Chapter Text
REMUS
There’s a starman
Waiting in the sky
He’s told us not to blow it
‘Cause he knows it’s all worthwhile
He told me
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie
Sunday 27th January 1974
One Sunday in late January, Remus’ Da called him into his study early that morning. As soon as Remus stepped over the threshold, he was greeted by the sight of his Da holding a suitcase.
“Where are you going?” He asked, frowning.
“I’ve been called away on business by the Ministry. Just for a few days, so I’m sure you’ll be fine by yourself. I’ve left plenty of food for you and you can use my floo if there’s an emergency. But only in an emergency, Remus.” His Da replied, giving Remus a severe look.
Remus nodded solemnly, his mind already whirring with plans to see his friends. They’d barely had a chance to meet up since the new term had started and it was the perfect opportunity for him to make use of his bed in the Gryffindor dormitory.
Remus Da patted him awkwardly on the shoulder and said a brief goodbye before turning and stepping into his floo, disappearing in a whoosh of bright green flames. The second he was gone, Remus bolted to his bedroom and began packing a small bag. Once he was finished, he bounded back down into the study and over to the fireplace.
As usual, he called out for Hagrid’s hut and was pulled into the whirlwind flames before he could consider what would happen if Hagrid was waiting on the other side. As soon as Remus tumbled out onto the threadbare rug, he tripped over something large and warm, and there was a loud barking noise.
Remus sat up, slightly disoriented, and looked around to see what he’d fallen over. A very large puppy was rocketing around Hagrid’s hut, barking like mad and slipping all over the place with the force of his excitement.
“Calm down, Fang!” Hagrid cried from somewhere outside. Loud footsteps sounded beyond the door and Remus groaned internally. Hagrid thundered into the hut, looking thoroughly annoyed.
“Yer scarin’ the Thestrals ye beast,” He said, crouching down to pat the dog’s head. Remus stayed as still as he could, desperately hoping that Hagrid would turn and walk back out without spotting him. Alas, Fang the dog had other plans.
He began yapping wildly and ran over to Remus, getting dog slobber all over Remus’ trousers. Hagrid’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Um, hello Rubeus.” Remus tried his best to sound innocent, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary about his presence in the hut on a non-moon day.
“Remus? What on earth are ye doin’ ‘ere?!” Hagrid vaguely panicked as he surveyed the boy in front of him.
“Erm… well, funny story actually-”
A loud knock suddenly sounded, cutting Remus off. Someone was at the door.
“Oh no,” Hagrid muttered, “Oh no, oh no, oh no.” For a moment, he turned between Remus and the door, looking worried, “Hide!” He hissed. Remus dove under Hagrid’s bed, and to his surprise, Fang followed after him.
Remus lay flat on his belly, Fang at his side, panting and blowing his hot breath in Remus’ face. Remus tried to silently shove the dog away, but he wouldn’t budge.
Hagrid moved over to the door and opened it cautiously.
“Hello, Mr Hagrid.” A familiar voice said, out of Remus’ sight.
“I told yer a million times, it’s just Hagrid. No mister business, Lily.” Hagrid smiled properly, propping himself against the doorframe with one arm, “What can I do for ye?”
“Well, I-”
“Lily!” Unable to contain himself, Remus scrambled out from under the bed and ducked under Hagrid’s arm, moving to stand face to face with his friend.
“Remus?!” Lily’s mouth fell open in shock, then she lit up with a huge grin. Hagrid spluttered indignantly behind them,
“How on Earth-? I thought only Black knew about ye, Remus?” He said, disbelievingly.
“Yes,” Remus flushed, “Well… not anymore, I s’pose.”
Hagrid sighed deeply, but Remus couldn’t find it in himself to feel guilty. Not when Lily was standing before him, her bright green eyes alight with joy.
“Oh, I’m so glad you’re here! I have a present for you!” She began digging around in her bag as Remus watched with a small smile. After a moment she extracted a huge piece of parchment and held it out to Remus.
Remus gently unfolded it, his eyes drinking in the intricate ink lines, each of them meticulously inked in Lily’s steady handwriting.
“Is this Hogwarts?” He breathed, his eyes wide. Lily nodded excitedly,
“Yeah! I thought it might be helpful, considering you aren’t really here often enough to know your way around.” She leaned in a bit closer, “I wanted to add a dot that represented you that would move when you did, so you wouldn’t get lost, but the spell was a bit too tricky for me just yet. I’ll keep practicing, though.”
“Lily,” Remus breathed, “This is brilliant! Thank you,” He stumbled forward and pulled Lily into a hug. It was very quick and slightly awkward, with Remus towering over Lily and neither of them having much experience hugging one another without another five bodies joining in.
When they pulled apart, Hagrid shook his head disbelievingly,
“No. No, this ain’t happenin’. I want both of ye out of me sight in the next two seconds, that way I won’t have nothin’ to report to Professor McGonagall.” He covered his eyes with his massive hand.
Remus and Lily exchanged amused looks before turning and running off towards the castle, laughing madly.
When they arrived at the Gryffindor common room, Remus and Lily were breathless and doubled over with laughter. They collapsed onto an overstuffed sofa together, both grinning.
“I can’t believe you’re here!” Lily exclaimed, breathing shallowly.
“I’m staying for two nights, Da’s away for work.” Remus told her, unable to keep the excitement from his voice.
“Ooh! Maybe you can use Potter’s cloak and come to lessons tomorrow!” Lily cried, “It’ll be brilliant, Remus, you’ll love Transfiguration!”
“Okay! Yeah, that sounds great.”
“Quick, go and put your bag up in the dormitory and then I can get you up to speed on the classes we have tomorrow.” Lily shooed him away with her hand, already turning to grab her school books from her bag.
Remus hurried up the staircase to the boy’s dormitory and pushed the door open. He was instantly hit with the smell of smoky wood, lavender and cinnamon and he barely had time to throw his bag down before Sirius emerged from the bathroom, a towel slung low on his hips, another wrapped around his hair.
“Hi.” Remus beamed. Sirius’ mouth fell open in shock. James’ head poked out from his bed curtains and he smirked,
“Well I never, Wolf John Wolf, what a lovely surprise.”
Remus wrinkled his nose and Sirius barked out a laugh.
“Go back to Howly, that was much better than that monstrosity,” Remus said in mild disgust. James snorted as Sirius began getting dressed, not bothering to go behind his bedcurtains. Remus averted his eyes instantly.
“What are you doing here, then?” James asked, stretching out on his mattress, his hands behind his head.
“Da’s away on business for a few days, so I thought I’d stay over.”
“Brilliant!” Peter’s head appeared from between his bed curtains, his hair stuck up all over the place and pillow marks pressed into his cheek.
“Morning sleep-head,” Sirius snorted, throwing his wet towel at Peter, who shrieked and flung it right back. Sirius knocked it to the side and slowly unwound the towel holding his hair.
Remus was momentarily captivated by the way Sirius’ still-damp hair tumbled around his shoulders in ringlets that Remus knew would soften into waves as his hair dried. Sirius shook his head back, letting the curls bounce and fall into their naturally perfect position framing his elegant features.
“I’m, um, Lily’s waiting for me downstairs,” Remus stammered, feeling strangely flustered. Sirius raised an eyebrow,
“Why?” He asked, a hint of jealousy detectable in his tone.
“I thought I might come to classes tomorrow, under James’ cloak. Lily offered to catch me up,” He smiled and his friends’ faces all lit up with mischief too.
“Brill, let’s go.” James jumped to his feet and hurried out of the dorm. As he descended the stairs, they heard him call out in a sing-song voice “Oh, Evans! I’m here to help!”
Remus stifled a laugh as Lily let out a loud groan.
✴︎ ☾ ✴︎
Remus was buzzing with excitement as he followed his friends into their Monday morning Defence Against the Dark Arts class, hidden beneath James’ cloak. He stuck close to Sirius’ side as the group of Gryffindors sat rather purposefully at the back of the room, leaving an empty desk between Sirius and Lily for Remus to take.
Remus couldn’t help but feel awestruck as he stared around the room, his eyes wide with anticipation. It was an entirely surreal feeling, sitting at a proper desk in a proper classroom.
Beside him, Sirius was laying out a piece of parchment on the very edge of his desk, clearly with the intent of sending Remus messages throughout the class. Lily was neatly arranging her quills and ink as they all waited for the DADA substitute to arrive.
“Lily,” A nasally voice said, drawing the Gryffindor’s attention.
“Oh, hiya, Sev,” Lily smiled up at a boy with greasy curtained hair and a long, hooked nose. The boy shot a look of utter disgust towards the Marauders, before returning his attention to Lily.
“I was hoping you might join me in the library later, to study potions.” He made an odd facial expression which Remus thought might be an attempt at a smile. Lily frowned apologetically,
“Sorry Sev, I promised Marlene I’d help her with Charms.” She shrugged apologetically.
“Yeah!” Marlene agreed.
The boy, Sev, scowled at Marlene and opened his mouth with the clear intent of saying something horrible. James immediately butted in,
“Did you want something else, Snivellus? Perhaps some conditioner? Or maybe-”
“Nobody asked your opinion, Potter,” Sev snapped angrily.
It suddenly dawned on Remus that this must be the rather infamous Snape. Sirius and the others had spoken about him enough times for Remus to know that he was a sworn enemy of the Marauders. Although Remus had never had the displeasure of meeting Snape before, he felt an instant dislike for the Slytherin boy.
“Alright, let’s not fight,” Lily sighed exasperatedly, “I’ll study with you tomorrow, Sev.” She smiled up at Snape.
“Fine.” Snape replied sullenly, then he shot one last glare at James before stalking off to sit with a particularly brutish looking Slytherin boy.
“Slimy git,” Sirius muttered, once he was out of earshot.
“Sirius, I wish you wouldn’t antagonise-” Lily began, but was cut off by the door to the classroom swinging open.
All the chatter ceased immediately.
Remus’ heart dropped.
His Da strode into the room, looking visibly agitated and very tired. He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair looked slightly dishevelled. Beside Remus, Sirius sucked in a sharp breath.
“I apologise for my lateness. I was supposed to be away on business, but Professor Dumbledore was unable to find someone to cover my class. I arrived as quickly as I could.” Remus’ Da said in a tight, agitated voice.
The entire class was silent and Remus couldn’t help but notice that the man standing beside the blackboard didn’t feel anything like his father at all. No, this man before him was Professor Lupin, the cold, stony faced teacher.
The class remained dead silent, all of them focussed on Professor Lupin. All except Sirius, who was shooting nervous glances in Remus’ direction, although Remus supposed it must look to any outsider like he was glancing at Lily.
“Alright, turn to page three-hundred and ninety-four in your textbooks.” Remus’ Da commanded. There was a sudden flurry of movement and everyone hurried to obey. Remus shuffled over in his seat so he could read over Sirius’ shoulder.
A few desks over, Peter, who had found the page first, sucked in a sharp breath. James suddenly became very tense and Sirius’ fingers clenched into a fist on the desk.
Remus stared down at the textbook in sick shock. The heading of the chapter was one word. One dreaded word. Werewolves.
“Werewolves.” Professor Lupin announced, his voice marred with distaste. “Also known as Lycanthrope, are some of the most dangerous creatures to exist in the Wizarding world. Can anyone give me a definition of a werewolf?” He stared expectantly around at the class.
Remus looked around too and noticed that most of them looked scared or disgusted by the topic at hand. On his right, Lily’s arm shot into the air.
“Miss Evans.” Remus’ Da nodded in her direction.
“Werewolves are Wizards who have become infected by lycanthropy, which causes them to transform into a wolf-like creature every month during the full moon. Their wolf forms are much larger and more vicious than the average wolf and in most cases, werewolves are known to be vindictive, unpredictable and volatile individuals.” Lily rattled off her explanation in a way that suggested she’d eaten the textbook for breakfast that morning.
Remus felt his chest constrict as she spoke and he found himself rather desperately trying to read her facial expression in order to gather insight into his friend’s personal opinion on werewolves.
“Very good, five points to Gryffindor,” Remus’ Da nodded, “There is no cure for lycanthropy, so can anyone tell me what measures are taken by the Ministry to contain and protect werewolves, and why it is so important?”
To Remus’ horror, Sirius’ hand shot up almost instantly.
“Mr Black?” Professor Lupin sounded slightly shocked. Sirius lowered his hand and fixed Remus’ Da with a hard stare.
“The Ministry doesn’t protect werewolves. They attempt to control them. To regulate their every move. People seem to conveniently forget that lycanthropes only take their wolf form for a few hours once a month. The rest of the time they’re just normal witches and wizards!” Sirius stared indignantly around. Peter chewed his lip nervously.
“Well, they’re not normal are they?” Mary cut in, frowning, “I mean, they’re dangerous creatures.”
“They’re not all dangerous!” Sirius snapped. “You can’t just put every werewolf into a box because there’s a few notoriously bad ones!”
“Mr Black, werewolves are known for their violent nature-” Remus’ Da started, a troubled frown on his face.
“Be reasonable, Sirius,” Marlene said, “We all know about Fenrir Greyback, I mean, he goes after innocent kids-”
“AND WHAT ABOUT THOSE KIDS?” Sirius roared, suddenly jumping to his feet, looking completely outraged.
“What?” Mary looked affronted.
“What about the kids that he turns? Are they evil too?” Sirius demanded, “You really mean to tell me that a bloody toddler is suddenly an unforgivable creature because of something entirely out of their control?!”
“Obviously not when they’re kids, but when they grow up !” Marlene shouted, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Name one good werewolf, Black. You can’t. They’re all bad!”
“Enough!” Remus’ Da stepped between Marlene and Sirius, who were both standing and looking rather red with indignation. “I won’t have shouting in my classroom. Both of you sit down and be quiet.”
Marlene and Sirius reluctantly did as they were told, although Remus could see that they were both still visibly fuming.
“Werewolves are legally required to sign the register when they come of age,” Remus’ Da announced to the now silent class, “Many don’t, however, instead choosing to flee or hide away, as it is a deeply shameful thing for the families of the werewolves-”
Remus got to his feet abruptly, suddenly feeling very ill. Sirius, clearly having heard his movements, stood up too. James and Peter followed quickly.
“Going somewhere, boys?” Remus Da called, sounding annoyed.
“Yeah.” Sirius sneered, “I’m not wasting another minute listening to the Hippogriff shit you’re spouting.”
“Detention.” Remus’ Da snapped.
Sirius didn’t respond, instead, he flicked up two fingers towards Remus’ Da. Gasps erupted throughout the room.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Professor. Spreading such hateful propaganda. Werewolves are still people. They have human feelings. They have families.” James piped up, looking almost as outraged as Sirius.
“And what would you know about that?” Remus’ Da hissed angrily.
“Just as much as you, I’d think.” Sirius retorted. Something seemed to pass between Sirius and Professor Lupin then, and Remus’ Da reeled back in shock, his eyes going wide as if he had suddenly realised something.
Before Remus’ Da could respond, however, Sirius had turned and stormed towards the door, opening it with a flick of his wand. James, Peter and Remus followed suit.
The marauders made their way up to the dormitory in silence, and it was only once they were in the safety of their room that Remus removed the cloak. As soon as he was visible once more, his three friends enveloped him in a hug.
“All of it was absolute bollocks, Remus, don’t listen to a word your Dad or bloody Marlene says about it.” James said angrily.
“Yeah!” Peter agreed, “You’re not a monster, you’re our Howly,”
Remus groaned a laugh into Sirius’ shoulder.
“No, you’re our Moony.” Sirius murmured.
“Moony?” Remus raised his eyebrows.
“Yeah,” Sirius’ cheeks went slightly red, “Because whenever I look at the moon, it reminds me of you. The wolf doesn’t define you, Remus. The moon doesn’t have to be a foreboding symbol, you know. The moon gives way to the sun.”
“Here comes the sun!” James cried.
“Yeah,” Sirius smiled, his eyes fixed on Remus, “You’re like the moon the moment before the sun rises, hopeful and calm and- well you’re just our Moony.” Sirius looked very embarrassed and Remus could feel heat in his cheeks.
“I dunno,” Peter mused, “My votes’ still on Wolf John Wolf.”
“Oh, shut up,” Remus snorted.
A loud crash suddenly sounded from the common room below, then thundering footsteps sounded on the stairs. The door to the dormitory flew open and Lily stood before them, her eyes blazing, breathing heavily.
“You’re a werewolf.” She said, with no room for denial.
Defeatedly, Remus nodded. Then, to his utter shock, Lily let out a breath of relief.
“So, the cancer thing? That was just a cover, because you’ve got lycanthropy?” Her bright green eyes bore into Remus, who nodded silently, then whispered,
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, Remus. I forgive you. You stupid, stupid boy.”
Lily moved forward and pulled Remus forcefully into her arms. He patted her back rather awkwardly, feeling terribly relieved.
“How did you figure it out?” Sirius demanded from somewhere to Remus’ left. Lily snorted derisively.
“Well after that little display in Defence, it wasn’t terribly difficult to put two and two together. You lot might as well have just shouted it right into Professor Lupin’s face.” She pulled back from Remus slightly, but kept her head resting against his shoulder.
“Is it just you that knows?” Remus asked, tilting his head to look down at her. Lily nodded, looking slightly apologetic.
“Yes, and I don’t think it would be a good idea to tell Mary and Marlene. They have- well they’re quite set in their opinions on the matter.” She looked slightly disapproving of her best friends, and Remus was unable to hold back his tiny smile at Lily’s solidarity.
“Well, I’m glad you don’t hate me at least,” He murmured.
“Don’t be silly. You’re still you, Remus, a little bit of lycanthropy won’t change that.” She smiled.
“That’s what we’ve been saying!” James cried.
“But he doesn’t tend to believe us,” Peter added. Lily gave Remus a stern look, not unlike the one he’d seen on McGonagall’s face when she’d been scolding them after the lake prank.
“He’s a stubborn one, our Moony.” Sirius wrapped an arm around Remus’ shoulders.
Warmth blossomed in Remus’ chest as he looked between Lily and the Marauders. It seemed to truly sink in for the very first time. Remus had real friends, friends that hadn’t abandoned him when they’d discovered his secret. Friends that loved him, really loved him, wolf and all.
Little darling
The smiles returning to their faces
Little darling
It seems like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun
And I say, it’s all right