Young Remus, by Dianella

[dianella]

Chapter 14
The Reunion

His mother and father were standing by the fireplace, stricken with worry.  They looked apprehensively at their son - was he different now?  Were they still a family?

Remus paused for a moment, wondering similar questions.  Did they see him differently?  How could they not.  He was a werewolf now, not a boy…not a son.  But he was a boy, he was their son!  Would they still love him?

His mother made the first move.  She fell to her knees and threw her arms open with a strangled cry, "Oh, Remus!" and Remus flew into her embrace.  His dad knelt down and joined them, the three of them standing, holding each other, not speaking.

A strong sniffle and a throaty "Ahem!" allowed Dr. Altheus to find his voice.  "Mr. and Mrs. Lupin, Remus…I have some good news and some, well, not so good news.  The good news is, you're going home today Remus."  

Mr. and Mrs. Lupin, still kneeling, turned their eyes up to meet Remus' and the three of them grinned broadly.  Then Remus broke away from their embrace and walked over to Peter.  "I'll really miss you, Peter.  And I'll never forget what you did for me.  I hope…I hope we can see each other again."  

Peter nodded, blinking hard, as a witch and wizard walked up behind him, putting a hand on Peter's shoulder.    "I'm going home today too.  I'm well now.  But maybe…?"  He looked up hopefully at his parents.  His mother wore a strained expression, her pursed lips forcing into a smile.  "We'll…see, Peter" and she turned him away from the Lupins.  As they walked away, Remus could hear her trailing voice saying, "Now, let's get your things shall we?  And you must remember how important it is, Peter, to make the right kinds of friends, hm?"  Remus stood, realizing that for the rest of his life, this would be the reaction of others towards him.

"Now", said Dr. Altheus, "for the bad news.  Remus, you are a werewolf, and nothing I can do can change that.  I promise you, I will try my best to help you and I'll send owls to every specialist I know.  If there are cures or potions that could help, we'll find them.  In the meantime, you'll have to return here each month at the full moon, so we can control you during your transformation."

Remus nodded.  He was going home, and right now, that's all he cared about.  He would worry about the moon later.

[dianella]

Chapter 15
The Letter

For the next two years, Remus returned to St. Mungo's each month and endured his painful, frightening transformations.  Dr. Altheus researched tirelessly, but as yet, nothing that could help him had been found.

Although he was happy to be able to spend most of his time at home with his parents, Remus had few friends.  He was lonely, and it seemed that this would never change.  He had not seen Peter since leaving the hospital.  He knew that Peter's parents were like those of all the other children his age - they did not want their child exposed to a dangerous werewolf.

He came inside on a warm July day to get a glass of pumpkin juice, and his mother was sitting at the kitchen table, an odd expression on her face.  "Remus, come and sit down.  I need to talk to you."  Remus approached, feeling a bit nervous.  Something was wrong.

"I don't really know where to begin…" she said.  "I guess with this."  She pushed a letter written on heavy parchment toward him.  In emerald green ink, the letter started:

Dear Mr. Lupin,
You have been accepted to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry…

Remus dropped the letter on the table and stared open-mouthed at his mother.  "But, how…? What about…?"

"I've spoken with Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster.  He's worked the whole thing out.  Oh, there will be several precautions taken to make sure you are safe during the full moon, but other than that, you'll be able to attend school with other children your age.  The finest school of witchcraft and wizardry.  And…Peter will be there."

Remus couldn't believe it.  He was going to school.  He was going to learn magic.  He was going to have friends.  Remus felt something that he hadn't felt in two years.  Something he had thought he would never feel again, had almost forgotten about.  Hope.  He had hope, and that's the most anybody can have for their future.

The End?  Or just the beginning?

[minihagrid]

Still Great! ;D Love it love it love it love it. I think we lost it off of Trapdoor one, so Im glad that you reposted it!

[dianella]

Thanks minih.  Lots of people haven't read this story yet, so I hope they do and enjoy it!

[Gryf]

I do love this story Dianella. Poor Lupin, you just want to hug him and   him too.

[katrina]

Wow... This is a fantastic story! I love it! It's nice to hear what someone imagined about how Remus was changed instead of everything happening at Hogwarts. * two thumbs up*

[dianella]

Thanks Katrina I have others on the board, so I hope you enjoy those as well. I love to write

[Sphi]

That was great, Di! Lupin is such a great character, and you really brought out his troubled past. (Hopefully you'll continue this story? I'm sure there's lots more about Lupin to tell...) I've never read your work before, but you really are an amazing writer. You have a great style (wish I could write that well!).

[dianella]

Thanks Cassia - feel free to play along with my writing workshop any time. I think that fanfiction is such a great way to learn how to write. All of the fanfiction I wrote gave me the courage to try my own novel...which is on Chapter 12 as we speak!

[pochang]

I'm really glad that you posted this story here, Dianella! I remember reading the first time and I cried!

You are truly a talented writer. You have a gift with words. I really wish I could write like you.

Did you post the story of the Peter Pettigrew anywhere in here? How about the story of Tom Riddle? I really like those, too! ;D

[Sphi]

Yeah, I've been working on fanfiction for about a year or two now. It does help, except I don't have enough time to write. I had a lot more time during the summer.

You're writing a novel!? That's so awesome! What's it about? How about a little sneak peak...? Anyways, you must tell us when it's about to be published and such. I'm sure we're all looking forward to reading it.

Oh, I was wondering that, too. Why was Neville at the hospital...?

[dianella]

Thanks to all that voted for me and Young Remus for the JKR award!

[AlderadDangarian]

WOW! I was on the edge of my seat the entire way when reading it. Your ability to capture and display emotion in a written form is a rare skill and is greatly appreciated. I really felt for Remus and his family--powerful stuff!

I can be quite sure that the following words I type will not give your story the appropriate amount of justice it deserves--Simply AMAZING!!

[dianella]

Thanks Alderad! Love the feedback...
Diane

[Tange-Rhi-ne, Tange-Rhi-ne]

OOOOH I loved it! I'm a fanfic addict; I can't get enough of them, and I especially love fics about the Marauders. This story is great!