I survived my first day of classes, Remus thought as he wandered rather aimlessly through the hallways. Barely, he added rather sheepishly, remembering the painful struggle in Potions. I should go find the library... except Evans might still be there and I don't want to... make her think I'm joining her... Besides, he added as he came to a stop. I have no idea where I am. He hadn't been paying much attention after leaving the hospital wing and now he was... where? He vaguely remembered going up a flight of stairs...?
He pressed on, figuring eventually he'd find his way. He went down a corridor, up a flight of stairs, down a different flight of stairs, and then sensed someone was following him. He kept going, ears and nose almost twitching as he kept track of whoever was behind him. It wasn't human, that much he knew. Then suddenly there was a loud crack and a tiny little man floated in front of Remus, dressed in what seemed to be a jester's outfit.
"Who's this then?" the little man cackled. "Little lost firstie?" He had an arm full of water balloons. "Need directions?"
"Th—that'd be—yes—please," Remus got out.
The little man hung upside down, grinning wider. "Aw, the ickle firstie even said please! Well, if you're going to beg...!" With that he threw one of the water balloons. It smashed into Remus's face and split open, drenching him in something that was not at all water but vinegar. The little man began shrieking with laughter, throwing more balloons as Remus began running. "Tiny firstie! Tiny firstie!" he sang as he chased Remus. "Are you even eleven? Baby! Baby!"
Remus skidded around a corner and somehow managed to come to a complete stop right at the very edge of the top of a flight of stairs... that is, until another vinegar balloon hit the back of his head and he tumbled forward. He crashed down the stairs painfully while the creature hovered at the top, looking a little anxious. Once Remus stirred and sat up the little man, relieved he hadn't just accidentally murdered a student, disappeared with a loud crack.
Remus adjusted himself so he was sitting on the bottom step, making sure he didn't have any serious injuries. There were some smears of blood from scratches already healing, and fading bruises. Worst of all, though, was the powerful smell of vinegar that made him want to throw up. Will I never escape disgusting smells? He checked his school bag which had very good water-proofing spells on it. The outside smelled awful but the inside (and his things) had been spared. Ugh, what a wicked being! He got up and walked until he found a main corridor. From there he made his way to the Gryffindor tower. He tripped up climbing through the hole and, ignoring the snickers, marched up the boys' tower.
The door to the first-years dorm was slightly ajar and he could hear giggling inside. Not thinking anything of it he pushed the door open and was rewarded with something liquidy hitting him. He jerked to a stop, giving a loud gasp as green paint poured down onto his head from a bucket that had been suspended above the door. Potter and Black were on the floor, rolling back and forth as they laughed. Remus blinked through the paint, breathing heavily, the stench of vinegar and paint mixing together. He took a step back, wondering what he had done to deserve this.
"Oh, oh!" Black sat up straight, the smile disappearing. "It's Lupin."
They didn't know, so it wasn't because of that. It was some other reason. Something else that made them want to dump paint on him. He stared down at his dripping and shaking hands. Before he could stop it, a sort of sobby gasp burst out of his mouth.
Potter got onto his knees, grimacing. "Lupin, that--"
He turned and ran down the corridor a bit, pushing into the bathroom, nearly knocking into Spinnet. He ignored Spinnet's exclamations and just ran into a bathroom stall, slamming the door shut and locking it. He sat on the loo and covered his face, trying to stifle the sobs. First that thing and the vinegar and now this. The bathroom door opened and shut as Spinnet left, then opened and shut as Black and Potter came in.
"Oi! Lupin!" Potter called out.
Remus pulled his feet up off the floor and pressed his green hands harder over his face so they couldn't hear him.
The two sets of shoes walked right to the stall he was in. Black's shoes were shiny black loafers, very fancy looking. Potter's were trainers that looked expensive and new.
"We know you're in there," Black said, knocking on the stall door. "You left a trail."
"Lupin, mate, we didn't mean for that to go on you," Potter said. "We thought Spinnet was coming up the stairs, it was meant for him."
Remus wiped his face and then withdrew himself more on the toilet. Go away, just go away! He didn't want to talk, didn't dare speak.
"Hey, give me a hand," Potter said. One of his feet disappeared, followed by the other, and Black grunted loudly. "Hey, Lupin," from above. Remus looked up and saw Potter peering above the door. "Honest, we had no idea you were on your way too." Remus let his feet drop to the floor as he just stared up at Potter, not knowing what to say, knowing tears were streaking stupidly down his face. Potter drew himself up a bit more, leaning now. "We're sorry, little dude, it was one hundred percent supposed to be Spinnet, and--ooofa! What's that smell?!"
"V... vinegar..."
"Why'd you dump vinegar on yourself?" Potter asked curiously.
Remus began scowling. "I didn't!" he said, frustrated. "Someone else thought it'd be funny to pour stuff on me, if you must know!" With that he unlocked the door and pushed it open. It swung and hit Black who went off balance from trying to hold Potter up, and the two of them went crashing into the floor as Remus ran out of the bathroom and back to the dorm. Spinnet wasn't there and a large, drying puddle of green paint was spreading from the door. The bucket still dangled from a thick cord. Remus stepped gingerly over the puddle and, making sure he wasn't still trailing, dropped to the floor next to his bed and slithered underneath. He stayed there as Potter and Black came back into the dorm, discussing where he might have gone. Not seeing him, they left the dorm again.
Remus waited a good five minutes before emerging from under his bed. It might have been meant for someone else but... He got some clean pajamas and went back to the bathroom for a shower. It took a while and a lot of hot water to scrub off all the paint and stench and by the time he finished he was pink all over. He dried off, threw his pajamas on, and tiptoed back to the dorm. He couldn't hear anyone inside. He went in and went over to his bed, intending to hide there for the rest of the night. They'd just find me and try to talk to me again. He grabbed a pillow and blanket, his school bag, shut his bed curtains, and went back under his bed. He made a little nest for himself and settled there to read. The skirt from the bed was low enough that nobody could see him unless they intentionally looked.
"...find him anywhere. I thought for sure he'd be in the library."
The door opened and in trooped the two paint criminals. Remus lowered his book and watched their shoes pacing around. Potter approached Remus's bed and opened the curtains. "Not here either. Where did he go?"
"Are you sure he was crying?" Black asked.
"Yeah," Potter sighed and Remus glared. "It's almost time for supper, he's probably at the Great Hall now. We can apologize there."
"Did someone actually dump vinegar on him?"
"That's what he said..."
The two of them left the dorm again and Remus out a relieved sigh before returning to his book. Supper time, he thought, and he was quite hungry but he wasn't going to leave the safety of his hiding place for anything. He had some candy in his trunk which could help fight off the hunger pains except he didn't want those two coming back in while he was in plain sight.
Transfiguration went well, History was boring, Potions was awful... Remus began sucking at the end of his quill as he thought about his day. I fell on the stairs and busted my chin, and fell down an entire flight of stairs. I got covered in vinegar and paint. All in all... not a very auspicious start to my time at Hogwarts.
*
Remus stayed under his bed all evening. The others boys came in and Potter and Black seemed to still be looking for him, and they talked about him as the night grew longer. They seemed to be worried he hadn't returned to the dorm once curfew hit and they discussed finding a Prefect.
"It's the first day and you've run your dorm-mate off, brilliant," Spinnet said. "What did you even do?"
"Nothing!" Black and Potter chorused.
Spinnet scoffed. "Yeah, sure, I don't really believe that."
"Maybe he got lost in the castle," Struthers suggested. "This whole place seems really dangerous. I mean, staircases move and corridors disappear, what kind of design for a school is this?"
"I think we should find a Prefect," Black said.
"I don't want to get him in trouble," replied Potter.
Eventually they decided to just let things play out. Remus went back to reading until it was too dark and everyone else went to bed. Potter and Black stayed up the latest, whispering about Remus being missing, until finally they, too, went to sleep. Remus shut his book and ten minutes after he sensed everyone was definitely asleep he crept out and went to the bathroom to relieve the pressure on his bladder. He returned to the dorm and considered sleeping in his bed but ultimately went back under the bed since he felt safer there.
He caught a glimpse of the moon through the window. Almost full, he thought as he curled up in his little nest. Tonight... and tomorrow... and then... He shuddered a bit and finally fell asleep.
*
Friday morning Remus woke up rather early due to minor nightmares waking him up every so often. He felt very stiff and more than uncomfortable from sleeping on the stone floor. He stretched his body out and rolled out from under his bed, assuming everyone else was still asleep since it was only six-thirty.
"So that's where you were." Remus jumped and spun around, seeing Black standing in front of one of the full-length mirrors, tying a beautiful knot in his tie. He was looking at Remus in the reflection, waiting for some sort of response and when it didn't come he added, "We were very worried."
Remus looked down and went to his trunk to get a new uniform out. His paint and vinegar one had been shoved down into a laundry bin which was now empty. He knew everyone else had properly unpacked already and he was the only one who hadn't but he felt a little awkward sharing clothes space with Black. There were three huge wardrobes in the room. One between Pettigrew and Potter's beds for them, one between Black and Remus's beds, and one between Struthers and Spinnet. Remus knew that the section of wardrobe to hang clothes in was completely full with no room whatsoever for his things. Considering that the wardrobe was magicked to extend inside, that was quite the feat for Black to accomplish.
"We didn't mean to, yesterday," Black said as Remus started to silently leave the room. "It was--"
"I kn--know," Remus muttered.
Black finally turned around, grey eyes wide. "Why were you hiding, then?"
Remus clutched his clothes and bathroom bag tightly against his chest, no idea how to respond. Because my day absolutely sucked, because I don't know how to deal with people. I don't know how to deal with this. Because this whole situation is so much scarier than I ever imagined, so much more overwhelming. Because it makes me feel better. Because you're a human, you're all humans, and I'm not. Because I don't belong here. All he managed to do was shrug, and then leave the room without saying anything.
*
Remus hid out near the Great Hall and waited until he saw Black and Potter go in before going in as well. He figured if he was in there first they'd sit with him, and sure enough when he went to the Gryffindor table he could see the two of them waving at him. He sat down at the very end, by himself. Pettigrew ran over to join them though, beaming.
"I'm so excited for today's classes!" Remus dropped his fork as Evans sat down across from him. "Especially Herbology. I love plants so much! My whole family does, at least my parents do. Hence the name." He looked at his plate, remembering the Sorting. Lily. "My parents are really interested in this class, they had me read out of our book almost every night. Did you know there's a magical flower that's opposite the sunflower? Its petals are white and it follows the moon. And there's a flower that changes color depending on what the weather's going to be like... Oh! You probably know all about these though."
"I d--don't mind," Remus mumbled. She's Muggleborn, he realized, or at least guessed. Either that or her family kept her from a lot of things too.
"Charms is very exciting too. And Defense Against the Dark Arts." Evans gave a rather embarrassed laugh. "I suppose I'm excited for everything which is probably silly."
"Not--not silly," he said, finally looking back up at her. "I'm--I'm too." The words weren't quite right but the meaning came across. Evans smiled, and began chatting again, not really seeming to expect an answer from the small boy across from her. He didn't interrupt her and nodded to whatever she said until he finished eating. They still had a good twenty-five minutes before class started but he excused himself and left the Great Hall anyway, finding a ghost to take him to the Charms classroom. He sat across from the door and buried his nose into The Standard Book Of Spells (Grade One). Like all his other text books he had already read through it. At about ten till the door unlocked and he trooped in along with a couple other students and took a seat near the front of the room, opening his book once more as well as setting out quill, ink, and parchment.
Professor Flitwick was a tiny man who vaguely gave off the scent of goblins. He cheerfully introduced himself, gave a small speech reminiscent McGonagall's speech about importance of spells. He talked a great deal about the Latin language and making sure pronunciations are done clearly, then began teaching about the most simple and basic of spells a wizard could learn: the light spell. He swished his wand and a light appeared at the end.
"Can anyone tell me anything about the word used for the spell?" Flitwick asked and Remus raised his hand, the only one to do so. "Mr. Lupin?"
Everyone was looking at him and Remus felt awkward. He swallowed, his tongue feeling like it had swollen to the size of a cow's tongue or something. "Th--the word lumos is... derived... from... one of the--the Latin words f--for light. L--lumen. Wh--which means 'the light'..." He hadn't been confident to start with however as he spoke he began faltering more, sweat prickling in his armpits, not sure if that's what Flitwick meant and when the teacher stared at him for a brief second Remus nearly threw up. It was the wrong answer, I'm such an idiot...!
"Very good, Mr. Lupin! Bravo! A point to Gryffindor. Yes, lumos has its origins in the word lumen which also gives us the term luminescent..." Flitwick continued talking while Remus took notes, trying not to grin. Then Flitwick began talking about the counter-spell and asked if anyone knew what the word meant. Remus put his hand up again, and so did Black. Flitwick called on the latter.
"Latin term," Black said with a cocky grin.
"And what does it mean?" Flitwick asked.
Now his grin faded a little. "Er, 'the dark'?"
Flitwick sighed and turned to Remus expectantly. "It means 'night'," Remus answered.
"And do you happen to know the word for 'dark'?"
Remus ducked down, blushing. "T--tenebris."
"Very good. And do you know why that isn't the spell to extinguish the light spell?" Flitwick asked and Remus began squirming in his seat, liking answering questions just not liking the attention. Flitwick nodded. "It's not something I imagine a first-year would--"
"Be--because magic isn't always st--straightforward like--like that," Remus interrupted and Flitwick lowered his hand, staring at Remus. "One of--of--of the--the problems with spells is it's n-n-not exactly this word is a d--direct translation of that word. That's why it's 'lumos' and not 'lumen'." He sat up a bit straighter, not even realizing his nervous stammer faded away. "That's why we can't just point our wand at something and say 'you're a toad now' and expect it to work. Why pronunciation is so important, since the etymology is just as important as the intention. Though intention is very important as well, and behind a lot of underage magic--when we accidentally do something before we can properly channel our magic although that is very dangerous, and very unreliable. It's also why new spells are always being discovered as people test out variations of words and terms that might not have been done before even though the result of the spell is something someone might have been trying to achieve before. A lot of magic is more about the manipulation of a word's meaning--a sort of magical interpretation, if you will--and how it translates into magic."
The entire classroom was silent and turned to look at Flitwick who gave a squeak and fell off the pile of books he was using to stand on. "Ten points to Gryffindor, Mr. Lupin," he said then climbed back up onto the books. "I suggest everyone take note of what Mr. Lupin just explained, and then we shall begin practicing the light spell."