Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) - Book One (Marauder Era)

Chapter Sixteen - A New Teacher

Remus.

*

Arthur wasn't in the owlery when Remus climbed into the tower and he remembered he had already sent a letter off earlier in the day. He considered using one of the school owls but none of them seemed to want him near due to his animalistic nature so he just headed to study group, where his actions in Defense was the talk of the town. Twycross and Craft greatly disapproved of what he had done and said, while Evans was firmly on Remus's side. Bones just laughed about the whole thing until Farrow appeared and kicked him out for causing so much noise, so they were down a member of their group that evening.

Before bed, Spinnet started teasing Remus about Evans again but to everyone's surprise Black and Potter both told him to shove off and stop being so immature.

"Immature? You were worse than that last night!" Spinnet snapped. "Or have you just changed your mind since he said he wouldn't do your homework for you."

"I d-d-don't do th--their homework!" Remus snapped and then glared at the other two. "And I don't need yo--y-your pity!" He grabbed his things and left the room to get a shower, ignoring Potter's protests that it wasn't pity. When he returned twenty minutes later--squeaky clean and in his pajamas for a nap before Astronomy--he hesitated outside the door, hearing the voices within talking about him. Spinnet was calling him a freak again. Complaining about the two times Remus woke them all up with his screaming, and the fact he couldn't even talk properly.

"You don't know his background," Potter told Spinnet, sticking up for Remus. Except not really. "It's not his fault he isn't normal."

Remus's heart fell a bit at that. Even to someone defending him he was weird and unusual.

"Maybe he's mad," Spinnet said. "Maybe he lived at Saint Mungo's. That's why he can't talk and has nightmares and attacked Professor Dedenne like that."

"He didn't attack her, he just did what was asked," Black said.

Remus's stomach twisted as he realized no one was arguing the Saint Mungo's/insanity bit. I shouldn't expect them to. He took in a deep breath and went inside. Spinnet was starting to say something else but stopped when Remus came in, instead giving him a glower. Potter, Black, and Pettigrew busied themselves with their card game, and Struthers pretended to be asleep. Remus kept his nose in the air as he got into his own bed, shutting the curtains.

"Mental, that one," Spinnet muttered.

Nobody else said anything.

*

Remus felt lonelier and lonelier over the next couple days as none of his dormmates tried to talk to him. The only one who seemed to acknowledge him was Black with his silvery stares, and that was it. Remus even avoided going to study group on Friday night and instead spent his time in a dark, empty room with the Fat Friar of Hufflepuff who happily talked about various changes in the school throughout the centuries while Remus shot green sparks out of his wand. Today's Defense lesson hadn't gone much better. Dedenne had lined up the students again only this time had Remus be double partners with Evans and Pettigrew, and then she snapped at him for 'frightening poor Pettigrew' when he first shot out a brilliant blaze of green sparks and then just had him sit in the corner for the rest of the class and redo his essay which had been marked poor. Evans had tried to talk to him after class but he just ran off to hide, missing supper, preferring the Friar's company.

When his stomach growled the Fat Friar asked about him getting food and Remus admitted he didn't want to be around anyone.

"Come on then," the Fat Friar said and motioned for Remus to follow him. He took him through the castle and down a side passage and stairwell near the Great Hall. Down a long corridor which was quite wide and cheerfully lit and smelling of food. The Fat Friar stopped in front of a large painting of a bowl of fruit. "All right then, tickle the pear."