Queen of Disaster | 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑢𝑠 𝐿𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑛

Chapter 01

It hadn't been an easy week for Remus Lupin, seeing as he'd gone through a full moon just a few nights ago. But at least he was glad that he wouldn't have to transform into a werewolf again for another month.

     Although for the first time in his whole life, Remus was secretly excited to go back to Hogwarts for his next transformation. And it was, first and foremost, because of his three friends, who had all finally learnt how to become Animagi.

     A part of him feared that his friends would get caught because of this illegal act, and even worse, Remus dreaded that he would hurt them. And yet, another part of him couldn't help but to feel happy, knowing that he wasn't going to be alone anymore.

     It was nearly lunchtime, and Remus was sitting behind his desk, with his large book propped open in front of him. He was trying to write an essay about the twelve uses of dragon's blood, which was assigned to them as a homework for the summer holidays.

     Remus had already finished all his other essays, but he was almost certain that James, Sirius, and Peter hadn't even started writing theirs yet, and he was sure that they would end up copying his homework.

    "Remus! Lunch is ready!" He heard his mother call him from downstairs.

     "In a minute!" Remus yelled back without taking his eyes off the book. He then tried to write the last few sentences of his essay quickly, before finally putting his quill down.

     Stretching his arms and legs to shake the tiredness off, Remus then got to his feet. He opened the door to his small bedroom and walked downstairs, already smelling the delicious food.

     "Something smells good," said Remus with a smile, walking into the kitchen where his parents were setting the table. "Want any help?"

    "Yes, sweetheart. Could you please bring the glasses?" said Hope Lupin, placing the dish in the middle of the table.

    "Yeah, sure." Remus nodded, moving toward the cupboard.

     "Why can't we just set the table like normal people do?" Lyall Lupin asked, setting down the plates.

     "It may be normal for wizards, but believe me, it's not normal for non-magical people like me to float the plates and glasses toward the table, only to break them all," said Hope with a teasing smile.

     "It was only one time! It was an accident!" Lyall tried to reason, meanwhile Remus chuckled to himself. "Besides, it's way easier than the Muggle way."

     "Oh, yes." Remus nodded mockingly as he drew out the chair and sat behind the table, "It's definitely easier to break stuff."

     His father gave him a look and Hope only giggled, sitting down as well. They had opened the kitchen window, letting in the refreshing summer breeze and the beautiful rays of sunlight, as they enjoyed the delicious meal together.

    "I'm glad you could take the rest of the day off from work," said Hope softly to her husband. "Maybe you can speak with your boss to get more time off. You're honestly working too mu — AARGH!"

  She was saying, but her words were cut off into a squeal when suddenly an owl flew into the kitchen from the open window, making her jump. Hope placed a hand over her fast-beating heart as the owl landed on the table, carrying a letter with its beak.

    "It's my Hogwarts letter," Remus acknowledged, taking the letter from the owl. The next moment, the owl spread out its wings and flew out of the kitchen window.

    "I don't think I'll ever get used to those birds just flying into the house like that," said Hope worriedly, while Remus started to open up the letter. "I'm sorry... I'm being ridiculous, aren't I?"

     "I think it's adorable," said Lyall with a small laughter, raising his arm to grab his wife's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

     Hope giggled once more, although her eyebrows furrowed when she looked back at Remus, only to see that he was glancing down at the envelope with widened eyes.

     "Everything all right, sweetheart?" Hope asked rather worriedly.

     "I — I..." Remus then muttered something under his breath in disbelief that wasn't audible to his parents.

     "Remus?" said Lyall, watching him warily. "What is it, Son?"

     "I got the badge..." Remus breathed out, still in a state of shock. But he then looked up at his parents, his smile widening. "I got the badge! I'm the new Gryffindor prefect!"

     "MERLIN'S BEARD!" Lyall suddenly yelled, getting up to his feet so fast that his chair fell back to the floor. "My son! The new Gryffindor prefect!"

     Laughing out of pure happiness, he moved forward and brought Remus into a tight hug, patting him proudly on the back.

Pulling back, Lyall turned to face his wife, who had gotten to her feet as well, saying, "A prefect is someone who —"

  "Lyall, Muggles know what a prefect is!" Hope shook her head at him with a smile before bringing Remus into a hug as well.

Lyall then took the envelope from Remus's hand and took out the shiny Gryffindor badge, observing it proudly.

  "Oh, my sweet, precious boy," said Hope, pulling back and placing a hand on Remus's cheek, her eyes filled with tears. "You have no idea how proud we are of you. We always have been, and always will be."

Remus smiled warmly. "Thanks, Mum."

  "Well, this certainly calls for celebration!" Lyall exclaimed, still holding on to the badge. "What do you say we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow? I'll take the day off! You can buy anything you want as a gift for all your hard work finally paying off!"

"Ooh, I love Diagon Alley!" Hope said excitedly. "What would you want us to get you, Remus?"

   "Um..." Remus pondered the matter in his head for a few seconds.

  Remus was well aware that his family had never been as rich as the Potters or the Blacks. So, even though his parents always wanted the best for him, Remus didn't want to pressure them into buying anything that was too expensive.

  "Well, there's this book that I've wanted for some while," Remus started.

  "What?" Lyall shook a hand at him impatiently. "Come on, Son! You can get anything you like! How about a new broom, eh?"

  "No, it's okay Dad. Honestly." Remus smiled at them reassuringly. "I'm not a big fan of playing Quidditch, anyway. But I've wanted a copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. That would be a great thing to buy."

  "Well..." Hope started unsurely, glancing sideways at her husband before offering Remus a warm smile. "As long as you're happy, we're happy. We'll go to Diagon Alley tomorrow like your father said, and you can get any book that you like."