selcouth • marauders era

ch. 5: young and sweet, only 17 (part 2)

REMUS COULDN'T remember a time before lycanthropy. Or if he could, it was a strange, far-off memory. He'd been bitten when he was four, and his parents divorced soon after. Lyall couldn't fathom caring for a mutt, as he called his son, but Hope would abandon her only child. Any sign of magic reminded Hope of her Hogwarts sweetheart, so she hid her wand, and they lived in poverty.

Remus couldn't remember having friends. When he and his mother moved, she kept him indoors. The one time he made a friend, he'd tried to turn him. The boy was obliviated, and Remus was subsequently chained for each transformation. They quickly moved to the country.

Lycanthropy became Remus's identity. All he thought or read about was how to get rid of it. Nothing worked. So when Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore showed up at his house one snowy November day, the Lupins were in quite a shock.

Hope pulled the mysterious people into her room and came out several minutes later with a forced smile on her face.

"Remus, do you want to go to school?" She asked. He hesitated. Even at 11 years old, he knew just how different he was from everyone else.

"Do they..." His voice trailed off. Professor Dumbledore, with twinkling eyes and a long beard, smiled down at him.

"Yes, Mr. Lupin, and we've taken extra precautions just for you. If you're willing to come, we're willing to let you." Professor McGonagall said.

"But on one condition," his mother said, "you must never let anyone know."

Then came James, Sirius, and Peter, who didn't care about his furry problem. Soon after was Elowen, a peppy, annoying Hufflepuff with a dimpled smile, and Remus's four friends quickly stole his heart.

Now they were sixth years, on the verge of graduating and celebrating the first one of them to come of age. God, when did he become so melancholy? Ellie smiled at him from across the table.

"Remus?" She asked. Apparently, she'd been calling him for quite some time. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just lost in thought."

"Okay... well, I was wondering where the surprises that the others promised are? I haven't seen any yet."

"Maybe you should look behind you, then," Remus suggested. The letters which originally spelled out a birthday message now read: "Costume party in the Gryffindor common room, 10pm-2am. Wear your best muggle-inspired outfit."

"Don't worry, it's charmed so only students can read it, and once they've seen it, they can't tell a teacher. If they do, they'll get an awful rash."

"I have a feeling that's not all," Elowen said.

"Nope! Sirius and Kat put together a couple's costume for us."

"Of course they did. Who did they choose?"

"You'll have to wait and see. But I think Kat made your costume particularly short."

"To seduce you, I suppose?"

"Probably." Remus chuckled. As if on cue, Kat pulled Ellie away.

"Ugh, what do you want?" Elowen grumbled.

"Well, hello to you too. I just wanted to see how my best friend's birthday is going!"

"Sure... Anyway, what are you wearing to the party tonight?"

"I was going to dress up as Sally Bowles from Cabaret."

"I didn't know you were into musicals!" Ellie exclaimed.

"It's a recent development." Kat said, blushing. Elowen picked up on it very quickly.

"It's a boy isn't it?" She said with a smirk.