards their classes. Remus had potions first thing with Sirius. Other first year Gryffindors filed into the classroom with some of the first year Slytherins. Remus found himself at a table with Sirius and a redheaded Gryffindor girl. He later found out her name was Lily. 

The professor had assigned a basic potion for the class to try. Lily quickly took the lead on the project.  

Sirius casted a sour face. “Why should you be in charge?” 

“I’m not in charge, I just have the instructions.” 

“Well, then hand me the instructions,” Sirius demanded, reaching to grab. 

“No! Why do you want them so bad?” 

“Because I want to see them.” 

“You’re acting like a child, it doesn’t matter,” Remus interrupted. “Let’s just get the potion done.”  

Sirius huffed, crossing his arms. “Fine, whatever. Let’s just do the potion.”  

“Thank you.” Remus shook his head, starting to work on the potion. He had to manage Sirius and Lily for most of the class. The table next to them somehow caused a small explosion, making their attempt look significantly better.  

~.~ 

James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus ran out to the stands of the Quidditch pit, cozied up in their scarves and with wide smiles on their faces. They bounced in their seats, ready for the game to start up. 

The game started up like a gunshot going off, the balls were released, and every player was moving at a speed Remus could hardly fathom. Sirius and James tracked each player with an expertise Remus could never hope to match. The four jeered and screamed when Gryffindor scored a point. Remus felt like he was about to get whiplash trying to keep up with the seekers speeding across the pitch. Remus screamed with the rest of the crowd, jumping in the air. 

“Look out!” James’ hand yanked Remus’ sweater, trying to pull him away from the bludger hurtling towards them at record speed. Remus was sure he saw his entire life flash before his eyes as he stared down the leather ball flying in his direction. He heard a crack as the Gryffindor beater smacked the bludger away from the stands. The older boy flashed a smile at the four, James cheered and jumped with Sirius, Peter looked as if he might be sick soon, Remus felt his stomach flip and smiled back. 

“Did you see that score?!” Sirius squealed on the walk back to the dorms. “Bloody hell, that was amazing!” 

“Our team was awesome!” Remus yelped in agreement.  

“We have to go to the next game,” James announced. There was a chorus of agreement from the boys at that.