Five Things That Never Happened to Remus Lupin

Five things that never happened to Remus Lupin

I.

August 1968

Remus' dad came home late a lot. He didn't know why - he was only eight years old - but he knew it worried Mum. She smiled reassuringly at him when he asked where Dad was, and said he'd be home soon, but she looked away quickly and watched the old clock.

Remus liked that clock. It marked the hours with a deep, rich "dong," and best of all, it had a cupboard where Remus could hide. He was small for his age, and could squeeze inside when he wanted to be alone to think.

His dad was late that night, too, and Mum was anxious. She'd snapped at him at supper when he asked where Dad was, then she cried a little, and hugged him and said that everything would be OK. Remus was unnerved by this strange behaviour and had disappeared into the clock cupboard to think things over.

Then he heard his dad come home.

"John! Thank God, I've been so worried!" His mother's voice sounded like it had when she'd told Remus that everything would be OK.

"We're safe now, Mary," his dad said. "Greyback is dead, and the Aurors have rounded up most of his pack. We're safe. Remus is safe."

Mum gave a shuddery sigh. "I'll sleep better this full moon," she said, and in the clock cupboard, Remus wondered what she meant.

II.

April 1972

Exhausted, aching and sore, Remus made his way up to his dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. His friends had looked suspicious when he told them his mother was ill again, and he had to go to her. He was going to have to come up with a better story. He'd worry about that later, though. Right now, he was too tired from his transformation to do much thinking.

He knew something was wrong the minute he opened the door to his dormitory. James, Sirius and Peter stood together, like a wall. Peter looked terrified. James looked accusing. Sirius looked disgusted.

"We know what you are," James said.

Fear made a tight knot in Remus' chest.

"Werewolf," Sirius hissed. "Get out of here, you dirty monster."

But they were his friends. He'd thought they were his friends. He made a hesitant movement toward them. Peter stepped back with a frightened squeak. And Remus knew the truth at last - no one wanted to be friends with a werewolf.

He turned and ran all the way back to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey looked concerned as Remus stammered that he wasn't feeling well enough to stay in the dormitory. She owled his parents.

The next day, Remus left Hogwarts. His parents had packed his things so he wouldn't have to face his dormmates. Professor Dumbledore came to the hospital wing looking grave, and said he was sorry things hadn't worked out.

As the thestral-driven carriage took Remus Lupin and his parents away, three boys watched from Gryffindor Tower. "Good riddance," said Sirius Black. James Potter and Peter Pettigrew nodded fervently in agreement.

III.

June 1993

Remus awoke in the Forbidden Forest and immediately vomited. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and was horrified when it came away bloody. He wracked his memory. What had happened that night?

He remembered following Harry, Ron and Hermione to the Shrieking Shack. Sirius was there ... and so was Peter. They were going to kill him - he and Sirius. Wormtail, who had betrayed James and Lily. But Harry had intervened. "Let the dementors have him."

They were going to take Wormtail up to the castle, but as they exited the tunnel of the Whomping Willow ...

The moon.

Forgetting the pain and the stiffness that came with the transformations, Remus raced back to the castle. With each stride, the same sentence repeated over and over in his head. "What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?"

Severus Snape met him at the doors. He threw a shabby robe at him. "The headmaster is waiting, Lupin," he said. The faintest hint of a sneer played at the corner of his mouth.

Remus' own mouth was dry as he followed Severus, not to Dumbledore's office, but to the hospital wing.

Professor McGonagall had her arm around Hermione Granger, who was weeping. Neither of them looked at him. Ron Weasley, however, glared at him accusingly. Dumbledore looked uncharacteristically stern.

But Remus forgot all else as he saw the two bodies laid out on two of the beds. Harry Potter, whose throat had been ripped out by his favorite teacher. And Sirius Black, who had proven his innocence, but had lost his soul to the dementor's Kiss.

IV.

June 1995

Amid the chaos of battling a dozen Death Eaters, Remus heard a cry as Nymphadora Tonks was hit by a spell, and Bellatrix Lestrange cackled in triumph as she ran down the stairs. Remus shot a stunning spell at the Death Eater he was fighting, and heard Sirius yell, "Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neville and run!"

Sirius was headed toward Bellatrix, but Remus caught his sleeve. "Padfoot, go with Harry. I'll take care of her," Remus said. He was aware of Sirius sprinting toward Harry and Neville as Lucius Malfoy did the same. Then all else was forgotten in the duel.

"So, my cousin's pet werewolf thinks he can play," Bellatrix sneered.

"I see Azkaban hasn't sharpened your wit, Bella," Remus shot back. "Though I must say, madness suits you."

Bellatrix shrieked and lunged at him, but he dodged her easily, aiming a spell at her as he did.

"DUBBLEDORE!" he heard Neville shout. But Bellatrix was still firing spells, and he concentrated on parrying them.

"Come on, you can do better than that," he taunted, dodging a bolt of red light.

The second one hit him squarely in the chest. He was falling ... falling ... falling ...

"PROFESSOR LUPIN!" Harry's voice echoed in his ears as he slipped through the veil.

And then there was nothing.

V.

September 1992

Remus Lupin smiled and hummed along with the radio as he drove home from work. He loved the beginning of the school year, when all the students looked at him solemnly from the rows of desks, with their fresh stacks of paper and newly-sharpened pencils. They were all wide-eyed and slightly intimidated by their tall and serious history teacher. Remus enjoyed guessing who the prankster would be, who would write an extra two pages when he assigned an essay, and who would sit at the back of the class, silent and shy, but soaking in every word.

After 10 years of teaching, his guesses were usually accurate.

But by far, his favorite part of the day began right now, pulling into the driveway of the modest, but comfortable, two-story house that was home. He heard Padfoot barking as he slammed the car door shut, and sure enough, the enormous black Lab was waiting at the side door, tail wagging. "Hey there, Pads, did you miss me?" Remus asked, scratching the dog behind the ears.

"I always know when to put the tea on, because Padfoot starts pacing 10 minutes before you pull in," Dora said, greeting her husband with a kiss, and exchanging his briefcase for a mug of hot tea. "How was your day?"

"Good," Remus replied. The tea was strong and sweet, just how he liked it. "I love the beginning of school, you know."

"Yes," Dora said, amused. "No papers to grade."

Remus laughed. "There's that. Where's the munchkin?"

"In his room. He's got a new book."

Now that his master was home, Padfoot decided that all was well with the world and trotted off to the ratty blanket in the corner of the kitchen that he claimed as his own, and Remus went through the kitchen to the living room, then up the stairs, two at a time, stopping at the first door on the left. He rapped twice on the door, which was ajar.

"Hi, Dad." The brown-haired boy was sprawled on the bed, too engrossed in his book to look up. Ten-year-old Ryan Lupin had inherited this bookworm tendency from his father.

"Hey, kiddo. Whatcha reading?" Remus sat down on the edge of the bed and ruffled his son's hair.

Ryan held up the book. "'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.' It's brilliant, Dad. See, Harry's a wizard, and his parents got killed, and he has to live with his awful aunt and uncle ..."

Remus smiled as Ryan chattered away about his new book. Yes, this was the best part of Remus Lupin's day.