The Tameness Of A Wolf

The next morning, Remus woke at exactly eight o'clock. The sun was shining brightly, illuminating his entire small bedroom and forcing his eyes to open. He blinked several times in protest and once his eyes had adjusted, he climbed out of bed and walked over to the window.

It was a beautiful day in late July - the sun shone brightly, as he had already observed, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue, and birds were chirping in the apple tree just outside the window.

So why was his heart thumping so rapidly?

Oh, of course. I'm supposed to meet with Dumbledore today.

He turned from the window, crossed the room, and selected an outfit from the wardrobe at the opposite end of the room. He only owned one set of robes, which he rarely wore - only when he ventured into Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, or another area frequented by wizards, which was not often. Even though his tiny town was primarily a wizarding settlement, it also had its fair share of Muggles, and everyone was careful not to wear robes, fly brooms, Apparate, or do anything that might alert them to the existence of magic. Today, however, Remus did don robes over his Muggle clothing. As he turned, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror inside the wardrobe door.

He was short for his age, and thin, but he was also growing. The robes, which had been much too large when he first got them, barely fit. It doesn't matter, he thought. If Dumbledore's plan works, I'll be getting new ones for school anyway. But new robes are expensive . . . Wonderful, another thing to worry about.

With an almost inaudible sigh, he forced himself out of his thoughts. I'd better hurry up. I'm not sure what time Mum and Dad want to leave for Hogwarts, but today of all days we absolutely cannot be late. Shutting the wardrobe door, he left the room and hurried down the stairs.

~*~

When he entered the kitchen, his father was standing at the table, skimming the front page of the Daily Prophet. Samuel Lupin was a short, stocky man with hazel eyes and tawny brown hair that was a few shades darker than his son's. He looked up and smiled warmly as Remus entered the room.

"I've made toast. Would you like some?"

"Yes, please."

With a wave of his wand and a few well-chosen words in Latin, a plate of toast appeared in front of Remus as he sat down across from his father. "You're down early this morning," Samuel observed. "Are you excited about meeting Dumbledore?"

Remus paused. "A little, I suppose, but mostly nervous," he admitted.

Samuel folded up his newspaper and sat down. "You know, Dumbledore was the Transfiguration professor when I was at Hogwarts," he began. "Although I preferred Charms and had no particular aptitude for Transfiguration, Dumbledore managed to become my favorite teacher. He's got a wonderful sense of humor, but he's also very wise - one can ask him anything and he'll know the answer - and very fair. Gives ample praise where it's deserved and he's willing to give anyone a fair chance, no matter what their background may be." Seeing that Remus still wouldn't meet his eyes, Samuel laughed. "Remus, relax! You're a clever, talented, well-mannered young lad. You've got nothing to fear from Albus Dumbledore."

Be that as it may, Remus wanted to change the subject. "What time are we leaving for Hogwarts?"

"Apparation is out of the question. You're not old enough, and besides, there are wards around Hogwarts - of course you know that. So normally we'd take the Floonetwork directly to Dumbledore's office, but your mother wants to pick up something in Hogsmeade, so we're planning on going to the Three Broomsticks by Floo powder, stopping to get whatever she needs, and then flying to Hogwarts. It's not a long trip up to the castle, and it's nice out today, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Remus smiled slightly; when asked a simple question about a topic, his father tended to launch into a long explanation that ended a good while later, having answered every conceivable question on that topic except the one that he'd been asked in the first place. "But what time are we leaving?"

"Nine o'clock."

"Where's Mum?" Remus saw his father take a deep breath, and couldn't help but laugh. "Dad - can you keep the answer more concise this time, please?"

Samuel assumed a mock-injured expression before giving his son a quick wink and replying, "Outside in the garden. Now, are you going to eat that toast or not?"

Remus looked down at his toast and felt the pang of nervousness in the pit of his stomach return. You've got to eat something, you know. There's no point in trying to convince Dumbledore to let you go to Hogwarts if you're going to starve yourself with nervousness between now and September! Reluctantly he began to nibble on a piece of toast.

Ten minutes later, he had eaten perhaps half of his breakfast when Amaryllis entered the kitchen, glowing. "The weather is absolutely lovely today! You'd hardly guess that it's been miserable outside for the past week. I've got to get the two of you out into the garden this afternoon to enjoy the sunshine."

"I don't know about working in the garden," Samuel replied, "but the Daily Prophet's weather report says that the flying conditions are perfect. We ought to make it to Hogwarts with time to spare."

"Are you done with your breakfast, Remus? It's about time we left." When Remus looked up, he saw that his mother's brow was creased with mild concern. He knew what she was thinking - that he was nervous. Well, maybe I am, but the world doesn't need to know, he decided. I've got to act calmer. Determined, he stood, straightened his robes, and nodded. "I'm ready."

"Excellent. I assume your father's told you about our travel plans - " she glanced at Samuel, who nodded. "He'll be leaving first, and you and I will follow."

She handed him his broom, a top-of-the-line Nimbus 1000. It had been a birthday present from the year before, and though he had protested - brooms were so expensive, and he rarely flew anyway - he really did love it. Flying was such fun even though he didn't play Quidditch, and judging by all the horror stories he'd heard about school brooms, he'd want to bring his own to Hogwarts once he was old enough.

His father took a pinch of Floo powder from the small jar on the mantelpiece and threw it into the fire. After waiting a moment for the flames to turn a vivid, emerald green, he stepped into them and called, "The Three Broomsticks!" before disappearing. Gripping the handle of his broom tightly, Remus did the same.

A moment later, he remembered why he'd always hated traveling by Floo powder. It was an awful sensation, rather like being sucked into a giant whirlpool. Thousands of grates whirled around him, and he wasn't quite sure which one to choose. Finally, he saw one that looked as though it led to the Hogsmeade pub. He stepped forward and fell out of it.

His father's arm caught him, supporting him as he stumbled out of the fireplace of the Three Broomsticks. A moment later, Amaryllis Lupin was standing by her son, brushing a light dusting of soot off her robes.

"Right," Samuel said. "Feeling steadier, Remus?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Remus looked down and noticed that he, too, had soot on his robes and he hastily brushed it off. "Where are we going?"

"Charter and Tomes," Amaryllis responded. Remus nodded, secretly delighted. Charter and Tomes was Hogsmeade's bookshop. Although it was smaller and older than Flourish and Blotts, it was Remus' favorite of the two. Whenever one of his parents needed to visit Hogsmeade, he always came along and explored the bookshop until it was time to return home. He was fascinated by the wide variety of books. On one shelf, crisp new copies of the latest spell encyclopedia; on another, a series of old, musty volumes in languages that none but the wisest wizards spoke; across the room, a heavy leatherbound volume which appeared to hold all of the universe's secrets.

This was only a quick visit, however. Amaryllis knew exactly where to find the book she needed, and Remus barely had a chance to look around before it was time for them to leave again - this time, to fly to Hogwarts.

~*~

The Daily Prophet's assessment of the beautiful flying conditions was quite accurate, but Remus was not paying attention. Although he reassured himself that everything would be fine, he still couldn't help being nervous, and it was hard to ignore the questions that flickered rapidly through his mind. Dumbledore knows I'm a werewolf - how will he treat me? How is it possible that I could ever go to school? What's Dumbledore's plan? And when will I find out if I've been accepted as a student? Restlessly, he soared ahead of his parents, trying to catch a glimpse of the castle. I wish I were old enough to Apparate - and that Hogwarts didn't have so many wards, so I could go straight to Dumbledore's office!

It felt like ages before they landed on the lawn of Hogwarts, just outside the front door. From the moment that they entered the castle, Remus was completely amazed by its size. The Entrance Hall alone was probably as big as the Lupins' house. The ceiling towered above him, and the great staircase in the middle seemed impossible to climb. Yet climb it they did - it and many others, weaving their way through endless hallways lined with statues and suits of armor. Portraits and tapestries hung on the walls, and as the Lupins passed each painting, heads turned and voices began to chatter excitedly. Remus realized that three people wandering around the Hogwarts halls in summer must be an odd sight; he wasn't sure whether the teachers stayed at Hogwarts during the summer holidays, but he suspected that if they did they probably stayed in their offices instead of roaming the corridors.

Finally, Samuel and Amaryllis came to an abrupt halt. Remus looked up and surveyed the hallway around them, but all that he could see was a hideous, sneering stone gargoyle. Why have we stopped here? What's happening?

"This is the entrance to Dumbledore's office," Amaryllis explained. "I'm not sure of the password - we'll have to wait for someone who does." Remus suddenly felt very cold, though the castle was steaming with summer heat. Samuel reached out and took his son's hand comfortingly.

They heard the Headmaster before they saw him. "I'm quite sorry about that," a voice echoed from behind the gargoyle. It was a reassuring voice, old and venerable but very kind. "I'm afraid I forgot that you don't know the password." The gargoyle abruptly jumped aside as the wall split in half, and Remus found himself looking up at Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard in the world.

He was tall and very, very old, with long hair and a silvery beard. He wore robes in a stunning deep purple, glittering with gold stars, and his warm blue eyes sparkled behind golden half-moon glasses. The impression that he gave was one of great wisdom and tranquility. Remus found it very hard to imagine that Dumbledore ever forgot anything - especially something as trivial as whether or not his guests knew a password.

Dumbledore smiled benevolently and extended a hand, which Remus' father shook. "Hello Samuel, Amaryllis. And of course you're Remus. I've been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time." Remus, unsure of whether this was good or bad, said nothing. "Why don't you all come up to my office, where we can talk?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned around and began to move upward.

"Oh," Remus whispered softly, amazed.

The Headmaster had been standing at the bottom of a long, winding spiral staircase. Stone walls rose tall around it; torches flickered in sconces on the wall, and the gleaming, polished stone seemed to shine with a golden light. But the most fantastic thing about it was that it was slowly rotating upward.

His parents were already on the staircase - Amaryllis turned around and beckoned to him. "Come along, Remus, before the gargoyle closes." Remus was only too happy to obey. He heard a dull clunk as the gargoyle closed behind him, and he rose up and up . . .

All too soon, however, they reached the top of the staircase. Dumbledore stood waiting next to an immense oak door sporting a griffin-shaped knocker. "Are we all here? Excellent. Please come into my office and make yourselves comfortable."

They followed him through the door, where all four took seats in armchairs by the fireplace. Despite the fact that it was nearly August, a fire blazed in the hearth. It emitted no warmth; Remus supposed that a Cooling Charm had been put on it and it existed only as a communication device. Normally he would have been fascinated by Dumbledore's office and everything in it, but today he was too nervous to do anything but remain with his gaze fixed upon the Headmaster, waiting for Dumbledore to determine his fate.

"Care for a sherbert lemon?" Dumbledore asked once they were all comfortable, holding out a small bowl filled with little yellow sweets. Samuel and Amaryllis each accepted one; after a moment's hesitation, Remus did the same. The Headmaster replaced the bowl on his desk and turned back to the Lupins.

"Finding a way for you to attend Hogwarts has been a very interesting challenge for me, Remus," he began. "Yet I have developed a plan, and I've nearly convinced the school board to accept it." Remus' head immediately swarmed with questions, but he didn't dare ask one lest he miss part of Dumbledore's explanation. "I'd like to discuss the plan with you before I proceed, however. Is that all right?"

Remus found his voice. "T-that's fine, sir."

"Wonderful." Dumbledore paused. "I've heard that you are educated at home."

"Yes, sir. My mother teaches me."

"And do you like to learn?"

"Yes sir, very much."

"What subjects do you study?"

"Reading, spelling, math, and geography. No magic, of course, but a few things that will be useful at Hogwarts - magical history, Arithmancy, Muggle studies . . . "

"And Herbology, I assume." Remus nodded. "Do you know what a WhompingWillow is?" Dumbledore queried.

"No, sir." Remus felt his face flush slightly, but to his relief, the Headmaster smiled. "I didn't think you would. They're quite obscure. A Whomping Willow is a gargantuan tree with branches that swing in many directions. Should anyone dare to approach it, the tree will use its branches to attack. In short, they can be very dangerous, and people soon realize that the safest way of dealing with them is to avoid them." He paused. "I assume that you are familiar with the old, empty house on the outskirts of Hogsmeade."

Remus was. It was an ancient house that stood at the top of a hill just within the boundaries of the town. It must have been a very fine, elegant home when it was first built, but now it was nearly falling apart - windows and door boarded up, garden overgrown with weeds, paint peeling and shingles falling off the roof.

"I have managed to acquire it discreetly, and throughout the summer I have secretly been constructing a tunnel which will lead from the Hogwarts grounds to the house. Once the proper warding charms have been placed on the house, you will be able to travel through the tunnel and stay in the house during the full moon."

Remus nodded. "That sounds like a good plan, but . . . I'm sorry, sir, but I don't understand how the WhompingWillow comes into it."

The Headmaster smiled, eyes twinkling. "This is where the part of my plan that I consider to be particularly clever comes in. I have several students studying N.E.W.T. Herbology this year, and I've spread the word that I intend to purchase a Whomping Willow for them to study. Once the tunnel is completed, the tree will be planted at the entrance to keep unwanted students away. However, there is a small knot at the base of the Willow which, when pressed, will freeze its branches just long enough for you to enter the tunnel."

Remus hesitated momentarily. "W-will there be any Silencing Charms?"

"As you may or may not know, there are several rumors going round Hogsmeade that the house is haunted. And since it would be quite difficult to maintain the necessary Silencing Charms on top of the wards, I've chosen to leave them off. The villagers will simply believe that the rumors about angry spirits are true." Remus glanced up, meeting Dumbledore's eyes, and saw that he was concerned. "Is that all right?"

"Yeah, that's fine." No Silencing Charms . . . everyone in town would be able to hear him. What would happen if he screamed during the transformation? What would happen if he began to howl? His stomach twisted at the thought. He was more than slightly relieved when his father broke the ensuing silence. "How many of the staff are going to know?"

"I see no reason to tell all of them. I'll need to notify Madam Pomfrey, our school nurse - she'll be caring for Remus during the full moons - but other than that, I see no reason to tell anyone else. The rest of his teachers will be informed on a need-to-know basis."

"When will we know if the school governors approve of your plan?"

"I promise to owl you as soon as I find out. I'll be discussing the matter with them in a few days, and I assure you that you will know of their decision within a week from today."

The adults continued to talk, but Remus made no effort to stop his thoughts from drifting. One week. In one week, I'll know whether or not I can go to Hogwarts. To any other child, this was a minor decision. Yes, Hogwarts was the most prestigious school for magic in Europe, but it certainly wasn't the only one. A student who didn't make it into Hogwarts would certainly get a letter of acceptance from another school. But Remus knew that his situation was different. If Hogwarts rejected him, he wouldn't have a chance of making it into another school. And if he couldn't learn magic and be educated as a wizard . . . well, he wasn't sure what the future would hold.

His father's voice jerked him out of his silent reverie. "All right. That sounds fine."

The Headmaster smiled. "Excellent. Is there anything else that you'd like to discuss?"

"Nothing in particular," Amaryllis replied. "Thank you for doing this for Remus."

"It's no trouble at all. He seems like a very intelligent boy, and I'm sure he'll do well at Hogwarts." He turned to Remus and smiled. "I look forward to seeing you here in another month, Remus. It's been nice meeting you."

Remus and his parents rose, and all shook hands with the Headmaster before leaving. The meeting had been shorter than Remus had expected, but he'd enjoyed seeing the castle. It had aroused his curiosity about the school, and as he and his parents flew back to Hogsmeade, he was silent, his mind occupied with daydreams. Dumbledore's words had inspired him, and he was sure that he was closer to Hogwarts than he'd ever been before.