Little Lupin
Remus was convinced that he would not be accepted into the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The reason for this self-doubt was because, when he began to show his first signs of magic, his father had told him proudly what he was and what his father was. Wizards. Remus never forgot the time he sat down as a young boy with his father, his father beaming proudly, excited to tell him. He recalled this memory often, however, with this happy memory followed a disappointing one. His father had told him all about Hogwarts, even showing him a few tricks with his wand. Remus felt his heart flutter when he was told about the magical school, eyes twinkling excitedly. But this wasn't the case for Remus, his father told him. His father's face fell once he had told Remus all about his own happy memories, and he even looked to Remus' mother for strength to tell Remus.
It turned out that, due to Remus' lycanthropy, he might not be accepted into Hogwarts. Remus' face fell too as his father broke the news to him, wondering why his father even told him in the first place. His father pulled little Remus into his lap, his face pressed into Remus' light brown curls. His father explained to him the reason he was being home-schooled, that it was because of his condition. His father further explained that the reason Remus couldn't go to Hogwarts was because of his condition. There would be nowhere for him to transform, he could injure someone or infect them, the Headmaster would know of his condition and therefore would not want to bring a werewolf into the school because of the dangers and reputations for the dark creatures.
For the first time, Remus began to hate what he was. The reasons he couldn't go seemed endless, but they all came back to one thing; the fact that he was a werewolf.
Remus glanced up to his father, teary eyed, before looking to his mother, hoping she would back Remus up. But she never did. Remus didn't think that this was because his mother was a muggle, he put it down to her agreeing with her father. "B-But daddy that's not fair- I've never hurt anyone, I never would!" he exclaimed, clutching his fathers shirt tightly, his tiny knuckles going white with the force he held onto his father with.
His mother spoke for the first time the entire time, gently prying Remus from his fathers arms, pulling him into her own. "We know, Remus. You never would." she agreed, her dainty fingers stroking lovingly through Remus' hair, calming him slightly. His father sat closer, setting a hand on top of Remus' before Remus held onto one of his fingers.
"You would never hurt anyone, Remus, but you might not be able to help it. You have no control over your actions when you change", he spoke softly, his words kind, but they didn't make Remus feel any better. "Furthermore, if anyone found out, they could hurt you. Even the magical folk can be cruel, Remus."
His mother was strong and resilient, and she tilted Remus' chin up so that he looked at her, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "We have decided that, if your letter does not arrive, your father will teach you magic from home. Just because you may not be able to attend Hogwarts, Remus, does not mean that we love you less, and it does not mean that you will miss out entirely, either. We love you, darling", she whispered.
Remus' tears stopped falling at her words, glancing to his father for confirmation, to which he gave a smile and a nod.
Remus often recalled this memory, feeling a flutter of disappointment in his chest. He knew they were right, it would be too dangerous. He knew that he would still learn magic. But, after hearing his father speak of the school so fondly, Remus wanted to experience all of that for himself. The fact that he may not crushed him.
It was the night before his eleventh birthday, and he sat up with a blanket around him, clutching a teddy close. His teddies were his closest friends. There were two children who lived nearby, a girl one year older, named Elizabeth and a boy a couple years older named Henry. The two children would come to see Remus, knowing the other boy didn't have any friends other than them, if you didn't count teddybears. They always brought Remus chocolate for his birthday, and would invite him over for tea and to play, even if they were older. Even though the older boy was much older and much more mature, he would still smile and sit with Remus, letting Remus shyly show him all of his favourite toys. After this, Henry even brought Remus a box of his old toys, telling Remus they were his now.
Remus glanced down at the teddy held tightly in his arms- one of the very teddies Henry had kindly gifted him with. Remus frowned as he glanced down at his teddy. If he did go to Hogwarts, he would be extremely sad to leave, of course. He would have to leave Elizabeth and Henry, he would miss them dearly, not to mention his mother and father who he had never spent longer than a night away from. But if he didn't go, he would miss out on so much. So much magic, so many friends he could meet, he could even get himself a pet if he went!
Remus felt his eyes flicker to his window, which still gave him chills to look at. His eyes flickered down to the wall beside his bed and window, which had long claw marks, from the very night he was attacked. He felt his heart race at the memory, quickly pulling his blanket over his head so that he didn't have to look any longer.
He stayed up until it turned 12am, and his breath hitched with excitement when that time arrived. It was his birthday.
He grinned, giving a tiny little giggle of excitement. Several minutes later, he fell asleep.
Remus woke up early the next morning, rushing down, teddy in arms, to the letterbox in his front door. He scanned through the mail, trying to find his letter.
He dropped his teddy when he had looked through the letter pile twice, not a single one addressed to him. His mother had seemed to hear him shoot downstairs, coming down in a dressing gown with a soft smile on her face.
"You're up early, sweetheart", she chuckled, before pausing as she seemed to realise what Remus was doing. She bit her lip, and asked quietly, the nervousness was evident "Is it there?"
Remus shook his head shallowly, lowering his head so that she didn't see the tears well in his eyes. She picked up the fallen teddy, taking the pile of letters and setting them aside before she crouched down to Remus' height. Remus was very short for his age. She lifted his chin, setting the teddy back into his arms.
"Happy birthday, Remus." She whispered, her eyes loving. "How about we wake your father and give you your present?"
Remus felt himself smile at her words, wrapping one arm around her shoulders as the other held his teddy, nodding softly. She scooped her son up, carrying him up to her bedroom, where his father pretended to sleep, a faint smile on his face. Remus did not suspect that he was awake, but his mother knew all-too-well.
She set Remus down as she sat back down on her bed, leaning down to whisper to the 'sleeping' Lyall, "Nothing". Lyall's faint smile faltered, but he still pretended to sleep.
Remus set his teddy down, waiting for his mothers signal before he pounced onto his father to wake him.
Lyall was one step ahead of him, wrapping his arms around Remus before tickling his sides. Remus shrieked with laughter as Hope laughed too, watching the two loves of her life.
Once the tickle-fest had stopped, Lyall sat up, retrieving a wrapped package, before he set it into Remus' hand. Remus curiously opened his, eyes widening a little to see what it was. 'Standard Book of Spells' by Miranda Goshawk. Remus hugged his mother and father tightly, thanking them happily.
Remus flicked through the book excitedly at breakfast time, giving little gasps here and there as he read about different spells. He ate his toast as he did so, mother and father beside him as they ate their breakfast.
The rest of his birthday morning was not extremely eventful until there was a knock at the door. He hid the book beneath a cushion on the couch, rushing to the door to open it. There, he looked up at Elizabeth and Henry, who engulfed him in a hug. Behind them was their mother, smiling brightly at the scarred boy. They had baked him a birthday cake and stayed for dinner. Following dinner, they lit the candles on the birthday cake and then they sang to Remus.
It was around 2pm when his friends had to leave, as their mother had work.
"I will see you at work in the morning", Lyall said to their mother, and Remus did not question the fact that Lyall worked at the Ministry of Magic, and apparently this 'normal' mother did too. Remus was not slow, he had always been bright. He simply did not think anything suspicious of a muggle working at the Ministry, in fact, didn't even think it through at all.
For another hour or so, Remus sat between his mother and father who held him tightly, all wrapped in a blanket watching a muggle movie of Remus' choice- but Remus couldn't get his little nose out of the Spell Book. He had asked his father to demonstrate a few, to which his father complied happily.
The three of them jumped when there was a sharp knock at the window. They turned to find an owl perched, knocking on the window persistently with its beak. Remus' brows furrowed in confusion. Hope got up to open the window as her and Lyall's hearts beat fast, hoping it was what they thought it was, for their sons sake.
The owl flew past her and into the living room, where they sat, perching on the coffee table and looking right at Remus.
Remus looked down to the letter it held, seeing the address.
'Remus Lupin,
The Living Room,
7 Seren Blaidd,
Cardiff,
South Wales'
Remus' eyes widened a little before he carefully took the letter from the owl, turning it to find the letter 'H' on a wax seal.
He looked up to his father, who began to smile, motioning for Remus to open it quickly.
It was exactly what Remus had been hoping for- by far the most amazing birthday gift. His Hogwarts acceptance letter.