Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the world of Harry Potter. All rights to JK Rowling.

Chapter One: The Letter

"Remus? Remus, darling, wake up."

Remus Lupin groggily opened his eyes. He winced in pain as bright light stung at his eyes, lifting a sore hand to cover his face. Above him, his mother breathed a sigh of relief as he stirred and helped him sit up.

"How do you feel?" she asked, her arms around him as he struggled through his disorientation.

"Fine," Remus said, his voice hoarse. He blinked a few times, his eyes focusing, and found that the light that had stung at his eyes wasn't very bright at all, but the fluorescent lightbulb swinging back and forth behind his mother's head had been jarring to his senses.

Remus sat still as his mother pulled out a key ring and started unlocking the chains criss-crossing his body. When the last one finally fell to the dusty floor, he breathed a sigh of relief, wearily rubbing his chafed wrists.

Mrs. Lupin helped Remus to his feet, hovering beside him in case his knees gave out. Remus accepted her assistance, squeezing his eyes shut when he finally stood on his two feet. His stomach turned with nausea, and he felt absolutely exhausted.

"Let's get you cleaned up, and then how about some breakfast?" Mrs. Lupin asked, looking at him with worry plastered all over her face. For her sake, Remus smiled and nodded, letting her guide him to the rickety cellar stairs. His mother kept her arms firmly around his shoulders, as though he was the frailest thing in the world- which, he supposed, he was, at that moment. He felt so weak he was sure a strong gust of wind could have sent him toppling over. A few hours ago, however…

Remus shuddered to think of what would happen if he didn't have those chains holding him back. Last night had been the full moon, which was very important because Remus was a werewolf. Once a month his mother brought him down to the cellar of their tiny house and locked him up, barring him inside. He would wait in the near darkness as the sun set and then, when the full moon rose, he would transform. What happened after that, he could only have nightmares about, because he wasn't himself during the full moon. He was a monster.

"Is anything broken?" Mrs. Lupin asked as she sat him down at the kitchen table. She had already laid out a first aid kit in preparation. A mug of cold tea sat beside it. Remus knew from her tired expression and wrinkled clothes that she had been sitting there all night, listening to his howls and groans beneath her.

Remus shook his head, then immediately regretted it as pain shot through it. He sat there quietly while Mrs. Lupin dabbed at his cuts and bruises with antiseptic, wrapping bandage after bandage around his arms and legs. He was used to this Muggle way of nursing. Werewolf wounds were infused with dark magic and could only be healed halfway by magic, so even if his father had been alive, he wouldn't have been able to do much with his wand.

"There you go…" Mrs. Lupin taped down the last bandage and sat back, sighing. Her light hair was escaping its hasty bun, falling in frizzy tendrils down her face. It was already greying at the roots despite her young age, and her face seemed more lined than ever in the dim lighting. Remus felt his heart clench, knowing that it was him that had caused it. It was because of him that his mother had to spend her entire life constantly looking over her shoulder, on the watch for anyone who would try and hurt Remus.

"Breakfast?" she asked, smiling at him.

Remus smiled back and nodded. He wasn't particularly hungry, but his mother always perked up when she was able to cook.

Mrs. Lupin walked over to the stove and poured him a cup of tea. He nursed it while she cooked, his bandaged hands wrapped around the warm mug, and watched her crack eggs and fry bacon and pour orange juice. His stomach churned as all the smells mixed in the air, but every time she looked over at him he smiled gratefully and raised his tea to his lips to prove he was drinking.

She was in the middle of flipping her first egg when there was a tap on the kitchen window. She and Remus both looked over to see a large owl perched outside, a letter in its mouth.

"What on earth?" Mrs. Lupin murmured, placing her towel on the counter and hurrying over to open the window. The owl dropped the letter in her outstretched hand, ruffled its feathers importantly, and flew off again, disappearing. "Strange," Mrs. Lupin said, squinting down at the letter. "We haven't had one of these since your father…" she trailed off, reading the address on the front. Frowning, she flipped it over and examined the seal. She paled. "Remus!"

Remus set his mug down and got to his feet, wincing when his ankle throbbed. He hurried over to his mother, worried. "What is it?"

Mrs. Lupin shook her head, wordless. She handed the letter to Remus, who took it and quickly read the address- which bore his name. "What?" he mumbled, turning it over and running a shaky finger over the seal. He would recognize that coat of arms anywhere.

"It's from Hogwarts," Mrs. Lupin said, her voice hushed.

Remus dropped the letter as though it had burned him. His father had told him stories of Hogwarts since he had been born. When Remus had been bitten, he had lamented over the fact that his son would never be able to go and follow in his footsteps, because Hogwarts would never allow a werewolf in.

"I don't want it," Remus said. He had already spent the entire summer wandering around, disappointed over the fact that he would be the only eleven year old wizard without a letter this year. He didn't need to read his own rejection in writing.

Mrs. Lupin stooped down and picked it up. "Remus-"

"I don't want to read it," Remus said, turning away. He walked back over to the table and picked up his mug again. "Is breakfast almost ready?"

Mrs. Lupin hesitated, then set the letter on the counter and returned to her cooking. Remus stared down into his tea, but felt the letter burning at the corner of his eye. No. He wouldn't read it. There was no need.

Both of them jumped again when there was a knock on the door. Mrs. Lupin set the plate she had been dishing eggs onto down, bewildered. "Who could that be?"

Remus understood her confusion, and followed her to the living room curiously, hanging in the kitchen doorway just out of sight. They had never spoken to anyone in their neighborhood. That was a rule they had, to keep people distant and far away from learning about Remus's secret. Remus had no friends for the same reason- so who could that be?

Mrs. Lupin opened the door and peaked outside. A cheerful old man greeted her, his white beard nearly down to his waist. He was wearing a set of bright purple robes that made Mrs. Lupin do a double take.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Mrs. Lupin?" the old man asked, peering at her through his tiny spectacles.

"Yes," Mrs. Lupin said, frowning. "May I ask your name?"

"Of course, of course. My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am the headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You would have known about Hogwarts from your husband, I presume?"

"Oh- oh!" said Mrs. Lupin, shocked. She quickly opened the door wider. "Professor Dumbledore, of course, my husband told me all about you- my apologies, please, come in-"

Professor Dumbledore stepped inside. Mrs. Lupin shut the door behind him, looking flustered. "Please take a seat," she said, gesturing to the small, patched sofa. As he sat down, she called, "Remus! We have a guest!"

Remus, who had been peeking around the corner the entire time, slowly entered the living room. He clasped his hands behind his back, hiding as many of his bandages as possible from view, as he frowned at Professor Dumbledore as politely as he could in his confusion.

Professor Dumbledore, on his part, stared right back at Remus. He swept his eyes over him, taking in his old, tattered t-shirt and the bandages peeking out from underneath. When his eyes met Remus's, he smiled warmly.

"Remus," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last. I knew your father when he was a student; a very bright boy, he was."

Remus didn't respond. He didn't know what to say. He glanced at his mother for guidance, but Mrs. Lupin looked just as stunned as he did.

"Professor Dumbledore," she said, "may I- may I ask why you've dropped in?"

"Of course!" said Dumbledore. He beamed at them. "I came to make sure that Remus got his letter."

Remus's heart sank. They were really set on not letting him into the school, then, if they sent the headmaster himself to make sure he got the message. He felt his stomach twist with disappointment and wished he could run upstairs to his room. All of his books were up there, and they always managed to comfort him when he was upset. He forced himself to stand still, however, and adopt a look of polite indifference.

"Yes, we did, Headmaster," Mrs. Lupin said. "Just this morning, actually. We haven't opened it yet, but we understand completely."

Dumbledore frowned slightly. "You do?"

"Yes," said Mrs. Lupin. "I expect you know all about Remus's… condition. My husband told me of Hogwarts's rules, and we understand that Remus will not be able to attend."

Remus stared at the floor, his cheeks burning. He wasn't used to his condition being discussed so openly, but it made him uncomfortable. He didn't look up even when he felt Dumbledore's sharp blue eyes on him.

"I see," the man mused. "You really haven't opened the letter, then."

Remus finally glanced up to see Dumbledore smiling again. He looked Remus over once more and nodded to himself, looking pleased. "As Headmaster, I have the power to… shall I say, overlook the rules in certain cases. And this is one rule I am all too pleased to overlook. Remus, I would be delighted if you joined us at Hogwarts."

Mrs. Lupin gasped. Remus stared at him, his mouth agape, and found himself incapable of speaking. Did Dumbledore just say what he thought he'd heard?

"All the necessary precautions will be taken, of course," Dumbledore continued. "I'll discuss it in depth with you once you get to the school, but I have already designed a system that will allow you to transform each month in safety. As long as you follow the plan carefully, I see no reason why you shouldn't attend school."

Remus opened and closed his mouth a few times. "Professor Dumbledore," he finally stuttered. "You- I can't. I can't come to Hogwarts."

"And why not?" said Dumbledore, looking amused. "I am the Headmaster, after all. And Remus, you are exactly the kind of student who would thrive at Hogwarts, I can tell just by looking at you. Give it seven years there and you'll come out a changed man."

"But I'm- the other students-" Remus said.

"Won't know anything," Dumbledore said, his voice gentle but firm. "I have faith that you will be able to keep your secret marvelously well. It will have to be a secret, of course, but I don't see why it should stop you from having an education."

Mrs. Lupin was standing there, both hands pressed to her mouth. There were tears in her eyes. "Professor Dumbledore," she breathed out. "Oh, Headmaster, thank you so much, this means so much to us- oh, Remus, darling-"

Remus was still frozen to the spot, staring at Dumbledore. His bandages seemed to weigh a hundred pounds, heavy reminders as to why this all was a very, very bad idea. He felt something strange starting to blossom in his chest, however- hope.

"I do hope my timing wasn't too poor," Dumbledore said. "I realize that last night was the full moon, but I wanted to make sure you had plenty of time to shop for school supplies."

"Of course!" said Mrs. Lupin. "No, no, you're fine, I was just making breakfast. Oh, goodness me, I'm so sorry, can I get you anything? Tea? Toast? Coffee?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Lupin, but I should be on my way," Dumbledore said, getting to his feet again. His purple robes swished at his feet. He smiled down at Remus, who was still standing there, shocked. "I'll expect to be seeing you in a month, Remus," he said. "Hogwarts will be proud to have a student such as yourself."

Remus finally forced his mouth to start working again. "Thank you, Professor," he said, his voice quiet.

Dumbledore nodded. He thanked Mrs. Lupin for her hospitality as she escorted him to the door, poring her own gratitude over him. As soon as she had shut the door behind him, Mrs. Lupin turned around and stared at Remus, her eyes watering.

"I- I don't think-" Remus said, feeling himself shaking. He didn't realize he was crying until his mother wrapped her arms around him, whispering, "Shh, it's alright, Remus, it's alright."

Remus felt the entire course of his life change direction. He had spent the entire summer moping around, resigning himself to another year at a new Muggle school, one he would inevitably have to leave when the staff got suspicious of his monthly disappearances. Now, however, he would be going to Hogwarts, a place he had only dreamed and read about until now. He would be able to harness his magic abilities, which had been making strange things happen around him for years. He would be around other witches and wizards- and he would be there in spite of his condition.

"Oh, Remus," Mrs. Lupin whispered, holding him tight. "You're going to Hogwarts."