Harry Potter FanFiction

[Exarius]

***GENERAL DISCLAIMER***
Clearly, we don't own Harry Potter. The characters and universe belong strictly to Jo Rowling. We do, however, own this particular interpretation of events that could have happened in the Potter Universe. Please do not post anywhere without our express content.


Part One A:

Gobstones and Goodbyes


The loud bustling of Platform 9 ¾ of King’s Cross Staion was almost too much for Remus Lupin’s overly sensitive ears. As an 11 year old, Remus was ready to start his first year away at school. Remus, however, was not an ordinary student. Like the others on the platform, Remus was gifted with magical blood. In short, Remus Lupin is a wizard and the school he is preparing to attend is one of the oldest magical academies in the world. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be Remus’ home for the next seven years where he will study the art of magic and spellcasting. Needless to say, he was absolutely frightened, yet exhilarated of the future before him.

As if being a wizard wasn’t spectacular enough, Remus was special in one other, (much less glorious), way. Just over four years ago, Remus’ father had angered another wizard, Fenrir Greyback. Greyback was a violent, angry man who happened to be a werewolf. As punishment for his father’s crime, Remus was attacked and bitten by the bloodthirsty Greyback. Now, Remus carries the blood of change within his veins and suffers a painful transformation with every light of the full moon. Unfortunately, most of the stories about werewolves are true. Though he is a completely normal, if rather bookish, boy most of the time, he becomes a feral beast when the moon is full. Remus’ father never told him what he’d done to upset Greyback, but Remus was certain it wasn’t anything bad enough to warrant the curse he now carried.

The consequences of being a werewolf were more than just painful transformations. Remus’ mother, a 1st generation witch, was so frightened by her son’s condition that she left her husband and only child a year after the bite. Remus didn’t blame her, really. It was difficult work having a werewolf in the family. To her credit, his mother sent an occasional letter but, for the most part, Remus was alone. His father was the only family he had left.

Remus’ father, once bright and cheerful, was left broken with the departure of his wife. Even now, as his father maneuvered Remus’ trunk towards the scarlet steam engine known as the Hogwarts Express, Remus could glimpse the darkness that seemed to consume his father. He would never admit it, but Remus’ father clearly blamed himself for everything that had gone wrong. Remus could almost see the guilt radiating from his father’s eyes every time he looked him in the face. Even so, his father did all he could to make things seem cheerful. It was hard work considering his father spent nearly all of his time working to support his son. Keeping Remus’ affliction a secret was expensive and what little money his father earned usually went to the costly potion ingredients that helped Remus recover after difficult transformations.

Remus’ father seemed particularly upset today. He’d been coaching Remus for weeks on how to keep his condition a secret at school. It was a blessing that Dumbledore had become headmaster. Remus realized no one else would probably allow a werewolf to attend school (public or private) with hundreds of other students vulnerable to attack. The Headmaster had gone so far as to have several precautions placed in the school to prevent Remus’ awful secret from spreading. Remus and his father had been allowed to visit the school over the summer and Remus was instructed on what would happen the night of every transformation. On the night of a full moon, Remus would be led across the grounds by the school nurse before taking a secret passage to a shack on the outskirts of a local village. There, Remus would spend the night as a wolf before being led to the school’s hospital wing to recover. Since the visit, there hadn’t been a night where Remus’ father didn’t remind him of exactly what to do when the full moon arrived. As nervous as Remus was about staying hidden, his father seemed even more worried. The bags under the man’s eyes and his weary smile had become exaggerated in the last few weeks and Remus hoped his father didn’t worry himself sick while he was away.

His father finally wove a path through the mess of people. Remus nearly knocked over a boy with messy hair and glasses in an attempt to keep up with his father, but he managed to mutter an apology before continuing on. Finally, his father stopped by a large beam on the far side of the platform. He leaned Remus’ truck against the beam and pulled his son close.

“Remember what I told you,” he said, placing his hands on Remus’ shoulders. “You must keep it a secret. You’ll have no future if anyone finds out.” Remus had heard those lines many times before, but there was something heavier about his father’s words today. Perhaps it was the tears Remus saw welling in his father’s eyes, but Remus felt as if his father were laying the fate of the world on his shoulders. “Do your best, Remus, and I know you’ll make me proud. I’ll write as soon as you get settled in.” The despair was flowing freely now and tears sprang from both sets of eyes. Remus’ father removed his hands from his son’s shoulders and began loading Remus’ trunk onto the train. He turned back to his son and enveloped him in a warm hug. Remus couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Dad…” he managed to choke out before fear and worry closed his throat. His father sighed deeply and squeezed Remus tightly.

“I won’t be far… I’ll never leave you, son,” he said, crying silently but freely. It was the first time Remus had seen his father cry. He usually kept his emotions tightly wrapped under a calm, happy exterior. His father was letting years of built up sadness escape him now and Remus felt heavy with anxiety. “Now, you’d better get on,” his father said, breaking the embrace, his exterior now firmly back in place. “You want to find a good seat,” he said behind a false smile. Remus stepped up and into the train where his father had loaded his trunk. “I love you,” Remus’ father said.

“I love you, too, Dad,” Remus said, his eyes threatening to flow once again. Without another word, his father disappeared into the growing crowd of people and Remus was now left completely alone. He was glad his father’s departure had been swift. He knew that if he had to say goodbye much longer, his bravery would falter and he wouldn’t be able to take the train to Hogwarts. Remus wiped his eyes, removing all traces of the sadness in his heart, grabbed his trunk, and began searching the train for an empty compartment.

Remus passed by the window a closed compartment and caught a glimpse of his reflection. Remus was instantly washed in a flood of self-consciousness. His last transformation had taken place just under a week ago and the pains of his curse were written across Remus’ face. His young eyes, glowing vivid amber, were ringed with darkness. It looked as if he hadn’t slept in weeks. His dull golden hair hung messily from his head, making it look as if Remus were constantly being rained on. At best, Remus looked as if he suffered from some kind of malnutrition. His clothes didn’t help his haggard appearance. His father had done his best with Remus’ secondhand clothes, but they still hung loose in certain spots or fell short in others. Remus decided he would change into his school clothes as soon as possible. They were also secondhand, but they looked less awkward than the clothes Remus wore now.

Before now, Remus had never really had the opportunity to make friends and now that the chance was upon him, he was growing increasingly nervous. What frightened Remus even more was the impression he would have to make on the Hogwarts professors. Before she left, his mother had always told him how bright he was, but what if that wasn’t enough for the professors? These dark thoughts swirled in Remus’ mind as he absently found his way into an empty train compartment. Remus quickly changed into his school robes before stowing his trunk and taking a seat.

[Exarius]

Part One B:


Butterflies had taken up complete residence in Remus’ stomach now, though he might have argued that it was an elephant and not butterflies that made his stomach ache. Remus decided it would be best to take his mind off his worries, so he opened his trunk and took out one of his schoolbooks. The book,tattered from years of ownership, had already been subjected to Remus’ examination. Remus was always interested in magic and he was finally going to school to study it so it was only natural for him to learn as much as he could before term actually started. Ever since he was young, Remus found he enjoyed reading and his new schoolbooks were filled with wonders to be discovered and explored. Even his book on the history of magic was filled with interesting bits of information that Remus couldn’t get enough of.

Remus flipped to a page in a book titled “Dark Arts: A Basic Defense” and flipped to a page he had only skimmed earlier. The top right corner of the page was dedicated to a grossly detailed image of a man with his knees reversed. If it wasn’t for the grimace on the man’s face, the picture would have been somewhat amusing. Remus turned to the text and read:

The knee-reversing hex is one of many minor curses used throughout the wizarding world. Although frowned upon by the Ministry of Magic, spells like these usually cause no permanent damage to the victim. Other common hexes include the stinging, bat-bogey, and hurling hexes. Hexes are often mistakenly called jinxes, which usually have a more negative or continually negative effect on the victim. Hexes, like the knee-reversing hex, tend to cause a singular deformity. Jinxes, on the other hand, usually cause abnormalities or continual pain to the victim. In essence, jinxes are only less sinister versions of curses, which can cause irreversible damage to victims. When faced with any of these dark spells, it is best to avoid them using a shield charm, but if you ever find yourself a victim of a hex or jinx, remember that there is usually a simple counter spell to reverse the damage.

Remus read to the end of the page where the author listed several counter-hexes and shield charms along with basic instruction on casting. He was just contemplating trying his hand at casting a shield charm when the compartment door slid open. A group of students much older than Remus entered and occupied the empty seats. They were noisy and unkempt, but the awkwardness was too much for Remus. He did not want to be rude, but he needed to escape the claustrophobia that overtook him when the group of students entered.

“I’ll just give you a bit more room, shall I?” Remus asked, gathering his trunk. He could feel now that the train was in motion, which made it rather difficult as he groped down the corridor looking for an empty compartment. Just when he thought there was no hope of finding a place on the train, two people burst from a nearby compartment, clearly unhappy with the other occupants. Remus squeezed against the corridor to let them by but the angry look on the girl’s face kept him from saying anything. More nervous than he’d ever been in his life, Remus poked his head in the door of the compartment. Instead of the fierce-looking faces he’d expected to find, two rather happy looking boys of about his age were sitting in the compartment. Both were about Remus’ height with dark hair. One of the boy’s had glasses and shorter, messier hair. The other boy’s hair was longer and there was a mischievous glint in his eye. Very nervously, Remus asked if he could join them.

The boys welcomed Remus to the compartment and made friendly introductions. The boy with the messy hair was James and his friend was Sirius. Remus felt the both boys’ eyes take in the sight of his shabby appearance and he felt he was in danger of blushing from embarrassment. After what seemed like an eternity to Remus, a large grin spread across Sirius’ face. The friendliness of both boys was enough to put Remus at ease. Meeting people wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d imagined it would be.

“Tell me, Remus,” Sirius said slyly, pulling a box from within his pocket. “Are you a Gobstones man?” James rolled his eyes again, but this time Sirius didn’t notice.

“He’s never won a game,” James said with a smile. “He refuses to play me because he claims I cheat…Now he just goes around challenging anyone he sees, hoping he can finally win.” Remus had never played Gobstones as he’d never had anyone to play with, but this was a perfect time to learn.

“I’ve never played,” Remus said slowly, his brow furrowed in mock concentration, “but I’ll give it a try.” Sirius’ smile grew wider and he quickly set up the pieces.
“Excellent,” Sirius said happily before explaining the rules of the game. Remus listened patiently to the explanation and picked up the game quite easily. In fact, he quickly surpassed Sirius as a player and it looked like the dark-haired boy wouldn’t find his win today. It wasn’t the fact that Sirius was unintelligent, Remus thought, just that he lacked the patience to plan ahead and make the right moves.

Over the next few hours, the three boys played games and chatted. Remus was very careful not to divulge too much information, but they didn’t talk much about their past. Most of the talk was of Hogwarts and what wondrous adventures awaited them there. They spoke of the professors, the classes, the ghosts, and of course, the four famous houses. Remus had heard a lot about Hogwarts since both his parents had attended the school, but he was both intrigued and frightened by the tales woven by James and Sirius. As they played their games, Remus dreamed of what his life would become over the next few years and he wondered if he’d finally make the friends he so desperately wanted. In the back of his mind, his secret nibbled away at Remus’ hopes, but Remus ignored it for now. He would be careful and no one would discover the truth about his curse. Remus promised himself that, not only for himself, but for his father as well.

Meanwhile, the Hogwarts Express rattled northward to the graying light of dusk where dreams and futures unfold…

((Corrections made to coincide with information from Deathly Hallows))

[Genesis]

First Meetings and the Sorting: Part I

“JAAAMES!” Sirius yelled down the corridor to his best friend. “Oh, there you are,” he said with mock boredom. He sat down next to his friend and began recounting what had happened when he had left for Hogwarts. Sirius couldn’t help but feel happier than he had in a very long time. He was so happy to be away from home, and even happier to finally be going to the school that he had heard so much about.

Sirius’s goodbye to his parents was nothing short of icy. They were glad to be rid of him and his wild behavior, and he was glad to be away from them, his dreadful house, and his parents’ pureblood mania. The last words his father had spoken to him had been, “Sirius, please don’t shame us like you so like to do. Please send us an owl telling us that you’re in Slytherin. If you’re not, don’t even bother to write.” In his head, Sirius begged to be put in another house so he could have even less contact with his parents.

Ever since he could walk and talk, Sirius’s parents had been telling him the plans they had for him for the future. They told him that he would be in Slytherin house, and he would bring honor to his family name. Well, Sirius didn’t want to be in Slytherin house, and he certainly didn’t want to bring honor to his family name. Sirius had vowed that he would do as much as possible to make people forget that he was a Black.

“Regulus was so jealous,” Sirius was saying when he finally looked up and noticed that he and James weren’t the only ones in their compartment.

“You’d better be in Slytherin,” a small, long faced, greasy haired boy sitting next to a pretty, red headed girl was saying.

“Slytherin? Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?” James said to the boy.

Sirius did not laugh or smile at James’s comment because the truth was that he highly feared that he would become a member of the Slytherin House. He had heard so much about it, and it was more out of want to displease his parents than actual want to be a part of another house that made Sirius long to a member of any other Hogwarts House.

“My whole family have been in Slytherin,” Sirius responded. At the look on James’s face, Sirius grinned and said, “Maybe I’ll break tradition. Where are you heading, if you’ve got the choice?”

“‘Gryffindor,” James said, lifting an invisible sword, “‘where dwell the brave at heart!’ Like my dad.” And when the small boy opposite them made a noise, James added, “Got a problem with that?”

“No,” said the boy with a nasty look on his face, “if you’d rather be brawny than brainy—”

“Where’re you hoping to go, seeing as you’re neither?” Sirius said, anxious to defend his friend. James roared with laughter, but the girl in the compartment suddenly stood up and shot James and Sirius looks of deepest loathing.

“Come on, Severus, let’s find another compartment.”

“Ooooo…” James and Sirius said together. “Come on, Severus!” They said, imitating her girlish voice. As they passed, James tried to trip Severus and Sirius said, “See ya, Snivellus!” as the red haired girl slammed the door behind them.

Almost immediately after the girl and Severus left the compartment, another raggedy looking boy slid open the door. “Do you mind if I sit here?” he said shyly, indicating the seat across from where James and Sirius sat, still howling with laughter.

“Not at all!” Sirius said, pulling himself together. “I’m Sirius,” he said and shook the shabby looking boy’s hand vigorously. He interested the boy called Remus into a game of Gobstones, and they spent the rest of the trip to Hogwarts playing. Occasionally, Sirius would let out a shout of frustration that sounded more like a bark, just like his laughter did every time he let out a burst of joy during the game. Sirius liked Remus, and what made him fonder of him is that he was exactly the type of person that his parents wouldn’t want him to be around. Remus was obviously from a poor family, what with his second hand supplies and raggedy robes that didn’t fit him right, and Sirius’s parents’ would never want him to be seen with someone who, to them, was such a stain on Wizard society. Sirius smiled inwardly at the thought of the looks on his parents’ faces if they ever knew that he was friends with someone like Remus.

Finally, Sirius, James, and Remus entered Hogsmeade station. Sirius wasn’t nervous, but then again, he rarely ever got nervous. It was just that he was pretty apathetic about almost everything, and he was a bit conceited. He didn’t mind being the center of attention, and he certainly didn’t mind getting into a little trouble. Again, a smile crept across his face at how “proud” he was going to make his parents.

“What are you smiling about?” James said as they were gathering up all of their things from around the compartment.

“Nothing,” Sirius said nonchalantly.

“Well, stop. You look ridiculous.” Sirius elbowed James in the stomach and walked out of the compartment. When he got onto the platform of Hogsmeade Station, he heard a loud, gruff voice yelling over all of the commotion.

“Firs’ years! Firs’ years this way!” Sirius looked around to find the source of the voice and gasped when he saw the biggest man he had ever seen. At least, he thought it was a man. He was at least twice the height of a normal man and more than five times as wide. He had a big black beard and matching black hair that fell to his shoulders and covered most of his face. Sirius looked around to see if James had seen the man as well, and he saw James staring, slightly open-mouthed at the man calling for first years. James looked nervous to say the least, but Remus, who was standing a few steps behind James, looked positively fearful and had a green tinge to his face.

Sirius swallowed hard and headed to where the man was calling for them. “No more’n four to a boat!” the huge man called as Sirius was approaching. His eyes widened as he looked at the narrow path that lead to a black, shimmering lake. Beyond the lake was a huge castle, silhouetted against a magnificent, starry sky. Sirius knew instantly that he would love it here.

He held back and met up with James and Remus who were looking as awed as Sirius felt. James looked like he couldn’t believe his eyes, and Remus looked like he was ready to faint. The three boys climbed into a boat, Sirius leaning against the edge and sticking his hand into the water carelessly.

“Sirius, don’t do that,” James said quickly.

“What? Are you scared?” Sirius said and splashed James with a bit of ice cold water. Laughing, Sirius looked up and saw a mousy looking boy heading toward their boat.

“D-do you m-mind if I s-sit here?” the boy stuttered.

“Not at all, mate,” Sirius said. “I’m Sirius,” he said sticking out his hand. “This is James, and that’s Remus,” he said before the other boys could introduce themselves.

“I-I’m P-Peter. Peter Pettigrew,” he said quietly.

“Alrigh’ everyone?” came the huge man’s voice suddenly. “FORWARD!” The man yelled, and then suddenly, the boats began to move on their own, gliding across the lake as if guided by invisible strings. The four boys had instantly silenced, and it seemed like every single first year was holding their breath, awaiting what was to come. When they got to the edge of the lake, everyone clambered out of the boats and followed the huge man silently to the front doors of the castle. He banged one of his gigantic fists on castle door, and the door flew open instantly. A tall, thin, somewhat elderly woman with her black hair held in a tight bun stood before them wearing magnificent maroon robes.

((While reading Deathly Hallows, I realized that Sirius and James had actually been in a compartment with Snape and Lily to begin with. So, I had to make some changes to accommodate for those facts.))

[Genesis]

First Meetings and the Sorting: Part II

“Here they are, Professor McGonagall,” the huge man told her.

“Thank you very much Hagrid. I’ll see you inside. This way,” she said to the first years who were trembling with cold, some with fear. They followed her across the entrance hall and Sirius heard the din of voices coming from a door on their right. Instead of entering that door, they entered what seemed to be a rather large classroom, and Professor McGonagall turned to face them.

“Welcome to Hogwarts. The start of term feast will begin very shortly, but before that all of you will be placed into the four houses. These houses will be very important to you during your next seven years at Hogwarts. You can gain points for your houses by showing exceptional skill, knowledge, or merit, and if you misbehave in any way, you will lose points. Your house will be like your family, and everyone wants to bring pride to their families.” At this, Sirius smirked. “The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house is a noble and worthy house full of magical history, and each has produced exceptional witches and wizards. At the end of the year, the house that has earned the most points will win the House Cup, which is a truly great honor,” she paused for a moment, seemingly to let them all take in what she had said. “The Sorting Ceremony will begin very shortly. Try to look decent, as the entire school will witness this event. I will come back to collect you all very soon. Please wait quietly.” Professor McGonagall exited the room and left all of the first years to sit there and ponder the sorting in silence.

Sirius wasn’t exactly sure how they decided which house you were in. He had never bothered to ask his parents that bit of information. They probably just would have looked at him like he was stupid anyway. He thought of asking James if he knew, but then reconsidered when he saw James flicking his wand randomly, as if trying to prove that he was indeed a wizard.

After a few more minutes of silence, Professor McGonagall came in and ordered the first years to follow her into the Great Hall where the sorting would take place. When they entered the hall, Sirius’s eyes immediately traveled to the ceiling which was strewn with stars. Sirius wondered if it was just a glass that showed the outside sky, or if it was just a starry ceiling. He felt as if every single person in the hall had their eyes on him, but he didn’t care. He was far more concerned with the sorting. When they got to the front of the hall, Sirius glanced up and saw man sitting in a high backed chair, peering over is half moon shaped spectacles at all of them. He had long white hair and a long white beard, and his eyes were so piercingly blue that Sirius was sure that he could read all of their minds.

Professor McGonagall placed an old, fragile looking hat on a stool at the front of the hall, and all of the students stared at it. Sirius wondered what the purpose of the hat was, but then was instantly answered when the hat suddenly burst into song. While the Sorting Hat was singing about the four Hogwarts houses, Sirius began to look around the Great Hall. He looked over at the Slytherin table and saw his cousin Andromeda waving furiously at him. He smiled and returned the wave. He scanned the table and then saw his cousin Narcissa staring at him, with her nose slightly in the air, on her side was a boy with long, pale blond hair and a pointed face. Narcissa did not give Sirius any sort of indication that she knew him, let alone that they were family. Annoyed, Sirius continued to scan the room, until—

“Black, Sirius!” Sirius jumped at the sound of his name. He hadn’t even noticed that the song was over, and he was afraid that he had missed some kind of instruction. He walked slowly up to the stool and stared at Professor McGonagall expectantly before realizing that he was supposed to sit in the chair. He sat down, and McGonagall placed the hat on his head, which slipped below his ears.

“Hmm…” Sirius heard the Sorting Hat say in his ear. “Another member of the Ancient Black Family… But this one seems to want something different. You bear the name ‘Black,’ but none of the characteristics… Well, in that case… GRYFFINDOR!” Sirius heard the hat yell. Professor McGonagall pulled the hat off his head, and Sirius strode over to the Gryffindor table to the sound of thunderous applause. He sat down and looked back at James with a wink.

Eventually Remus, James, and their friend from the boat, Peter, had all been placed into Gryffindor House and joined their classmates amidst cheers and slaps on the back. The girl from the train, “Evans, Lily!” was also sorted into Gryffindor, while her friend, Severus, joined the Slytherins. When she got to their table, Sirius slid down the bench to make room for her and winked. She immediately recognized him from the train, so she folded her arms and turned away from him. Sirius smiled and elbowed James, and the boys both laughed together. When the four boys finally got up to their dormitories, each finally realized how exhausted they were, and they all slipped into their beds fairly early. Full and happy, Sirius laid on his four poster bed and thought of how angry his parents would be that he wasn’t put in Slytherin house. Sirius looked around the room at his fellow Gryffindor first years, and he saw that they were all asleep except for Remus who was reading by the light of his wand. Sirius turned over and fell into a deep, blissful sleep…

[Exarius]

Untouchable: Part I

The first week of term was the best of Remus’ life. He enjoyed his classes, the castle, his house, and most of all, he enjoyed his new friends. James, Sirius, and Remus had been joined by a watery-eyed boy named Peter. Remus was friendly to Peter, but the boy seemed more interested in James and Sirius than Remus. As he sat in the Great Hall one morning, still awed by the magnificent amber sky that ruled over him, Remus suddenly realized he had forgotten to write his father. Cursing himself for forgetting something so important, Remus hurried through breakfast, gave a quick explanation to James, Sirius, and Peter before rushing up to the Owlery.

Remus tripped up the stairs just outside the Great Hall. His robes were a bit too long and they had a tendency to catch around his ankles as he walked. Remus adjusted his robes and continued on. Somewhere on the second floor, a tapestry caught Remus’ eye and he lingered just long enough to admire the ancient piece of decoration. Every day at Hogwarts had been like that for Remus. Even though he grew up with a wizard for a father, he was constantly amazed by the castle and its rich magical history. Remus felt completely at home here, so much so that he sometimes forgot about his lycanthropy. That could make things difficult, for Remus knew that if he wasn’t constantly vigilant, others could find out his secret and his future would be ruined. There would be no more Hogwarts and its many mysteries if just one person were to realize what he was.

While he was staring at the tapestry, Remus came to a slow realization that had nothing to do with his lycanthropic problem. His current problem was much more pressing, as he couldn’t send a letter if he didn’t know where the Owlery was. He, along with James, Sirius, and even Peter, had done their best to explore Hogwarts as much as possible in their first few days, but it was a large castle and they’d only barely begun. Sirius had managed to find three trick doors on the very first day of class and was delighted when he’d managed to trick Remus into getting stuck behind one. In the end, Remus had to tickle the door to get it to let him out. Unfortunately, their exploits had not given them the location of the Owlery and Remus was at a loss for where to start. He figured it would have to be in one of the towers, so he began climbing the closest flight of stairs. He decided he’d ask an older student if he saw one, although that was unlikely since most were at breakfast.

Luckily for Remus, the Owlery was in the West Tower, the first one he checked. He couldn’t admit it publicly, but his nose had helped him a little. That was possibly the only positive thing about being a werewolf. Remus found that since he’d been bitten, he had heightened senses that helped him find his way and hear or smell things no ordinary human could. Today, it was useful in helping him locate the Owls that would carry his letter. The smell of the Owlery was so pungent that Remus thought any human could find it by smell. Remus took a moment to pen a quick letter to his father explaining how much he was already enjoying Hogwarts. He held his nose as he attached his letter to a large barn owl with a sinister looking beak. The owl nipped at him several times, but failed to draw blood. It was the only owl that had let Remus approach it. Remus had never had the chance to be around many animals, but he realized the owls must be able to sense the predator within him. This realization cut Remus a little deeper than expected for it meant that even animals saw him as something different-something to be afraid of. It was with a slightly heavier heart that Remus made his way towards his first class of the day. Normally he would have met up with Sirius, James, and Peter, but he feared they might even sense the beast within him. It was foolish thinking, of course, but Remus couldn’t help but feel ashamed at what he was.

As Remus descended the stairs on his way to his first class of the day, Transfiguration, he found his way blocked by a group of 6th or 7th years who were laughing haughtily in the corridor. Remus tried to squeeze by unnoticed, but it was too cramped for even his small frame to maneuver through. “Excuse me,” Remus muttered, though he instantly regretted having said anything. Almost immediately, all of the older students were looking down at him. Remus wasn’t small for his age. In fact, he was rather tall, but he felt so tiny compared to these older students. Now that they were facing him, he could clearly see the Slytherin badges on their robes. Remus hadn’t learned much about the four Hogwarts houses, but he knew to avoid Slytherin. At first, he’d thought it was all just silly competition between houses, but even a book he got from the library (Hogwarts, A History) said there was a long history of animosity between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Now more than ever, Remus hoped it was just being blown out of proportion. The wicked grins on the Slytherins’ faces told him otherwise.

“Looks like we’ve got a lost little lion,” said a tall girl with long dark hair and deep-set eyes. Remus could only stand there, his hands turning white from gripping the strap of his bag so tightly. He hated confrontation and the last thing he wanted was to get on the wrong side of a group of older students.
“I’m sorry,” Remus said, barely above a whisper. “I was just trying to get through.” Head down, Remus took a step towards the edge of the group. They’d separated a bit after his appearance and he could get through the group easily now. He’d only taken a few steps when he was yanked backwards by his robes. Rough hands spun him around to face his assailant. The cold eyes of the heavy-lidded girl looked down on Remus in disgust. They met his eyes first before traveling to the Gryffindor badge pinned upon his chest.

“You filthy half-blood,” the girl spat. Remus’ heart stopped until he realized she must be talking about his blood status. There was no way she could know he was a werewolf. At least, Remus hoped there was no way. “No self-respecting pure-blood would have such disgusting robes. You Gryffindors are all the same: Muggle-Loving, Half-Breed Scum!” She grabbed Remus by the hem of his robes and pushed him away. Remus tripped over his robes and landed on his hands, much to the delight of the Slytherins who guffawed in approval. “One day,” she continued, “disrespectful little gits like you won’t be allowed in the same room as pure-bloods, let alone into Hogwarts” The girl gave a final, mad cackle while Remus picked himself up and hurried away. He was red with embarrassment and anger; too frustrated and ashamed to cry or even yell. As he hurried away from his tormentors, he heard the fading voice of one of the Slytherins. “Did you see the state of his robes?” the voice echoed in Remus’ mind all the way to his next class.

[Exarius]

Untouchable: Part II

Remus made it to Transfiguration with only a few minutes to spare and he slipped into a seat behind James and Sirius. The last thing he wanted was to face anyone right now, but he knew there was no avoiding it. It had been a very bad morning and Remus wanted to hide from the world. Maybe the girl had been right; maybe he didn’t belong at Hogwarts. Remus put on a false smile when both James and Sirius turned to regard him. “I thought you would meet us after breakfast,” James said with mock sadness while Sirius gave him the most ridiculous puppy-dog-look.

“I got held up in the Owlery,” Remus said, trying to sound as nonchalant as
possible. Somehow, he didn’t even convince himself and the slight shift in his friends’ demeanor told him they didn’t believe his false-cheeriness either. At that moment, Remus realized he’d picked the best and worst friends he could possibly imagine. They could already read his emotions and it had only been a week since they’d met. It was clear there’d be no hiding things from them and, when you’re a werewolf, that could make for a very difficult friendship indeed. Even so, Remus was slightly cheered by the fact that there were some people who seemed to care.

“What’s wrong, Rem-“ Sirius began, but was interrupted by McGonagall starting class. Peter came in a few moments later, breathing heavily from hurrying to class, and was scolded heavily by Professor McGonagall. The entire class had a good laugh when McGonagall suggested transforming Peter into a watch so that he could be on time. For the moment, Remus’ troubles were forgotten.
The rest of the day was uneventful. Remus did his best not to think about what had happened that morning. Whenever it seemed James or Sirius were about to bring up that morning, Remus changed the subject. By dinner that evening, Remus’ spirits were higher and he laughed and joked with the others at the Gryffindor table before pulling one of his library books out. He was teased for his constant studying, but there were just so many things to learn. It wasn’t only spellbooks he read, but all sorts of folk-tales and adventure stories that he had always dreamed of when he was younger. Remus’ intelligence was quiet and elegant. He didn’t brag about the things he knew or try to be the first to answer a question. He’d answer when called upon, of course, but his knowledge wasn’t something to be flaunted. He read because he liked to, not because he wanted to show off. James and Sirius were just as intelligent as he was, they just weren’t nearly as mature. They enjoyed putting their intelligence to more adventurous pursuits.

That night, for instance, as the first year Gryffindors prepared for bed, Sirius called Remus over to James’ bed where the two boys were examining a long piece of parchment. “Know what this is?” Sirius asked, his voice filled with mischievous energy. Remus shook his head while Peter gave a loud snore from his own bed. He was having a much more difficult time keeping up with his classes and his fatigue sent him to bed earlier. Every morning it seemed they would have to fill Peter in on the plans they had made the previous night. “It’s a list of banned objects from the caretaker,” Sirius explained, his grin growing wider. “James and I have made a little wager on which one of us can add the most items to the list.” Remus could only smile. It seemed like every night James and Sirius would come up with some new scheme. Remus usually ended up as the judge for such competitions while Peter usually found himself as the target…or the bait.

“I suppose you want me to keep track,” Remus sighed, though he was still smiling. The looks on James and Sirius’ faces were filled with excitement. “You have a week starting from tomorrow,” Remus said, making the rules up on the spot. This job usually fell to him as well since James and Sirius rarely agreed on anything like rules. “Bonus points for whoever manages to get the least number of detentions.” Moments later, James and Sirius were arguing about who would win, so Remus slinked back to his own bed and opened one of his books.

Hours later, long after everyone else had finally fallen asleep, Remus sat the book he’d just finished on the stand next to his four-poster. Remus had bottled most of his emotions in that day, but the words of the Slytherins were still echoing in his mind. Remus sat in the darkness, worried about what his new friends would think if they knew his deepest secret. They accepted him despite his poor appearance, but would they accept him if they knew a beast was waiting inside him? Remus struggled with these questions as he drifted off into another difficult sleep.

Remus walked down one of the long corridors of Hogwarts. His clothes were tattered and stained, hanging from his body like rags. It seemed like the entire school was lined along the corridor, all pointing and laughing. Even the professors were lined up, laughing at him as he made his procession. At the end of the corridor stood Remus’ father, shaking his head. “You disappoint me,” his father’s voice echoed. Remus could only shake his head and continue down the hallway, his mind unable to give him any other direction. His father disappeared only to be replaced by the girl with the dark eyes. She laughed, her mad cackle resounding through the corridor. Tears fell from Remus’ eyes and he turned to walk away from the crowd, only to come face to face with James, Sirius, and Peter. “Looks like we win,” the three of them said together, throwing a piece of parchment at Remus’ feet. “We managed to get you added…” Remus looked down t the parchment. It was the list of banned items, only a new word was added, written across the entire list in jeering black letters: WEREWOLVES. Remus cried out in shock and terror, shaking his head to try and clear the laughter and pain. He felt something behind him and looked around to see a wolf’s tail emerging from his tattered robes. “Noooo!” Remus yelled, his voice becoming more feral as the shout continued…

Remus sat upright, sweat rolling down his nose as he took in the familiar sight of his Hogwarts dormitory. It had been a dream, no a nightmare. Remus looked around, panting from fright and loss of breath. James was sitting up in bed looking at him. He looked strange with his hair even messier than normal and his glasses sitting quietly on his bedside table. Sirius was out of bed, kneeling next to Remus’. His eyes were wide with concern. It was clear he’d been trying to rouse Remus from his dream. “Are you alright?” Sirius asked. “You were moaning and whimpering in your sleep. I tried to wake you, but couldn’t...” Sirius went back to his bed, but both boys continued to look at Remus as if he had some sort of explaining to do. Remus was glad that only James and Sirius had been close enough to hear. Peter was still snoring at the opposite end of the room.

“Yeah,” Remus sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It was just a nightmare. Sorry I woke you up.” That seemed to satisfy the boys as they both yawned and went back to sleep. Remus was too startled to sleep so he just lay in his four-poster, staring at the hangings around his bed. Remus had always struggled with nightmares, but he could never remember having made noises while he slept. If he started talking in his sleep, it would take no time at all for the others to realize what he was. Remus made a mental note to ask the nurse for a dreamless sleep potion to avoid any more nightmares. If James and Sirius weren’t curious about his past before, they certainly would be now. Remus would have to be extra careful, especially since the full moon was just over a week away…

[Genesis]

The First Big Adventure: Part I

(One Week Previous)
Sirius watched as the other boys in his dormitory hurriedly tried to prepare for their first classes. Remus was, as usual, staring at a book, occasionally flicking his wand and mouthing some sort of spell. James tried to act cavalier, but every few moments he would quickly glance at his watch, just to make sure that time had not suddenly flown by. Peter sat with his head in his hands as if hiding from the fact that they were beginning their classes today. Sirius, unlike his fellows, was lying on his back on his four poster, one hand behind his head, and the other twirling his wand.

“Let’s go,” he said suddenly, causing the other boys to jump. Sirius got up quickly, grabbed his bag, and headed out of the dormitory, through the common room, and out of the portrait hole. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that the other boys had followed him. “What are you worried about, mate?” he said putting one arm around Remus’s shoulder. “You’ve been studying those books since the moment I met you. And do you really think we’re going to be doing a lot of magic today? We’ll just being doing a bunch of introductions, I’m sure. Come on. Now, James, here, he’s the dumbest kid I know. He should be worried,” he said letting out one of his usual bark-like laughs and slapping James on the shoulder. Both boys just stared at him.

They got down to breakfast, and Remus opened one of his books again while James just sat twirling his fork in his pudding. Professor McGonagall, their Head of House, came over to them towards the end of their meal and handed them their course schedules. Sirius looked down at the piece of parchment she had given him and saw that their first class of the day would be History of Magic, followed by Potions, then Transfiguration, and they would finish the day with Charms.

“Doesn’t look too bad, does it?” Sirius said to James, who simply shrugged. “Well, we’d better go, I guess. History of Magic is in ten minutes.” Professor Binns was the most boring teacher at Hogwarts. Even his explanation of the History of Magic was boring. Sirius could only imagine how awful this class was going to be. After Potions with Professor Slughorn, a jovial professor who had already picked a few favorites, the four boys sat down together at the long Gryffindor table to have some lunch. Sirius got a huge helping of steak and kidney pie and started to make conversation to James, Remus, and Peter, who seemed much more keen to talk after they had finished half of their classes.

“So, what do you think about that Lily Evans? You know, the girl from the train? She’s pretty isn’t she?” Sirius said casually.

“Yeah,” James said finally seeming to consider his answer for some time. “Yeah, she is pretty.” Remus glanced up at who they were talking about, smiled, and then continued to read his book, but Peter seemed to be hanging on to every word they were saying without actually joining in the conversation. “But she always seems to be attached to that Severus. What’s so good about him?”

“Nothing, mate. Nothing at all,” Sirius said. “Maybe she fancies ol’ Snivellus.” And both boys yelled with laughter, James glancing down at the end of the Gryffindor table where Lily sat, to see if she’d noticed…


(One Week Later)
“James,” Sirius whispered excitedly. It was a very late night about a week or so after the boys had gotten to Hogwarts and everyone in the dormitory was asleep except for Sirius. “James!” Sirius whispered a bit louder, shoving James a little.

“Whozere?” James said groggily.

“James, wake up.”

“Sirius? What is it? What’s wrong?” James sat up in his four poster and rubbed his tired eyes.

“Shh… Nothing’s wrong. We’re going out,” Sirius said helping James, who wasn’t really sure what he was doing, find his shoes.

“What? Where are we going?” James said, a bit more awake now.

“I want to go to the Forbidden Forest.”

“Sirius, we can’t go to the Forbidden Forest. Professor Dumbledore said we’re not allowed. That’s why it’s the Forbidden Forest,” James said, making sure to put a lot of emphasis on the word forbidden.

“I know he said it’s not allowed, but I just want to see why it’s so forbidden,” Sirius said excitedly.

“No, Sirius. We don’t know what’s in there,” James could hear the fear in his own voice. James had done other mischievous things with Sirius since term had started and since they had known each other, but nothing that could potentially put either of them in real danger.

“Well, fine, James, if you’re a chicken, I’ll just go alone. Make sure that you don’t forget to change your diapers when you go to the bathroom, okay? I’ll let you know how it goes,” Sirius whispered as he edged toward the door.

“Hey!” James half yelled, half whispered. “I’m not a chicken.”

“Will you shut up? You’ll wake up the whole room.”

“Well, I’m not a chicken, or a baby. I’m coming,” James pulled on his robes and got off of his bed as Sirius smirked knowingly.

“James? Sirius?” Remus was stirring on his bed.

“Yeah, it’s us, Remus,” Sirius said quietly.

“What are you doing?” he said, realizing what was going on much more quickly than James.

“We’re going to the Forbidden Forest,” Sirius said nonchalantly.

“What? You can’t.”

“Well, we are. Do you want to come?” Sirius asked him.

“No! Do you have any idea what would happen if we were caught? We would be in serious trouble!” Remus sounded very nervous. “Please don’t go.”

“Remus, we aren’t going to get into trouble,” James piped up. “No one will even know we were gone. Come on.”

Remus stared at them both for several moments and then got off of his bed and began to get dressed. “Wow,” Sirius said to James, “he was way more willing to go than you were. You really are a chicken.” James punched Sirius on the shoulder, but Remus said nothing. Sirius knew that Remus was afraid and that James was too, and he had to be honest with himself and admit that he was too, but he knew that they would not regret it. This would be an adventure that none of them would forget. Sirius thought of waking Peter, but he thought that he would put them in even more danger than they would be in because of his clumsiness and eagerness. Peter continued to snore while the three boys left the dormitory.

((More corrections had to be made to the story that includes Lily because the boys knew her from the train...))

[Genesis]

The First Big Adventure: Part II

The boys got out onto the cool grounds and headed in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. Sirius looked at the other two boys. Remus looked nervous, and James looked excited with a touch of a nervous air about him. Sirius smiled as they approached the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid’s hut was a few yards from them, and Sirius thought he could hear the rumble of Hagrid’s snores. “Are you ready?” he said to James and Remus. The boys nodded and they all walked into the forest together.

Sirius thought that he must have expected some kind of alarm to go off as intruders stepped into the forest, but nothing happened. The boys continued to stare around the forest while walking very slowly and quietly. Sirius’s blood was pumping from the adrenaline coursing through his body. The excitement was threatening to overwhelm him.

Sirius let out an animal like yell, and James and Remus both jumped and looked incredibly startled. Sirius continued to make animal noises and James eventually joined him. All three boys laughed, letting their guards down, and Sirius was thinking that the Forbidden Forest wasn’t nearly all that everyone made it seem. Sirius ran up the forest path, jumping over tree roots and yelling with joy, and the other boys followed him like they were playing follow the leader. Sirius was so happy to be rule breaking, and he was even happier to be doing it with his two best friends.

After what seemed like hours of fun, the sound of hooves silenced the three boys. “What was that?” James asked quietly. Suddenly three half men, half horses emerged from behind the trees.

“Who are you?” the leader of the three asked the boys.

“I’m Sirius, Sirius Black, and this is James Potter and Remus Lupin. We’re students at Hogwarts,” Sirius said conversationally.

“Well, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin, what are you doing in this forest?” the leader asked them.

“We just wanted to explore,” James said quickly.

“This forest is dangerous,” one of the other centaurs said to the boys. “There are many dangerous creatures that live in the depths of this forest, and you would be wise to only enter under strict supervision. You are lucky that it was us who found you, and not a more dangerous creature.”

“Well we aren’t afraid,” Sirius said and all three centaurs raised their eyebrows.

“Well, like we said, you are lucky that it was centaurs who found you and not something much more dangerous,” the third centaur said.

The three boys heads turned as they heard the sound of branches breaking, “Thanks, Firenze,” said a gruff voice. “Yeh three, come with me,” Hagrid said. “Yeh know, if you want to sneak around, yeh shouldn’ make so much noise.” Sirius knew they were in serious trouble, and looked apologetically at James and Remus. Both had their heads bowed, and Sirius felt ashamed for getting his friends into trouble. They reached the edge of the forest, and Hagrid led them toward his hut. Sirius saw shadows moving inside from the light streaming out of the hut’s windows. Hagrid opened the front door and the three boys followed him in and saw that they were joining Professors McGonagall, Slughorn, and Dumbledore. They had apparently been talking before Hadrid had opened the doors, because they all looked up quickly when they entered. Dumbledore peered at them over his half-moon spectacles, McGonagall looked furious, but it was Slughorn who spoke.

“Ha! Were you boys out for a late night stroll? How can we punish these boys Albus? Curiosity never hurt anyone!” Slughorn laughed heartily, and Dumbledore still continued to look at the boys, and Sirius felt as if he was being x-rayed. None of the boys said anything.

“We shall leave the decision up to Professor McGonagall, as she is their Head of House. However, I would like you boys to know that I am very disappointed. Goodnight,” Dumbledore said quietly and left the hut. Sirius watched as the headmaster closed the door and thought that no punishment could be worse than those words.

“I can’t believe you!” Professor McGonagall shouted, and Sirius knew instantly that the punishment would indeed be worse than Dumbledore’s words of disappointment. “You two boys,” she said, pointing at Sirius and James, “have gotten into more trouble in a week than most students do in seven years! I’m surprised at you Remus.” Remus looked up for the first time but quickly looked down again, unable to maintain eye contact with McGonagall. “All three of you will have detention for a week, and if I ever find out that you’ve taken another adventure to the Forbidden Forest, the punishment will be much more severe!” Professor McGonagall stormed out of the hut and left Sirius, James, Remus, Professor Slughorn, and Hagrid in silence.

“Come on boys, I’ll take you back up to the castle. Goodnight, Hagrid,” Slughorn said not in his natural loud and cheery voice.

When the boys got back up to their common room, Sirius began making a million apologies. “—all my fault…” he was saying.

“Don’t apologize,” Remus said quietly. “That was the most fun I’ve ever had.” He smiled. Sirius glanced at James who was also smiling, and a huge smile cracked across Sirius’s face.

“That was a lot of fun, wasn’t it?” And the boys went up to their dormitory, recounting all of the details of their first big adventure…

[Exarius]

21 Boxes: Part I

Remus sat in Professor McGonagall’s office, organizing hundreds of years of paperwork as his first night of detention. Surprisingly, he wasn’t at all upset that he had an entire week’s worth of punishment for following Sirius into the Forbidden Forest. Not only had the night been immensely fun, but the excitement had distracted everyone from the nightmare Remus had had earlier in the week. The only thing that had upset Remus was the look he received from Dumbledore the night he, James, and Sirius were caught. Dumbledore had trusted him enough to allow him into the school and Remus had broken that trust. Remus never wanted to receive that admonishing look from Dumbledore ever again. The memory of that stare had replaced all other worries as Remus sat through his detention. Luckily, the monotony of his detention was enough to push Dumbledore’s piercing blue gaze from his mind. He spent the next few hours bored, but guiltless. Finally, McGonagall dismissed him and Remus quickly left the stuffy office.

Having missed dinner due to his detention, Remus made his way back to the Gryffindor common room. Remus kept his head bowed in thought as his feet traversed the now-familiar path to the portrait that guarded the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Remus looked up only to utter the password, Joberknoll, for admittance. The common room was full but Remus managed to find a seat near the window. James and Sirius were nowhere in sight and Remus realized they must not be finished with their evening’s detention. Peter, however, appeared to be waiting for the other boys to return and when he spotted Remus, he came over and sat down beside him.

“Remus, do you think you could help me with this Transfiguration homework?” Peter asked as way of a greeting. Remus smiled and pulled out his own work in order to help Peter. They worked for over an hour until Sirius arrived from his detention. James came in shortly after that.

“You’ll never believe what I overheard a 6th year Hufflepuff talking about,” James said excitedly when he joined them.

“How big of git you are?” Sirius joked, earning an elbow in the ribs from James.

“No, but apparently Professor Sprout’s greenhouses were broken into earlier this week. An entire store of hellebore is missing,” James seemed rather excited, but the information but this effect was lost on Remus and the others.

“…and?” Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. Remus too waited for an explanation. It wasn’t usual for James to get excitable about something as mundane as missing hellebore.

“and,” James continued, shooting a piercing glance at Sirius, “that’s not the only thing that’s gone missing this past week. I have it on good authority that a bust of Mirabella Plunkett from the 4th floor has gone missing as well.” When the others still looked confused, James grew irritable. “Don’t you see? We have a thief at Hogwarts!” That realization was a little more exciting and Remus watched Sirius’ eyes grow a little wider. Remus was slightly less impressed but the news was interesting nonetheless.

“Who would want to steal all of that?” Remus asked, trying to find a connection between the stolen items. “What’s the point?”

“The point,” Sirius interjected before James could speak, “is that we’re going to catch a thief and win awards for the school.” Sirius beamed with the brilliance of his idea. James, too, was nodding.

“My thoughts exactly,” James said. “Who cares why they stole it…what matters is that we’re going to find out who did it.” Peter was looking increasingly nervous. He always got that look when James and Sirius started planning as it meant that he’d probably end up as bait sometime soon.

“What if they’re really powerful?” Peter almost squeaked. “They must be smart if they can steal from the greenhouses. Besides, I’m sure the professors will take care of everything.” Peter sounded hopeful but unconvinced by his last comment.

“My dear, dear, Peter,” Sirius said, wrapping an arm around the shorter boy’s shoulder. “Where would be the fun in that?” Remus just shook his head.

“How do you propose we catch a thief,” Remus asked, quite certain he’d receive an elaborate answer made up by either James or Sirius. He wasn’t disappointed. Sirius went into a long-winded explanation of the techniques into catching a thief including the use of a net to trap the “thieving cauldron-bum.” Remus had to admit that the plan wasn’t as pitiful as he’d assumed it would be. “Alright,” he said, giving in to their ridiculous whim. “We’ll catch ourselves a thief then. But for tonight,” Remus said, gathering his bag from the floor, “I’m going to bed.” Remus went to the dormitory, followed shortly by the others. James and Sirius were still planning, but they were exhausted from their detentions and fell asleep rather quickly. Remus pulled out a book and read long after everyone had gone to sleep. He was exhausted, but his nightmare was still haunting him and he didn’t want to risk waking everyone up again. Finally, when the moon was high in the sky, Remus fell into a fitful rest.

The next morning, Remus ate a large breakfast, trying to fill the void left from missing dinner the previous night. A recent Quidditch match had pushed the thoughts of the mysterious thief from James and Sirius’ minds, so talk of adventure was mild over the Gryffindor table. Remus didn’t follow Quidditch much. He’d never been on a broom in his life and he’d never really found an interest in the sport. James and Sirius, however, loved it and they talked animatedly all morning about which team was better. Remus would only nod in agreement when one of them brought him into the conversation.

After his first class of the day, Remus left James, Sirius and Peter to do some research in the library. He was certain James and Sirius were going to play a prank on Peter and he didn’t want to get caught in the damage that was sure to be caused. Just outside the library, Remus almost fell on his face when he slipped in a puddle of ink. Looking around for the source, Remus spotted a schoolbag lying on the ground and two girls frantically picking up the spilled contents. One of the girls was a dark-haired Gryffindor Remus recognized as a seventh year. The other was a first year girl Remus had met on the Hogwarts Express. Lily Evans was beautiful, but Remus’ past encounters with her made it seem as if she didn’t care much for Remus (or James and Sirius for that matter). Regardless, Remus stooped to pick up the parchment that had rolled his way and brought it over to the girls.

“Here,” Remus said with his friendliest smile, handing the parchment to Lily who was stuffing her fallen books into her bag.

“Thanks,” she said without looking up. The dark-haired Gryffindor who had also helped waved Lily goodbye and made her way down the corridor. Lily looked up to say goodbye but her eyes found Remus instead. “Oh,” she said, a little less warmly. “Well, thanks again for the help,” she said, getting ready to turn away. She paused a moment to examine the ink that now covered her arm from a large stain on her bag. She sighed heavily and went for her wand to clean the mess up. Remus was faster, and in a moment, his wand had drawn the ink stain in like poison drawn from a wound. “I could have handled that,” she said, affronted.

“I know,” Remus said, “but I was just trying to be polite.” He didn’t know why Lily was so short with him. Sure, he was friends with James and Sirius who made fun of her friend from the train, but that was no reason to hold a grudge. “Sorry if I bothered you,” Remus said sadly, turning to go into the library.

“Wait,” Lily said, grabbing his arm. “I didn’t mean to be rude. Mind if I join you?” She asked, indicating the library door. Remus nodded and the two entered the library together. They took a seat as far away from where Madam Pince was prowling and turned to regard each other. For the first time, Remus noted how green Lily’s eyes were. They seemed to burn him with their intense glare and he suddenly realized why Sirius and James had taken a bit of a fancy to her. “You’re pretty clever,” Lily said. “I don’t know why you’re friends with those awful boys.” Remus was taken aback by her bluntness. He hadn’t expected her to be so bold; of course, he hadn’t really known what to expect from Lily Evans.

“They don’t treat me poorly. They’re the first friends I’ve had.” Remus didn’t know why he was being so open with Lily, but he found the words just pouring out. There was something innately trustful about Lily that spoke to Remus’ senses and he felt he could tell her anything. Well, almost anything.

“Well, they treat others poorly and they shouldn’t,” Lily said, her eyes burning green daggers at him. Remus didn’t really know what to say, but luckily he didn’t have to say anything as Lily suddenly stood up. “We have double potions today. Come one or we’ll be late.”

[Exarius]

21 Boxes: Part II

Remus and Lily made it to Potions with only a few minutes to spare. Remus took his usual seat next to Sirius and across from James and Peter where the four shared a cauldron. Lily went to a table with 3 other first year girls. Potions was an uncomfortable class for Remus. Professor Slughorn was interesting enough, but it was clear he favored certain students. Although he seemed to appreciate Remus’ intelligence (he was the only one to correctly identify several potions set up by Slughorn on the first day of class), he seemed to look down on Remus. It was as if he thought Remus could do very little for him outside of the Potions dungeon. Remus knew that some of the teachers were informed of his lycanthropy, but he wasn’t sure if Slughorn was one of them. Either way, Slughorn often passed over Remus to compliment other students.

Slughorn was the least of Remus’ problems in Potions, however. It was one of the few classes that was shared with another house. Unfortunately, the first year Gryffindors shared potions with the first year Slytherins. Hardly a class went by where the groups wouldn’t find something to argue about. These Slytherins were less sinister than the ones who’d harassed Remus in the hallway, but not by much. Remus recognized one of these Slytherins as Lily’s friend from the train. He seemed to keep completely to himself and even some of the Slytherins ignored him. Remus didn’t really know why Lily was friends with him, but she thought enough of him to defend him against James and Sirius. James, Sirius, and Peter all gave Remus a look when they saw him enter with Lily. Peter looked confused, while James and Sirius hid jealousy behind their eyes. Remus was about to explain, but Professor Slughorn interrupted.

Slughorn silenced the class with a deliberate clearing of the throat. Everyone was used to this technique by now and soon the room was quiet. He stood before them, the gold chains on his waistcoat jingling merrily. “Good day, class,” Slughorn said, his voice a cheerful rumble. “Today, I am pleased to inform you of a special competition I’ll be hosting this year.” Slughorn paced in front of his desk, his eyes twinkling in delight. “I have hidden 21 small chests throughout the castle,” Slughorn tapped a small mahogany box on his desk. The static in the air was growing with excitement. The students didn’t know the details yet, but their minds were racing with possibilities. “The chests will be well-hidden and it will take some magical ability to be able to find and open them. Within the chests,” Slughorn explained, taking a moment to eye the students carefully, “will be a different rare potion ingredient.” Slughorn was playing with the chains on his waistcoat, his face alight with merriment. Remus looked around him to see what his friends were thinking. They all wore similar expressions of confusion and excitement that matched Remus’ own feelings. “21 chests for 21 rare ingredients….You will work in groups to find the chests and then brew a potion using the ingredients you’ve collected. The group that brings me the most interesting potion at the end of term will win a very special treat from me.” Slughorn laughed a deep laugh, clearly pleased with the scheme he’d come up with. “You may find no ingredients, or you may find them all, but you’ll earn points based on difficulty, quality, and rarity. It is possible that a potion brewed with a single ‘lost’ ingredient will earn more points than a potion brewed with all of them.”

The class was bursting with questions, but Slughorn would give no other information. Instead, he set the class to making a sleeping potion, ignoring the outbursts of students looking for answers. As Remus was peeling sopohorous leaves, he leaned over the cauldron to discuss this new event with the others. “What do you think is in the chests?” Remus asked, almost at the same time as the others asked their own questions.

“I don’t know, but I know we’ll be able to find them…We just have to do a bit of exploring,” Sirius answered, his ever-growing grin present. James nodded in agreement. Peter’s normally watery eyes were twinkling with excitement.

“I wonder what we’ll win,” he said softly, a hint of greed laced in his words. Remus and the others discussed the many possibilities that surrounded Slughorn’s competition until the end of the class. After Potions, the four made their separate ways. Remus went to his final night of detention for McGonagall while James and Sirius went to serve their own final nights of punishment. McGonagall had made sure to separate them as she knew it wouldn’t be much of a punishment if they had to work together. Remus wasn’t exactly sure where Peter went when they had detention, but he was certain Peter was having as much fun out of detention as he was in detention.

The detention passed much more slowly than the others and Remus realized how much anticipation affected time. Remus’ eyes were growing weary as the fatigue of monotony started to weigh on his system. “I think that will do for tonight, Mr. Lupin,” McGonagall’s sharp voice cut through the dusty air. “But a word before you go,” McGonagall said, motioning Remus over to her desk. Remus shuffled over, his shoulders down, but he looked into McGonagall’s eyes as she spoke. “I’m pleased you’ve managed to find friends, here, Mr. Lupin, but you must remember there’s more to friendship than rule-breaking. I have a feeling Potter and Black will be breaking a great many rules in their time here. Pettigrew will do nothing but follow, so I leave it to you to keep them in check. You have more responsibility than most your age, Mr. Lupin, and it well may be that you’ve accepted even more by taking Black and Potter as friends. Good luck, Mr. Lupin.” McGonagall did not smile once during their exchange and dismissed Remus with a nod.

As he walked back to Gryffindor Tower, Remus’ mind was alight with thought. McGonagall hadn’t really chastised him, but her words carried the weight of disappointment that Remus had seen reflected in Dumbledore’s eyes the night he and the others were caught. It seemed like everyone knew Sirius and James were more than a bit mischievous, but Remus had never thought that he should ‘keep them in check.’ After all, he had quite a bit of fun in their little schemes and he doubted either of them would ever take things too far. They were his friends and he trusted them. By the time he reached the common room, Remus had decided to stand by his friends for life. They would never go too far, so Remus would never have to stop them, but if things ever did get out of hand, he was certain that he could convince his friends to do the right thing.

Tonight, both James and Sirius were already back from their detentions by the time Remus arrived. They sat in a corner of the common room with Peter, whispering conspiratorially. Remus dropped his bag and fell into a nearby chair, exhaling as he did so. “What’s all the whispering about?” Remus asked, his voice also a whisper. The other three turned to regard him.

“Oh, just Slughorn’s boxes,” James said. “We’re trying to figure out a plan that will help the four of us win.” Sirius and Peter nodded in agreement. “Are you alright, Remus?” James asked suddenly, though it was obvious he’d been waiting to ask since Remus arrived. Now that Remus thought about it, he probably did look a little rough. He hadn’t slept well since his nightmare and the week of detention had drained him. The main reason, of course, was that the full moon was only days away, but Remus couldn’t tell them that. The days before and after the full moon were almost as bad as the full moon itself. Remus didn’t sleep those nights and his appearance would grow haggard and worn. It was no wonder his friends asked if he was ok. He probably looked as if he hadn’t slept in years.

“Yeah, I just haven’t slept very well since my nightmare,” Remus said. Neither he nor the others had mentioned his nightmare since it had happened, for which Remus was very thankful. “I think it must have to do with being away from home.” The others nodded understandingly, though they looked as if they wanted him to explain more. To avoid any more questions, Remus decided to switch subjects. “I have an idea for Slughorn’s challenge,” he began without preamble. “We’ve got to have a layout of the entire castle before we do anything. Once we get a map, we’ll be able to explore a lot more efficiently.” Remus wasn’t sure if it was that original of an idea, but it was all he had at the moment. “We’ll each explore a different area of the castle, and pool our information to form a layout of the castle and grounds. Then we’ll take turns examining the more likely hiding places.” The others nodded in agreement and for the next few hours, they discussed the details of such an undertaking. Long after the common room was empty, the four young Gryffindors finally made it to bed, their minds rich with excitement. For the time being, all thoughts of Lily Evans and the mysterious thief were banished as thoughts of a magnificent prize for winning Slughorn’s contest engorged their brains. Remus slept better that night. Tonight, the approaching moon weighed less on his mind than the many new problems he had to solve. The school year was going to be quite interesting indeed.