Chapter One: The Letter.
Dread. Tomorrow night it would happen again, he thought. Every single month it happened yet every single month he was filled with just as much fear. He could not escape it.
"REEEEEMUUUUS! WAKE UP! TODAY'S A SPECIAL DAY!", Remus shot out of his nightmarish daydreams and thought, 'what could be so good about today?', and then he remembered: today he was finally 11 years old.
He shot down the stairs like a bullet, led by the smell of pancakes, pancakes with chocolate! He landed with a thud -having missed the final step- and stared at his mother. She smiled serenely at him and -for once- she did not seem worried for him in the slightest. She led him to the wooden table in the kitchen that overlooked the surrounding area, the house was so isolated from the rest of the world that it sometimes felt like nothing else existed…
"CHOCOLATE PANCAKES!", he squealed with a grin set on his face. His childish delight was sharply contrasted with the many scars that covered his face, some were hidden by his floppy caramel coloured hair but many still adorned his otherwise delicate and pale features.
Only after demolishing his breakfast did Remus look at what was sat upon the table; he had not expected it at all. After all, he had always assumed that he would never be able to go: it would be too dangerous.
He pinched his arm under the table, and felt his heart beating twice as fast as usual, he could not believe it. He neatly opened the letter and read it:
Dear Mr. Lupin,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than 31st July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress.
Remus grinned from ear to ear, pausing for a moment, before turning to the next piece of parchment:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes(black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragonhide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK.
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus,
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions.
Remus stared in wonder at the letter and tears of joy streamed down his face: he was going to school… he was going to school for the first time in his life!
The countdown to September 1st has begun!