First year - Send off
Remus Lupin
The school year is coming to an end, and Remus can't help but feel on edge. He hasn't heard from his mother since March, and he’s worried she's grown more ill.
He's dreading going home next week, to face the fact she's more sick, that she won't be able to get out of bed, that he'll have to take care of her.
And the result of all the over thinking, all the worrying, Remus has been shutting everyone out. His friends, his teachers, and even himself..
“REMUS JOHN LUPIN!” Sirius vocalizes ,coming down the great hall, James and Peter beside him.
“Oh Godric,” Remus sighs.
“You will not guess what!” Sirius says grinning widely.
“What?” Remus questions, squinting his eyes to Sirius
“I'm going to James' house for the summer!” Sirius claps his hands together.
“Nice” Remus says blankly, looking back to his breakfast.
“Can you be enthusiastic for Remus?” Sirius groans, plopping himself next to him.
“Oh right sorry” Remus clears his throat sarcastically, “Nice” he says again in the same tone.
Sirius shakes him head “Oh sod off, you wanker”
“Tosser” Remus replies.
“Git” Sirius scrunches up his face.
“Prat” Remus says back.
“Well you're a-” Sirius starts
“Girls, girls” Peter brings a hand to his head. leaving Sirius and Remus silent, looking at Peter confused.
“I'm trying to eat my breakfast, which I'm unable to do if you too are yapping at each other.” Peter starts.
James snorts a laugh.
Remus nods his head forming his lips into a straight line.
“As I was saying, I might go to James’s for the summer, but first I have to go back home”” Sirius says proudly.
“I'm sure that’ll be fun,” Remus says again blankly.
“What's up with you today?” Sirius furrows his brows.
“Nothing” Remus looks down to his breakfast, poking at his food.
“Right,” Sirius says flatly. Not knowing how to carry on the conversation.
“James do you really think your Mum wont mind?” Sirius asks, changing the subject .
“Of course, she doesn’t mind, I asked her about it over the winter holiday, and she said you could come whenever you like” James pats Sirius's shoulder.
“Really?” Siriius questions.
“Yep,” James smiles. “Now stop worrying and eat” . Sirius doesn't take a second to think, and starts shoveling food into his mouth. Losing his formal manners for a moment.
“Peter, are you going to be able to come over ?” James asks.
“Nope, sorry mate, Mum and I are going on holiday to my grandmothers.” Peter frowns slightly, scrunching up his nose.
“Oh right, forgot, do you think you could come over at all”
“Dunno,” Peter shrugs. “I'll write , I promise”
“You better i want all the details”
“Alright” Peter laughs.
“Will you be able to come over to my house Remus?” James questions remus.
“No clue” Remus gives a dismissive shrug.
James looks to Sirius for help with the conversation. Which makes Sirius click his tongue at the roof of his mouth.
“Don't worry I got this” Sirius whispers to james
“Well Remus, I guess we'll just talk to you in September” Sirius shrugs, forming his lips in a straight line.
“Wait what?” Remus turns to face Sirius .
“If you don't want to see us then that's up to you” Sirius shrugs again, voice coated with sarcasm. “We don't need to be around you this summer”.
James' eyes widened.
“Okay fine” Remus guards, his brows creased, and a light frown on his face.
“Fine” Sirius taunts.
“Fine!” Remus stands up, storming out of the room, he's mad at himself for getting this upset, he wants to control his temper he really does. But Remus tries to keep everything down all at once, and when things get added to it he can't seem to handle it all.
It all bubbles over.
Remus walks into his dorm, Breath heavy, and he can hear his heartbeat thumping. Not hearing any of his surroundings.
“Remus, Hey Im sorry” Remus hears , feeling the warmth of Sirius’s hand wrapping around his wrist.
“It's whatever don't worry about it” Remus shoves off his hand.
“It's not whatever, it was rude of me, and I'm sorry” Sirius looks into Remus’s eyes, words falling out of his mouth.
Remus backs up. “It's alright”
“Remus?” Sirius asks in a questioning tone.
“Hm?”
“Did your parents hit you?” Sirius asks bluntly, unknowingly, and suddenly.
Which causes Remus to widen his eyes. Choking on cough, Remus lets out the word.
Remus finally lets his words form in his mouth “No, no of course not”
The question brings back a few times Remus’s father had struck him when he was little. But that was forever ago, Remus thought ,
His father doesn't even live with Remus anymore, so that can't count.
“They don't? I know your Father doesn't uh well” Sirius rubs the back of his neck. “Y’know, live with you” Sirius utters out, “But did he before he left?”
And Remus can feel as though Sirius Black had gotten smaller, less confident.
“Not necessarily” Remus looks away.
“Then how did you get- nevermind” Sirius dismisses the start of his conversation.
“My scars?” Remus questions.
Sirius nods his head.
“Well , it's kind of a complicated story, Remus sighs.
Remus knows he's not going to tell Sirius the truth, something inside him wants to just let it off his chest, but he pushes that feeling deep down, and decides to lie.
“Okay so, there's this dog on my street” He begins to tell.
“A dog?” Sirius furrows his brows. Leaning forward, intrigued to hear the story.
“And when I was little, round four, he completely scratched me up” Remus says , lie after another, Remus has to look down at his shoes, so Sirius doesn't see right through him.
"oh Merlin, but there's so many?” Sirius questions again. Examining Remus’s scars
“everyones got scars' ' Remus quotes Sirius from that night he showed him his scars.
“Well if it makes any difference Remus, i think they look badass” Sirius's persona makes an appearance again, and Remus can see Sirius' eyes looking at the scar right over his nose.
"Thanks," Remus says lightly.
"Sirius?"
"Yeah?"
"About what you asked"
"Hm?"
"Do your parents hurt you?"
Remus can see Siriuss face drop at the question, immediately losing eye contact with Remus.
His check turning into a crimson color, Siurs adjusts his shirt collar.
"They do, don't they?" Remus questions again. Inching closer
Sirius doesn't answer.
Remus opens his mouth to say something again, anything.
When James bursts through the door.
"SIRIUS SIRIUS, PETER AND I HAVE THOUGHT OF MOST SPECTACULAR THING" James exclaims , running a hand through his messed up hair.
Sirius clears his throat and looks over to James, "what?"
"We need to do a send off"
"Huh?" Remus questions.
"We need a proper send off , y'know make a mark "
"What do you have in mind
“Well we haven't decided on it yet, that's why we came to tell the both of you, you're done fighting yet?
“We weren't fighting, '' Remus says blankly.
James looks to Remus then to Sirius,
After a moment of silence Sirius speaks “It's alright , Don't worry about it james”
James talkies a breath “well good, two out of three of my best friends can't be fighting “ James Laughs.
“Tell me about it” Peter adds
James snorts a laugh.
“So a send off?” Remus questions. Changing the subject
“Yep”
“Well we have to do something huge, let people know the Marauders were here” Sirius states.
“That's just it! “ Peter exclaims.
“What's just it?” Sirius questions widening his eyes.
“We let people know the marauders were here”
“But how?” James asks
“We could make a mark in the quidditch field” Remus chimes in.
“That's it!!, we make a mark saying the ‘marauders were here’ on the quidditch field.” Peter cheers.
Sirius gasps “oh you bloody geniuses , that's brilliant !
***
Later that night
Remus, Sirius , James and Peter are all cramped up underneath the invisibility cloak .
"I always forget how cramped up it is under here" Sirius groans.
"Oh, you're one to talk to, you're stepping on my foot." Peter whispers back ,
"Well, I can't help it James is pushing me"
"You pushing me" James snaps back.
"Oh, will you shut it where almost there" Remus hushes.
The group of boys arrive at the quidditch field, and finally take the invisibility cloak off.
And all four boys take a breath of air.
“Thank god, I thought I was going to suffocate in there” Sirius complains.
“Oh stop being dramatic” Peter rolls his eyes.
“Me, Dramatic? Pfft” Sirius snorts.
“Okay hush hush, we need to think” James stops the conversation.
“So we could do it in the middle of the field”
“Yeah but how do we even do this?” Peter questions.
“Well I read up on this charm” remus starts
“Of course you did” Sirius teases
“And we can cut the grass to say our message “
“Brilliant, whats it called” james asks
“Diffindo”
“I remember learning about that one!” Peter says.
“Well then let's get started” Sirius claps his hands together.
The boys all pull out their wants and start spelling out their message in the grass. The sun had started to rise by the time the boys were done.
All of them stand back to look at their work.
In the grass spells their message.
‘THE MARAUDERS WERE HERE’
The boys all smile at it.
“Well i guess this is it” james says “the end of our first year”
“Oh dont get all sentimental James we still have six more years of this” Remus huffs a laugh.
“Well it's a big thing, Remus, and I'm going to be sentimental about it, '' James wipes under his eyes.
“Oh you big baby” Sirius slings his arm around him “ There's no need to cry James, we’ll all be back in a few months”
“Yeah you're right” James sniffs.
“I'm glad I met you a lot “ Sirius says smiling, looking back at the words cut into the grass.
“I'm happy I met you all too” Remus adds.
Remus can feel his stomach not up just from the words.
“Promise we'll be friends forever?” James asks.
The rest of the boys all agree.
“Promise”