Breakfast
The atmosphere in the Great Hall was eerily normal—perhaps a bit more subdued than usual after the events of the previous night, but the usual chatter and clinking of cutlery persisted. That is, until the small group of Gryffindors walked in.
Almost instantly, conversations faltered, heads turned, and a ripple of whispers swept through the room.
“Holy Christ,” Mary muttered under her breath, her eyes darting around the hall. “News spreads in this school faster than dragon pox.”
She wasn’t wrong. At least fifty students were pointing or craning their necks to get a better look. Some wore barely veiled curiosity, while others had expressions of poorly disguised pity or morbid fascination.
The attention didn’t seem to bother Remus—or if it did, he didn’t show it. His wide eyes were fixed on the enchanted ceiling, where storm clouds rolled lazily overhead and the floating candles cast a warm, flickering glow.
“Da’! Look!” he exclaimed, his voice full of wonder as he pointed at the candles one by one. “They’re flying! They’re really flying!”
Christopher gave him a soft smile, nodding as if he was seeing them for the first time too. “Pretty cool, huh?” he said, his voice light and encouraging.
The rest of the group exchanged uneasy glances. Sirius’s jaw clenched, his knuckles white where his hands were shoved into his pockets. James kept close to him, as if ready to intervene should his temper boil over.
“Keep walking,” Lily murmured, her hand gently guiding Remus forward.
When they reached their designated table, Remus sat down first, his eyes alight with curiosity. He reached for one of the floating candles, his face lighting up with delight, only to giggle when it darted just out of his reach.
Sirius couldn’t help but smile, though the ache in his chest was sharp. No matter how much it hurt, it was nice to see Moony showing so much emotion—emotion that wasn’t buried or hidden away. But the smile didn’t reach his eyes. That part of Remus was slipping away, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
A small clinking sound echoed from the front of the room. Dumbledore was about to make his announcement. Panic rose in Sirius’s throat. He quickly scanned the hall, his eyes locking on Regulus. The bastard was smiling.
“As many of you have likely noticed,” Dumbledore’s voice rang out, calm and steady, “the Great Hall has been… rearranged a bit. I’m sure you are all wondering why.”
The students gave a quiet murmur of agreement, except for Regulus, who smiled at Sirius.
Sirius raised up a finger at him.
“As you know,” Dumbledore continued, “There was an attack at our school last night. While most of us escaped unharmed, with only a few injuries, one among us has been… altered.”
A gasp went through the hall.
“Most of you know of the many practical jokes that have been played in Hogwarts since 1971, and even more of you know that these mischievous Gryffindors have dubbed themselves ‘the Marauders’.”
A round of claps and wolf whistles went through the hall, but then everyone seemed to remember why the Marauders were being brought up, and the room quickly quieted down.
“One of these boys, Remus Lupin, was caught up in a battle against his friend, Sirius Black's younger brother, Regulus. Regulus decided to curse Mr. Lupin with the unforgivable curse, Crucio.”
The air tensed, and the Slytherins sitting by Regulus subtly shifted away from him. Regulus continued watching Dumbledore, smiling.
“Mr. Lupin was placed under indescribable pain for at least five minutes before his brave friend, James Potter stepped forward. He was quickly placed under the curse as well.”
Many glares were being shot at Regulus now.
“Sirius begged for his friends to be let go, and Regulus said no. Sirius told Regulus that he would leave Hogwarts and go with his brother, only if Mr. Lupin and Mr. Potter were let go. Regulus said no again, and bargained that instead, he would take one of his brother’s friends. Sirius said no, and Regulus told him that he had to the count of three, then he would decide.” Dumbledore continued grimly, “When Regulus got to three, the curse lifted, and Mr. Lupin woke up, saying something to Sirius, before being hit with another curse, which has caused him to believe that he is six years old, and still living in the children's home. Mr. Lupin has begun to confuse his friends' faces with people from his past..." Dumbledore’s voice faltered slightly as he looked towards the Gryffindor table, his eyes lingering on Remus, who had begun talking to James.
“Grant, when will the food come out? I’m hungry.”
James lowered his gaze, biting his lip. "I know, mate. Just give us a minute."
“Alright.” Remus curled up against Mary’s side, leaning his head against her shoulder. “I love you, Jamie.”
The room was thick with an odd, painful silence. A few quiet sobs echoed from the Ravenclaw table. The weight of the moment fell heavily on the entire hall.
“As you have seen… Mr. Lupin is not himself, and we plead that you are patient with him. I know that many of us care for him very dearly, so I have decided to let you all have the day off of studies.”
The usual cheers did not come. Instead, an odd sniffling rose from the Hufflepuff table, followed by several more from around the room.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, his voice a touch heavier than usual. “Regulus's actions... were unforgivable. But what matters now is how we move forward. We must support Mr. Lupin, who is in great need of our care.” His eyes scanned the room, and for a fleeting second, they softened as they landed on Remus.
Dumbledore continued, “However, if any of you would like to meet with the teachers today, we will be discussing how to help Mr. Lupin, and what spell Regulus has placed him under, as he refuses to tell us.” Dumbledore frowned disapprovingly in the direction of the Slytherin table; Regulus just shrugged.
Slowly, hesitant hands began to rise from the Gryffindor table, unsure but determined, followed by a few tentative nods from the Hufflepuff table. Soon, nearly every table in the hall, including some of the Slytherins, had a hand raised in quiet solidarity. The room, thick with tension only seconds before, was now heavy with a sense of unspoken understanding and care.
Sirius watched in silence, his heart heavy with a mix of gratitude and sorrow, as Remus sat oblivious to the sea of support surrounding him. As the hands continued to rise, the world outside their small group felt a little less hostile. The murmurs of discontent at Regulus’s actions softened, replaced by a wave of unity. A wave that, for the first time in what felt like forever, gave Sirius a glimmer of hope.