The Disgraced of the House of Black - A Multi-Character Fanfiction - Part One

31. Delightful Return

"If Snape's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, I'm skiving off," Ron said as they approached the classroom. "Someone check who's in there."

Quickly glancing in, Althea said with a smile, "It's Professor Lupin."

The moment the class had sat down, everyone burst into an explosion of complaints about Snape.

"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?"

"We don't know anything about werewolves!"

"Two rolls of parchment!"

"Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?" Lupin asked with a frown.

"Yes, but he said we were really behind!"

"He wouldn't listen!"

"Two rolls of parchment!"

With a faint smile, Lupin said, "Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't have to do the essay."

"Oh, no!" Hermione cried. "I've already finished it!"

After the cruelty of Snape's lesson, Lupin's lesson on hinkypunks was highly enjoyable. When the bell rang, however, a sudden idea occurred to Althea.

"Harry," she said quickly. "When you ask him...well if you wouldn't mind...it's just that I'd really like to learn properly and well..."

With an amused smile, Harry said, "I'll ask him if you can learn too."

"Thank you!" Althea exclaimed, quickly embracing him as Lupin called for Harry to stay back. "I'll see you later."

Once Althea and the rest of the class had gone, Harry approached Lupin's desk.

"I heard about the match," Lupin said as he began to pack his books into his briefcase. "I'm sorry about your broomstick. Is there any chance of fixing it?"

"No," Harry said with a bitter sigh. "The tree smashed it to bits."

With a sigh, Lupin admitted, "They planted the Whomping Willow the same year that I arrived at Hogwarts. People used to play a game, trying to get near enough to touch the trunk. In the end, a boy called Davey Gudgeon nearly lost an eye, and we were forbidden to go near it. No broomstick would have had a chance."

"Did you hear about the dementors too?" Harry asked with difficulty.

Looking up quickly, Lupin admitted, "Yes, I did. I don't think any of us have seen Professor Dumbledore that angry. They have been growing restless for some time...furious at his refusal to let them inside the grounds...I suppose they were the reason you fell?"

"Yes," Harry admitted. Suddenly, before he had really thought about it, the question he had so nearly asked Althea burst from him. "Why? Why do they affect me like that? Am I just - ?"

"It has nothing to do with weakness," Lupin said sharply. "The dementors affect you worse than the others because there are horrors in your past that the others don't have. Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near a dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself... soulless and evil. And the worst that has happened to you, Harry, is enough to make anyone fall off their broom. You have nothing to feel ashamed of."

"When they get near me," Harry admitted, his throat taunt, "I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum."

Lupin convulsively gripped the handle of his bag, his knuckles turning very white as memories of that night flooded his own memory. He wondered, not for the first time that year, what had become of Amara.

"Azkaban must be terrible," Harry said, breaking Lupin from his thoughts.

Grimly, Lupin nodded as he explained, "The fortress is set on a tiny island, way out to sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheerful thought. Most of them fo mad within weeks."

"Do you think..." Harry began before drifting off. Finally, he said, "Sirius Black's wife. Do you think she could have...?"

Lupin sighed, remaining silent for several minutes before he said slowly, "Amara is an exceptionally talented witch. It would be possible but on the other hand..."

"Did you know her?" Harry asked curiously.

With a long sigh, Lupin admitted, "Amara and Eliana were two of the most talented witches in our year. I was friends with her for years. I watched her and Sirius fall in love. She adored him, at least, once she forgave him for making her brother's life hell. Amara loved Sirius and he loved her. It is the one thing that makes it hard for me to accept everything Sirius did."

"But do you think she did it?" Harry asked carefully.

Lupin was quiet for several minutes before he admitted, "I haven't seen her since the night your parents died, Harry. It's possible she got tired of missing him and broke him out, but I think it's more likely she's been hiding all these years to try and protect the rest of us from the same trials she's had to endure since Sirius' arrest. She got death threats. Her home was broken into more times than I can count. That's why she left. I have no idea if she helped Sirius or not, Harry. It's been too long." He fell silent again, lost in his memories before he suddenly straightened, adding, "But, if there's nothing else, Harry-"

"Wait," Harry said quickly forgetting for a moment about Sirius and Amara. "I was talking to Thea about the dementors. She mentioned a spell, the same one you both used on the dementor on the train."

"There are certain defences one can use," Lupin admitted, seemingly relieved to move on from the previous topic. "But there was only one dementor on the train. The more there are, the more difficult it becomes to resist."

"What defences? Are there others besides that spell? Can you teach me?" Harry asked quickly.

"I don't pretend to be an expert at fighting dementors, Harry," Lupin said. "Quite the contrary-"

"But if the dementors come to another Quidditch match, I need to be able to fight them," Harry said desperately.

Lupin met his desperate gaze, hesitating a moment, before he said, "Well...all right. I'll try and help. But it'll have to wait until next term, I'm afraid. I have a lot to do before the holidays. I chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill."

"Thank you, Professor Lupin," Harry said with a relieved smile. "Oh, and Thea asked me to ask if she could join if you said yes. She said something about really wanting to learn how to do it properly."

"Very well," Lupin agreed with a small smile. "I'll do what I can for you both."