Remus Lupin

By Twix

Author's Notes: This is a strange little story, but I'm quite proud of it and I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, except Audrey. Everything Harry Potter related belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.

Dedication: To Bohemian Storm, my beta-reader for this story and she's also my R/S partner in fluff! (Ooh, am I clever, or WHAT?)

I was ten when he moved in.

He had a large, heavy trunk that was frayed at the corners and the latches were no use. He was very thin and worn, like a doll that had been hugged too much. His clothes were patched and hung loosely on his body. I'll never forget how thin he was. His brown hair was shot with grey and he had lines and scars on his face, making him look very old. But I could tell he wasn't old. His eyes were young.

I remember how I stood in the door of my flat on the day he came. He was struggling to pull his trunk up the next flight of stairs to his own flat. He had to stop every few minutes to stop and take a breath. It was as if every breath was causing him pain.

"I can help," I said. He jumped slightly and looked down at me from where he sat. He smiled as I walked up the stairs. I pushed against the trunk over the last stair so it made it to the landing.

He wiped his brow and smiled down at me. "Thank you." He then turned around and took a key out of the pocket of his shabby coat. Then he unlocked the door and walked in. Like the flat my mother and I lived in, his new home was one room with the kitchen area on the opposite wall from the door. There was a bed with a thin mattress shoved in the corner of the room. Next to the kitchen, there was the bathroom in a closet sized room. Nobody had lived in that flat for years. I've lived in the building all my life and had never seen anyone there. Everything in the flat was covered in dust and mice were living in the cupboards. The man stood there in the middle of the room, looking at everything for several minutes. With sad eyes, he turned back around and began to drag his trunk into the room.

"I'm Audrey," I told the man as I stood in his doorway.

He paused what he was doing for a moment and looked at me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Audrey," he said gently. "I'm Remus Lupin."

I cocked my head at the unusual name and looked at him. "I've never heard that name before."

Remus Lupin smiled and walked back over to his trunk. He began to unpack things that I would never have imagined to fit inside such a trunk.. He pulled out around three dozen books, a large, oddly shaped pot, and several other small boxes just to begin with.

"How does all that fit in that trunk?" I said before thinking.

"Oh, I've just gotten to be pretty good at packing," he said with a sigh. He stood up and looked around the room in the awkward silence.

"It was nice to meet you," I said before stepping outside the room.

"And you," Remus Lupin said with a gentle smile. "Have a good day, Audrey."

The next day I was sitting outside of my flat playing by myself because my mother needed to spend time by herself. At least, that's what she told me, but I knew that she spent the time drinking herself to sleep. Once she had fallen asleep, I knew it was safe to play inside again. I stood up to look out the window that showed the street below. I was surprised to see my new neighbor walking to the building. I had never seen him come downstairs in the first place. I turned around and watched him as he walked up the stairs. He was holding a small bag that was full of odd smelling things I didn't recognize.

"Hello, Audrey," Remus said pleasantly as he walked up the stairs.

"Hullo," I mumbled quietly, suddenly afraid that he would ask why I wasn't inside. I knew he wouldn't have asked such a question, but I still was afraid.

He draped his thin coat over his arm as he dug around in his pocket for a key. Once he opened the door, Remus walked in and I heard him set the bag on the counter. Then he muttered something under his breath and I heard music begin to play softly. He stepped outside again and looked down at me. "I was just going to have a cup of tea. Would you like to join me?"

"Okay," I said and I followed him upstairs.

Five minutes later, I was sitting down at a small table with Remus Lupin drinking tea. There were a lot of things in his small flat that I hadn't seen yesterday, like the table and chairs. There were shelves on the wall that hadn't been there before. They were now fit to burst with books. There were shabby and thin blankets on the bed in the corner. Remus sat across the table from me, quietly sipping his tea. On the counter, there was a large, battered phonograph. An old record was spinning underneath the needle and upbeat, jazzy music was filling the silence. I would have expected Remus to listen to soft, classical music. The jarring music constrasted with the subdued look of his room, but it still seemed to fit him. He looked at me from over his teacup and I started to feel uncomfortable. I started to swing my legs and took another sip of tea.

"So, Audrey," Remus said mildly, trying to make conversation. "How old are you?"

"Ten," I said quietly.

"Oh, really?" he said, sounding genuinely interested. "And where do you go to school?"

I replied, "The public school down the street..."

I found it very easy to talk to Remus Lupin and I was surprised at this because I usually am very shy around adults. That was something my mother always chided me about. I don't know why I felt I could talk with Remus. Maybe it was because I felt I could trust him. His eyes were very trusting.

I told Remus about my school and the children who went there. I wasn't very well liked. People made fun of my tattered, homemade clothes. They would pull at my short, straight as straw, black hair and call me names. When I told Remus that people called me Odd-rey, he frowned and told me he didn't think I was odd.

Never one had ever said that to me before and I told him so.

Then he smiled and poured me another cup of tea.

For the following few weeks, I had tea with Remus everyday. I really enjoyed his company and I would like to think he enjoyed talking to me. Of course, I knew better than to stay after tea when I knew I had outstayed my welcome. I was only ten years old, after all. Remus surely did not want to spend all his time with me, even if I could have spent all day with him and never get tired of him.

I was fascinated by all the books he had. There was a particular one that I would read a little of every time I went over for tea. It was a fantasy book, full of monsters and creatures like unicorns, dragons, centaurs and werewolves. I had heard stories of werewolves before, but I learned that a lot of what I heard was wrong. The book was very detailed and Remus also knew a lot on the subject of fantastical creatures.

I never did tell my mother about all the time I spent with Remus. I didn't want her to think I was silly because I considered my best friend to be this man I knew practically nothing about. I may have spent a lot of time with him, but I barely knew anything more about him than I did when I first met him. We would talk about anything during tea and then, sometimes, we would just sit at the table, pouring through books for hours. Remus loved his books and knew all of them backwards and forwards. When he was reading, he would get this far away look in his eyes and you could tell that he wasn't in his flat in London; he was inside the very pages of the books and he loved every minute of it.

There was one night that I'll never forget for the rest of my life. I had come home in the evening, some later than I usually did. Mum was curled up in her bed, naked and sobbing softly to herself. Any other time, this would have surprised me a little. Mum was getting a lot better about her feelings since my dad left when I was six. But when I asked Remus the date during tea, I knew what I would find when I got home. It was four years to the day that my father had left. She always got emotion and weepy on that date. All I could do was keep to myself for about a week and let it pass.

But this time was different.

When I went into the flat and sat down on my bed, my mind still far away with stories of dragons and other fantastical creatures, my mother started to scream at me. I couldn't understand a word she was saying; all of her words slurred together and she began to babble to herself.

"Er... Mum?" I said hesitantly. "Do you want a cup of tea?" I began to prepare a pot of water on the stove, but Mum grabbed my arm and started to shriek nonsense, all the while big, fat tears were flowing down her face. I thought I smelled alcohol on her and I took a step back. She then raised her hand and brought it down upon my face with such a force that I was thrown back onto the floor.

I didn't have to time to react before Mum picked me up by my hair. "What do you think you're doing in here?" she screamed in my face. Her eyes were wide and shining maniacally. Mum continued to scream at me. When I started to cry, she dragged me over to the door, pulled it open, and threw me out into the hallway.

I landed on the floor with a loud thump and the slamming of the door echoed in the empty hallway. I picked my head up and looked at the door of my flat hopefully, as if expecting my mother to open it again. I heard Mum's dry sobs from behind the door. There was a window where a street lamp from outside was filling in the dark hallway with light. I crawled to the side of the hallway, leaned up against the wall, and wiped my face with the back of my hand, although it was no use. Tears kept flowing down my face and I let a loud sob escape my throat. I never knew crying could hurt so much. I continued to sit there, crying loudly until I heard a sharp noise. I was quite for a moment when I looked up and saw Remus had opened his door. He looked out into the moonlit hallway, wearing worn, thin pajama pants and an equally tattered sweater. Relief flooded through me. I was safe, I thought, as Remus came over to me with a concerned look in his eyes. He crouched down to where I was in the hallway and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Audrey, what happened?" he asked gently, although his eyes very sharp and aware.

I opened my mouth to answer, but all I could do was sit there and cry. I saw Remus glance at my face where a large, red mark was appearing. The skin stung from the slap and the tears that kept rolling down my face. Then Remus slipped an arm under my legs and with his other arm behind my back, he picked me up and began to walk up the stairs to his flat. I continued to cry into his shoulder and I held onto his shirt, not wanting him to let me go. I felt so safe with Remus.

When he reached his flat, he set me down on the bed and walked over to the sink. He ran a rag under cold water, wrung it out, and walked back over to sit on the bed. I was sitting there in a kind of stupor; I had stopped crying but tears were still running down my beet red face.

"Here," Remus said calmly. "Put this on your face. It will feel better."

I did so and stopped crying long enough to ask shakily, "Do I have to go back?"

He smiled warmly at me and shook his head. "Not for now. You need sleep right now, Audrey."

I began to cry again. I reached for him and wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder. "She's never done that to me before," I said through my tears.

"Shh," Remus whispered, patting my back. "Just go to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning..."

I leaned away from Remus, still pressing the cool rag against my face. "Thank you." Then I set my head against his thin pillow and fell asleep instantly.

It took a few days before I went back home. When I did, my mother didn't acknowledge me coming in to the flat. I was glad for that, though. I didn't want to speak to her yet. I knew that in a matter of days she would begin to act like it never happened and it would all be behind us. I still continued to spend time with Remus, even though I felt guilty about it. Kids my age were never guilty. They were selfish and greedy. I don't know where I got it, but I was very aware of feelings. I always knew when I needed to leave, and I also knew when he was perfectly content with sitting with me and reading for hours.

Then there was the day that changed everything. I was about to go back downstairs after tea, when there was a loud dog bark from behind Remus's door. Remus dropped his teacup on the floor and it crashed into a million little pieces. He spun around to look at the door, his face pale white. Then Remus slowly walked to the door and opened it. Sitting in front of the door, was the biggest dog I had ever seen. He had jet-black fur with wide, pale eyes. His tail was wagging furiously at the sight of Remus and he barked again.

Remus crouched down in front of the dog and looked at him for a long while. He rested his hand on the dog's back and the dog nudged his muzzle against Remus's neck. I looked at Remus and I couldn't tell what he was feeling. His eyes were scared, hopeful, worried, and ecstatic all at the same time. This dog was obviously familiar.

I slowly stood up and walked over to the dog and Remus. The dog looked over at me and cocked his head.

"This is Audrey," Remus said to the dog, as if it understood him. "She lives in the flat below this one." He then looked at me. "Audrey, this is Padfoot," Remus said with smile.

I reached out my hand and Padfoot smelled it, then his tail began to wag as fast as it had before. Padfoot then turned back to Remus, who was standing now, and pushed against his legs with his head impatiently. Remus looked a little worried and I saw him glance over at me. I understood – for whatever reason, he needed to be alone with the dog. "See you tomorrow, Remus," I said as I walked to the door. I patted Padfoot on the head, said good-bye and walked out.

The next few days, I remember very distinctly. Remus had changed, now that the dog was here. He seemed so much happier; he smiled more and as he was making tea, he would hum under his breath. After tea, he would sit on the bed with a book and Padfoot would be with him, his head in Remus's lap. Remus always seemed to have a hand on the dog; whether it be scratching behind his ears or laying his hand on his back while reading. I wish I could have joined in on Remus's happy mood, but I couldn't. Something was bothering me and I was starting to not trust Remus.

It was the following Monday when I really started to suspect something. I went downstairs to my flat and sat on my bed quietly, so as not to wake Mum up. I heard Remus walking around upstairs and I heard Padfoot jump off the bed. His claws clicked against the hardwood floor and then they stopped. Remus had started to walk again.. or did he? Maybe I was hearing things, but there two pairs of feet moving up there. Two pairs of human feet.

My mind instantly flew to the fantasy books I had read of people turning into animals. It seemed like an amazing and fascinating ability when I read it. Now, however, I was so frightened.

Was that dog a human? How was Remus involved with that? He had seemed to be such good friends with the dog. It was frightening to think that perhaps Remus was part of that powerful and somewhat scary magic. I suddenly had this mental image of Remus standing over a large cauldron (like the witches have in the stories), throwing in ingredients and muttering a spell under his breath. He had an evil glint in his eyes and as the cauldron bubbled and hissed, he began to cackle –

But I put that right out of my mind. The thought of Remus as an evil sorcerer was almost laughable. He was calm and polite and mild mannered. I couldn't imagine Remus being anything that terrifying.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize Remus and Padfoot had left their flat until I saw them out on the street through the window. I didn't know what I was thinking or doing, but I automatically left my flat and walked downstairs and into the street. Why I was so interested in where Remus was going, I couldn't tell you. Maybe I was hoping for a sign that told me Remus wasn't involved in that dark magic I had read about.

I kept a close eye of Remus and Padfoot, but I had a feeling that the dog might smell me, so I kept my distance. Remus stayed close to the dog, always keeping a hand on his head or the back of his neck. They walked down the same street for a long time before turning. After that, they made a lot more turns through alleyways and busy streets. The sun had dropped dramatically since I left and I began to wonder what I had gotten myself into. Shadows were dancing on the sides of buildings as the sun was disappearing and the moon began to peer behind some clouds.

Finally, after what seemed about twenty minutes later, Remus and Padfoot stopped alongside a fairly busy street. There were, however, very few people walking on the sidewalk now that the sun had gone down. I hid behind a dustbin and watched Remus crouch down next to Padfoot about thirty feet away.

"Thank you," I heard Remus mutter. "Please stay out of sight, Padfoot. I shouldn't take too long." And with that, he walked through a door into a tiny, grubby-looking pub. A sign that read "The Leaky Cauldron" hung over the door. I quickly turned around and dashed down the street and hid behind another bunch of dustbins. What was The Leaky Cauldron? Maybe it was a secret hideout where witches and wizards went to plot their nefarious –

I shook my head. You're just being silly, I told myself. Remus obviously knew what the place was and had a reason to go in, which was all his business. I stood up again and looked around. Padfoot was trotting down the road in the opposite direction. I looked the other direction and all I saw was a maze of buildings and streets and alleyways. I was completely and totally lost.

Tears began to trickle down my face as I let this sink in. I just had to wait there until Remus came out. He said he wouldn't take long... but what if he never came back? What if something terrible happened to him, like if he was kidnapped or arrested!

I pushed yet another silly thought out of my head and had just sat down when someone peered over the dustbins.

"Hello, m'dear." It was a man talking. He had a low, raspy voice and his unkempt, flyaway grey hair was under a brown knitted hat. He grinned at the sight of me and I saw yellow, crooked teeth. "Are you lost?"

The tone in his voice made me shudder and I shook my head silently. He walked around the dustbins and I saw he was wearing layers of ratty and moldy clothing. "Whatcha doin' down there then?" he cackled.

"I dunno," I mumbled.

He leaned down and grabbed my wrist and pulled me roughly to my feet. "Here, I'll help ya."

I immediately began to scream and kick. The man was startled, but continued to drag me down the street. I punched at his chest and arms, but he was stronger than he looked. I started to cry again through my screaming. The man started to reach for my mouth to stop my screaming, but suddenly, Padfoot bounded out of nowhere, knocking the man off his feet. I stepped back behind the dustbins and Padfoot stood in front of me protectively. He growled at the old man who was now getting to his feet, struggling to catch his breath.

"Mangy dog," the man muttered. Padfoot's lip curled as if he understood what the man had just said. I saw a glimpse of his inch-long teeth. "Damn dogs should be locked up." The old man threw a dirty look towards us before walking off. I began to cry louder and Padfoot turned around, no longer growling. He nudged against my arm and I patted his head. Padfoot licked my face and I found myself with my arms around his neck. I didn't realize how cold I was until I felt his long, shaggy fur against my arms. He stood there for a moment as I held him, but began to walk away, nudging me along the whole time, then sat along the sidewalk closer to The Leaky Cauldron. He looked at the door impatiently. I sat on the sidewalk against the cook, brick wall between two different stores and shivered. Padfoot looked around at me, walked over, and curled around my legs. Padfoot was very warm and as I got still, I began to feel very tired. Tears were falling silently down my face as I eventually fell asleep.

"Audrey!"

I jerked my head up. Remus was looking at me with sharp and concerned eyes. "What happened?" He glanced at Padfoot who was uncurling himself from my legs. I quickly stood up and looked up at him, but as I started to talk, I looked at the ground.

"Remus, I'm really sorry. I decided to follow you – I'm really, really sorry. I don't know why I did it. I started to follow you and I didn't realize how far you were going and I kept following you – I knew it was wrong. I shouldn't have done it – but then I didn't know where I was, so I stayed right here and this man came over and he tired to take me away and I was so scared! But then Padfoot came and scared him away and then we stayed here. I'm so sorry, Remus, you're so mad at me, I just know it, and I know what I did was wrong..." I trailed off and glanced up at him waiting for him to start scolding me and telling me how foolish I had been.

But he didn't. He just said calmly, "Audrey, I'm not mad at you. I'm glad you know what you did was wrong. You really could have gotten yourself in trouble."

I nodded miserably.

"I trust you'll never do anything like that again," he said firmly.

"I won't," I said. "I promise."

"I know you won't." Remus smiled at me again. I could tell he was worried, but he tried hard not to show it. "Now, let's get home." He shifted a bag in his arms and this was the first time I noticed he was holding something.

I was extra cautious on the walk home; I jumped at every little noise. I held onto Remus's arm as I walked alongside him and I felt that sense of security again. We didn't talk at all and I had this sinking feeling that Remus might be angry with me. I wanted to ask him about The Leaky Cauldron, but I knew better. Later, I thought to myself. I'll ask him later. But, after that the time would never come, I asked him anyway.

"Remus?" I asked tentatively. "What's The Leaky Cauldron?"

Remus stopped walking in his tracks and looked down at me. Even Padfoot was staring at me. I hung my head. "Where did you hear that?" Remus asked curiously.

"I saw it on the sign back there," I replied.

"You could read it?" he asked incredulously.

I nodded.

Remus's eyes widened and I saw his mouth form a smile. "It's just a pub. You should find out soon enough." And with that, he continued to walk down the street.

Soon enough... How soon was that? I was burning with curiosity and bit back my tongue so I wouldn't pester him with more questions. I knew I would just have to wait until later.

The next week on Sunday, I didn't have tea with Remus. I was a little disappointed by this, but Remus was ill and I agreed. He did look really sick. Remus had been looking steadily worse all week. He was growing thinner; his ratty and patched clothes hung on his body. Dark circles were forming under his eyes, which had lost their awareness and brightness.

"I don't think I'm up for company this evening," Remus said after I had knocked on his door. "I'm sorry, Audrey. Perhaps tomorrow."

I assumed I was jumping to conclusions when I thought that maybe his sickness was linked to this mysterious dog and The Leaky Cauldron. It was that very evening, however, when all my suspicions of Remus came true. Or so I thought. It was around midnight when I first heard it. It was a haunting sound, full of pain and sorrow. The howl echoed throughout my apartment and I began to wonder if all of London heard it. The mournful howling was followed by a low whimpering that lasted for a few moments then stopped, almost as suddenly as it came. I heard the scuffling of claws on the hardwood floor and then those stopped as well.

What was Remus doing to Padfoot? I couldn't even begin to imagine what had happened and I sat there in my bed, stewing over it for hours. The full moon had risen high in the sky, filling my flat with light and I knew it was getting very late. My mother had fallen asleep a long time ago. And very much like the night when I followed Remus and Padfoot to The Leaky Cauldron, I found myself itching with curiosity to find out what had happened. So, I quietly opened the door and walked outside. Tiptoeing up the stairs, I was amazed at how quiet I was. The floors weren't creaking in their usual spots. When I walked up to Remus's door I reached for the doorknob, but before I could grasp it, the door flung up on its own accord. The door didn't creak as it usually does.

I stuck my head inside the flat and could barely believe what I saw. Padfoot was fast asleep up on the bed, curled in a ball, next to a wolf. The sleeping wolf had brown fur that was missing in some places due to large scars. There were scars over the muzzle and the face. I couldn't see the entire wolf, because it was sleeping next to Padfoot with their legs intertwined and their heads resting against each other's. I took a step back and as I walked out of Remus's flat, the door closed behind me, not making a sound as the lock clicked back into place. And with that, I raced back into my flat and jumped into bed.

How could Remus be a wolf? How was that possible? I kept asking myself these questions that I wanted answered, but eventually, I fell into a light and troubled sleep.

It was the next day, ironically, when the letter came. I remember the fright it gave my mother and me. The owl's sharp tap on the window woke me up with a start and I saw my mother jump. I opened the window instinctively and the owl swooped in, dropped the letter on the bed, and flew out again. I approached the letter slowly. It was made of heavy parchment and I saw my name and address glittering in emerald ink. I reached my hand out and picked up the letter. I turned it over in my hands and saw a wax seal that bore the letter H with a lion, serpent, badger, and an eagle on it.

"Who is that from?" my mother asked with a frightened quiver in her voice.

"I don't know," I told her. "But I think I know who can explain it."

I knocked on Remus's door and he took a moment to answer. He looked almost worse than he had the following week and he was leaning against a cane. Looking down at the letter in my hand, he smiled and opened the door to let me in. "You have come to ask me about this letter."

"Yes," I said timidly. I looked over on the bed where Padfoot was sitting and he was waving his tail happily.

"Have a seat, Audrey," Remus said. He hobbled over to his teakettle and started to make some tea. "Before I do any explaining, I want you to read the letter first."

I quickly opened it and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Miss Bristol,

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. A Hogwarts official will visit with you this evening to answer any questions you may have.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

I looked up at Remus with wide eyes. "What does all this mean?"

"This means, Audrey," Remus said calmly, handing me a cup of tea and sitting down at his usual spot at the table. "You are a witch. Magical blood runs through your veins."

"I'm a witch?! But I-I'm not –"

"Being a witch is not like in the fairytales you hear. It doesn't make you evil at all," Remus said firmly.

"So, if you know all this," I said slowly. "This makes you a –"

"Wizard," replied Remus with a smile.

"I can't be a witch!" I protested. "My mum isn't one."

"Do you know if you father was a wizard?" Remus asked.

"Not that I know of," I replied.

"Well, even if he wasn't, you can still be born with magical blood. You are what people call Muggle-born," he said. "There are all sorts of combinations out there. I'm half-blood myself. That means one parent was magical, while the other was Muggle."

"What's Muggle?" I asked.

"A non-magical person."

"Who is this Hogwart's official that will be coming to my house?" I asked, referring to the letter.

"They will explain what I just told you and a lot more of the specifics," Remus said.

"I don't see how I can be magical..." I said sadly. "I'm too boring."

Remus laughed. "Even if you were boring, that has nothing to do with it. Wasn't there something that has happened to you that you can't explain? Something that happened when you were very emotional at some point?"

I thought of the night before and how I had gotten into Remus's flat without making a sound... how the door had opened by itself. I nodded. "How come I've never heard of real witches or wizards before?" I asked, taking a sip of tea, trying to digest all this new and amazing information.

"The magical world does a very good job of hiding themselves." Remus said. "And you're probably wondering about The Leaky Cauldron?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "Is that magical too?"

"It is," Remus said smiling. "It's a very famous pub and it's also the entrance to Diagon Alley, which is a hidden magical part of town where most everyone – witches and wizards, that is - in England do their shopping. That's why I was so amazed when you asked me about it. If you were a Muggle, you wouldn't have seen the sign."

"So you knew I was a witch?" I asked incredulously.

Remus nodded. "And all those things you've read about in my books? All true." He beamed down at me as my eyes widened.

"All of those are real? Wow. And... what about Hogwarts?" I asked, looking back at the letter.

"Hogwarts is the finest school out there for witches and wizards," Remus said matter-of-factly. "You will go to school there until you're seventeen."

"You mean," I started. "I won't even go back to my old school?"

"Never," he said, smiling at my excitement.

I sat there silently for a moment. So many questions were going through my mind and I couldn't keep them straight. Then I thought of something that made my stomach drop. "What if nobody likes me at Hogwarts? What if I don't make any friends and –"

"Don't worry about it," Remus said calmly. "There are so many people at Hogwarts, you're bound to make friends. I didn't have any friends at all until I went to Hogwarts. I met the three best friends I've ever had there."

"Are you still friends with them?" I asked.

Remus looked a little uncomfortable and he glanced quickly at Padfoot. "I'm only friends with one of them now. One died and the other, well, er, I'm no longer in contact with them."

"Oh," I said, now realizing that that was probably a very personal question.

"Now, Audrey, I have to tell you something that's very important in the magical world right now," Remus said, leaning forward very seriously. I nodded and he continued. "Around twenty years ago, there was an evil wizard that took power. Those times were very hard. No one knew who was on the good or bad side. Eventually, however, he was stopped and lost all of his power. This wizard's name is Voldemort. Most people in the wizarding world call him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Audrey, you have to promise me you will call him by his real name, no matter what anyone else tells you."

I nodded slowly. "Why should I call him that instead of what everyone else calls him?"

"It's very important that people start calling him by his real name now." Remus swallowed. "Voldemort has come back to power now and if we try to stop him before he can act, then the problems the wizarding world had twenty years ago will happen all over again."

"Are you trying to stop him?"

"Well, not me personally, but I'm part of a group of people who are trying to stop him and his followers," Remus replied.

"Will I be in danger at Hogwarts?" I asked.

"No. Albus Dumbledore is headmaster. He's the most powerful wizard of our time and the only one Voldemort has ever feared. You will be quite safe."

"Will you be in danger?"

Remus looked at me in the eyes for a moment then replied, "Yes, at times."

There was a pause then I asked, "Will I be able to come visit you during Christmas?"

Remus frowned and looked away. Then he got off of his chair and leaned down in front of me. "Audrey, because of this group I'm involved in, I have to move."

I stopped reading the letter and looked up at Remus. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This wasn't possible. "M-move?"

Remus nodded, now looking very sad. "I will be moving to the headquarters because I can't afford to live here anymore."

"So you won't be here next summer?" My eyes started to fill up with tears. I will not cry, I will not cry, I told myself.

Remus shook his head. "But I want you to write to me about your first day of school!"

"How will I know what your address is?" I asked.

"We use owls as our post. If you send the letter through one of the school owls, it will be able to find me."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears began to spill down my face and I flung my arms around Remus's neck. "I'm really going to miss you, Remus."

He held me a little awkwardly and patted me on the back. "I'll miss you too, Audrey. You've been wonderful company while I've lived here."

I paused for a moment, then leaned back on the chair. Wiping my face with the back of my hand, I said, "Remus, can you change yourself into a wolf?"

Remus looked at me very sharply and stood up, making him look much taller than he really is. Padfoot also lifted his head and looked at me. "What makes you think that?"

I hung my head. "I saw you last night. Y-your door opened. I don't know how, but it did. And I saw Padfoot in here with a wolf."

Remus looked a little pale and he held onto the chair he had been sitting in. "Yes, I can. It's a little more complicated than that... but yes, I can change into a wolf."

It's a little more complicated than that... I tried to remember something in the books I read, then it occurred to me. But was it full moon last night? "So, you mean, you're a werewolf?"

Remus looked very surprised and stammered, "Y-yes."

"Oh, okay," I said, relieved that I had the truth from him. "That's what I thought."

He was still staring at me, as if he hadn't seen anything quite like me before. "You're... okay with that?"

I shrugged. "I can't really do anything about it, can I? And from what I read, werewolves are only dangerous during the full moon. I've been with you loads of times and you've never tried to eat me or anything."

Remus laughed nervously. "Audrey, you have more common sense than most wizards I've met."

I blushed furiously. "It just made sense to me."

"And it does make sense," Remus said, looking very happy indeed. "But most people just panic and assume that I'm constantly trying to eat them."

I felt a twinge of guilt after remembering my suspicions of Remus being an evil magician when I knew so little about magic.

"Well," Remus said, still smiling. "I imagine your mother wants to learn all about this letter of yours."

I stood up slowly and nodded. I gave Remus another hug and told him, "I promise that I'll write to you about Hogwarts."

"I look forward to it, Audrey," Remus said, his eyes unusually bright. "Have a good year."

I nodded, in fear of crying again if I opened my mouth. I walked over to pat Padfoot on the head and then left the room.

---

Dear Remus,

You were right! I am having the time of my life with all my Gryffindor friends. A couple of fourth years were telling me you were the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher here two years ago! How come you never told me?

I'm loving all of my classes. Transfiguration is my favorite, even if Professor McGonagall is a bit strict. Charms and Astronomy are fascinating too. I think I would enjoy Potions a bit more if it weren't for Professor Snape, who seems to be particularly nasty to us Gryffindors. I wish I could say I was enjoying Defense Against the Dark Arts, but since we're not really doing anything in that class, I don't like it. And I find it hard to trust Professor Umbridge, because I don't really think she knows what she's talking about. Everyone I've talked to has told me you were the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Hogwarts has ever had.

I really hope I'll be able to see you again, during the summer or something. I miss you terribly and I promise to keep writing to you during the year.

With love,

Audrey

---

They say he died in combat. That he died saving The Boy Who Lived. There it was in bold letters on the front page of The Daily Prophet. WEREWOLF KILLED BY DARK LORD WHILE SAVING BOY WHO LIVED. Why did they have to call him a werewolf? His name was Remus Lupin. He was a human being, not a monster.

There was a picture. A very young picture, but I recognized him immediately. His eyes were the same as they always have been. Of course, you couldn't see them in the black and white picture, but I could remember them. Dark brown sprinkled with gold, tired, aware, concerned, sad, or happy.

The article also says that Remus's best friend Sirius Black had died two years earlier. The name Sirius kept nagging at my brain until I looked it up in my Astronomy textbook. Dogstar. I realized right away that Sirius must have been Padfoot. I knew that dog was special.

When the newspaper came to breakfast, no one knew why I cried so much. I was miserable all day and only my closest friends vaguely understood why. What hit me the hardest, I think, is the fact that I read a letter from him just a week ago. We were talking about meeting at The Leaky Cauldron during the summer between third and fourth year. It would have been three years since I last saw him.

Now I'm never going to see him again.

The school held a memorial for him. It was very beautiful, I thought. I was amazed at all the people who were there. Harry Potter, who was a seventh year Gryffindor, sat next to a pretty redhead girl with his head in his hands. Another seventh year couple was sitting next to him. A bushy-haired girl was sobbing quietly into the shoulder of a tall, lanky boy with red hair. There was a large amount of people who came that weren't from Hogwarts. They were all adults and I wonder if they were working with Remus fighting against Voldemort.

All of those people were his friends, maybe family. Remus would be happy to know that so many people came. Remus never knew how much he would be missed.