Something Different
Summer, 1971
“No, Hope, absolutely not. I know how wizards are about his sort, that’s why we live here , of all places. Nobody can suspect anything if he isn’t around anybody that knows anything.” Remus, listening at the top of the stairs, hadn’t a clue why his dad was talking about wizards, but he was always on edge when his parents argued like this. It was usually about him.
“Lyall, please. I know that you want to do everything to protect him, but what about when he’s grown up and we can’t control him anymore? What’ll he do when we die? There is such a thing as too sheltered, dear.”
“Hope. Stop. He could get found out, and God knows what they’ll do if he accidentally hurts someone. As for the future, we will prepare him as best we can. We can homeschool him, plenty of wizard families do it. Put a big focus on healing charms so he can help himself and teach him how best to control himself. We’ve done alright so far, and it’s been eight years!”
“Alright? He’s covered in scars and bruises and has no friends. Lyall, I know I’ve never been, but when you talk about your time at Hogwarts you always get this glimmer in your eye and you go on and on about how those were the happiest years of your life. I want Remus to be happy, don’t you?”
“Well of course, but-”
“And you always shut me down when I try to help you with his injuries, saying they’re magical and have to be treated magically. Where better to do that than a school full of wizards?”
Remus perked up at the mention of school. He was always falling behind because of his condition, but he’s always adored learning. Not to mention, being a wizard sounds awesome.
“Hope, I don’t want to hear it. He isn’t going, it’s not remotely safe for him!” His mother didn’t reply.
At this, Remus stood up and walked downstairs as bravely as he could. He drew himself up to his full height and, puffing out his chest slightly, spoke. “Don’t I get a say?” he asked. “I mean, Dad, you say it’s gonna be dangerous but you won’t be the one going. I like school!”
Hearing this, Remus’ mum turned to face his dad, with her ‘I win’ look on her face. She got to use that look a lot. Searching his wife’s eyes, and then his son’s, Lyall Lupin let out a sigh. He slightly lowered himself to Remus’ height and, sighing again, hung his head in defeat.
“You won’t give up on this, will you?” Remus shook his head no. “Okay,” his dad said, wiping his face with his hand. “Okay. But we will need to have a meeting with the Headmaster first.” Remus nodded enthusiastically, excited to be able to learn some new things.
*CRACK*
The Lupins all snapped their heads in the direction of the sound, and Lyall motioned for his wife and son to remain where they were as he headed toward the door. Opening it, he let out a sigh of relief. “Dumbledore, your timing is impeccable,” Lyall said, and came back into the sitting room followed by an old, strange-looking man with sparkling blue eyes.
“Hello, Lyall, Hope,” he spoke, his eyes twinkling. “I would like a word with our young Remus, if you would.” Remus’ eyes widened as his parents left the room, and Dumbledore chuckled. “Ah, allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I assumed, with your situation, that your parents would like to speak with me before you come to learn, am I correct?”
Remus nodded, and, finding his throat suddenly very dry, croaked out, “Yeah. Almost didn’t let me go ‘cus of it.”
The man let out another chuckle at that. “I would not let that stand, my dear boy. I’ll have a chat with Lyall before I go, but first I want to soothe any worries you might have about your stay at Hogwarts. See, Hogwarts isn’t like muggle school, where you get to come home at the end of each day. Hogwarts will be your home for the next seven years, besides winter and summer holidays.”
Remus gulped. That’s quite a long time, and, well, “What about my problem?” he inquired. “How will you keep other people safe from me if I’m gonna be living there? You got a cage I could go into?”
“Oh, something like that. There’s an abandoned house near the grounds and we have erected an enchanted tree to cover a tunnel leading there. Nobody goes there, and you will be well enough away from humans during your transformations. I promise you, young man, we have it all quite sorted for you.”
Remus thought about this. He supposed he should believe the man, he seemed to be the type that would know these kinds of things. “Okay,” he said, “what about lessons? I mean, won’t I fall behind?”
“Well, all of your professors have been notified of your situation and will be more lenient with homework around full moons. Other than that, I must say that it is still up to you to keep up with your studies. However, I think that you will find a way to manage it.” The man’s eyes twinkled, and he looked quickly at the clock above the mantle. “You must be tired at this hour, get some rest. I will see you September 1st.”
At this, Remus realised that yes, he was quite tired, and bid the man goodnight. As he headed upstairs, he heard a hushed conversation between his father and the old man, and as he settled into bed, he heard another loud *CRACK*. Soon after, his mum came up to tuck him in.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A few days later, Lyall woke Remus early, giddy with excitement. “Important day son, it’s time to do your school shopping!” Remus groaned. He never did enjoy school shopping, no matter how much he liked school. Forcing himself up, he dressed and made his way downstairs, eggs already on the table. His father set down his tea and began chattering on again.
“Now, I know you don’t usually like school shopping, but this year it’s going to be different. You’ve never been to Diagon Alley before, I can’t wait to show you! It’s going to be a busy day! You remember what I told you about how the currency works?”
“Yes, Dad. 29 knuts to a sickle, 17 sickles to a galleon.”
“Good good, you know-” his father continued yabbering, but Remus was too tired to pay any attention to it at all.
Done with breakfast, but still in a daze, Remus followed his dad out the door and they drove to the station, took a train to central London, and hopped off at Charing Cross station. After a few minutes of walking, his dad quickly glanced around and pulled Remus into an unremarkable, seemingly abandoned building. As he entered, though, the building was obviously not abandoned, and the barkeeper seemed to recognize Remus’ father.
“Ah, Lyall, good to see you again! The usual?”
“No thanks, Tom, taking my boy for his Hogwarts things this time,” he states, proudly. Remus crept out from behind his father and shyly waved at the man, who grinned from ear to ear.
“Oh, lovely, lovely! Have fun at Hogwarts, boy, it’ll be the best years of your life, that’s for sure!” Remus smiled and politely thanked the man, and his father carried on, out the back of the pub, and took out his wand. Remus didn’t see his father’s wand much, usually only before and after full moons, but this time it was not pointed at him. Rather, Lyall Lupin tapped the brick wall and, much to Remus’ surprise and delight, an archway appeared. His father grabbed him by the hand and they started off into Diagon Alley.
“Right, now I went to the bank earlier to get the money we’ll need, but we can’t go overboard, we haven’t got much, okay? Just the necessities.” Remus nodded, used to second-hand school supplies. “New robes, though, of course. Don’t want you getting teased for that, now.”
They head down the alley, and into a place called Madam Malkin’s. A short woman dressed in mauve toddled out from the back and greeted the two with a warm smile.
“Hogwarts, I take it?” she asked, and Remus nodded. “Lovely dear, up on the stool. Full uniform and cloak pack, sir?” she looked over at Lyall, and he nodded his head yes. “Right, won’t be a moment, let me get him all done up.” She handed Remus a robe and he shrugged it on. Pulling out a pin cushion and a measuring tape, she deftly pinned the robe and motioned for Remus to take it off. “Right, all sorted. Shouldn’t be an hour. Payment up front, please, 16 sickles 9 knuts.” Lyall rummaged in a bag for the coins, and the nice lady thanked them before they got on with their shopping.
Next, they entered Ollivander’s, the wand shop. Remus’ father had talked this place up quite a bit, but the man that came wandering out from between the aisles seemed strange to Remus. Maybe all wizards are strange, he thought, as that did seem to be the trend thus far.
“Ah, hello! Hello! And who might you be, young man?” inquired the shopkeeper, who looked to be about twenty or thirty years older than Remus’ father.
“Remus Lupin, pleased to meet you,” Remus replied politely, earning a wild smile from the man.
“In for a wand, I presume! Now, let’s see here, yes, yes,” the man muttered as he wandered back into the aisles, and returned with a jumble of long, skinny boxes, plopping them down on the front counter. “Go on, try one, whichever you like first!”
Remus hesitated and grabbed the box closest to him. He opened it and picked up the wand. He looked at his father, who motioned for him to wave the wand, and Remus did so. A dart flew into the wall opposite him. Remus set down the wand.
“Try another one.”
So Remus tried. And tried. And tried. Some wands did nothing, some wreaked destruction, and some wands simply jumped out of his hand. With the tenth or so wand, Remus noticed a warm, welcoming sensation from the wand. He waved it cautiously, and a tiny purple flower emerged from the tip, then floated to the ground, disappearing. Remus looked at the shopkeeper, then his father, who both looked happy and relieved that the carnage was over.
“There’s your wand, Mr. Lupin. Ten and one quarter inches, Cypress, unicorn hair core. Pliable. Honoured to make the match, my bet is you’ll be a Gryffindor. Always the brave sort, the ones Cypress chooses. Treat it well and it will do the same for you. I think you’ll do quite well, yes sir.”
Remus just continued staring in awe, until his father spoke up “Still 7 galleons, wands are?” The shopkeeper nodded, and Remus’ father pulled seven gold coins out of the small bag, and they continued on with their shopping. They visited the second-hand bookshop and purchased the books Remus would need for this year, and continued on to buy ink, parchment, writing quills, a cauldron, and other magical school supplies.
By the time they were done and picked up his robes, the pouch with the money was nearly empty, and Remus felt bad that his father had to spend so much today. Lyall always did his best to not let Remus see that they were struggling, but he never did a good job of it. At least he won’t have to feed me while I’m away , thought Remus, and hoped that that would make up for today’s spree.
Upon returning home, arms filled to the brim with things, his father procured a trunk from under the stairs and helped him pack.
“This was mine when I went to Hogwarts. Hopefully it’s not too dingy that your dormmates will notice, or if they do, I hope they’ll be too polite to say anything,” his father said, offering an apologetic smile. Remus doesn’t mind, as the trunk is grander than anything else he’d seen in his house to date.
After dinner, Remus hugged his parents goodnight and thanked his dad again for everything. Heading upstairs, he cracked open the first book on his enormous pile, A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot. Remus did not sleep that night and finished the pile within a few weeks. He then re-read as many as he could and spent the rest of his time anticipating his arrival at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.