The Marauders: Year Two | #Wattys2016

House Elf Catalog

House Elf Catalog

Remus stepped through the kitchen door slowly, looking around tentatively. The past eleven months of being at home had done quite a number on the Lupin house. Lyall, whose housekeeping skills were quite lacking, had been living in a sea of mirth, it seemed, and Remus wasn't sure how to react. He'd had an idea that something like this might be awaiting him when he saw his father standing on Platform 9¾ with an unshaven face and loose-hanging clothes that no longer fit his thinning frame - but this was eons worse than he'd been expecting. Stacks of take-out from muggle restaurants stood about the counters, and there was a light bulb out in the four bulb overhead. It was clear that his father had tried his hand at neatening the place, but not very successfully.

"I, uh, didn't get a chance to clean up much," Lyall muttered.

Remus swallowed back the urge to say something rude like no kidding or I couldn't tell, and just nodded slowly, walking in, unsure if he dared put down his bookbag. The floor felt a bit sticky and there were footprints from days of Lyall going in and out. His mum had kept that floor sparkling, he remembered, looking at the blue tiles. It hadn't been unusual once upon a time to come down the stairs and find Hope Lupin on her hands and knees wiping clean the floor. She would've had a fit to see it now.

Lyall waved his wand at the table to draw out a chair. "Are you hungry?" he asked, his voice hesitant.

Remus looked at the stuff piled up on the counter. "Maybe," he said.

Lyall looked a bit on the lost side. "I, uh, I used your mother's hellyphone to call down the local pub... They bring food to you - right to the door. You have to pay them with muggle money, but I got some of that from Gringott's and --" he paused. "They make a lovely chicken sandwich."

"I can cook something, dad," Remus suggested.

Lyall's eyes were sad. "You just got home," he said. But the way he said it, it was clear he'd been looking forward to Remus coming home for this very reason.

"It's alright," Remus said, "I don't mind."

Lyall said, "I don't have anything at home to cook..."

Remus shook his head, "It's alright, I can go and get something in the village. Do you still have some of that muggle money?"

"Yes," Lyall nodded and reached into his pocket, fumbling with the little purse he kept there, untying the strings and pouring the coins and bills and odds and ends out onto the table. Several of the coins rolled and Remus caught them squarely in his palm. He turned them over. "I have a couple ponds."

"They're pounds, dad," Remus corrected him. "British pounds."

Lyall nodded, "Right, right. Pounds."

Remus looked over the money. There wasn't very much there, but it would do for now. He gathered it up and put it into his pocket. "What do you think you'd like?" he asked.

"Anything but chicken," Lyall answered, a look of relief melting over his face. "Anything but chicken."

Remus nodded and scooped up his book bag quickly, pulling the shoulder strap over his head. "Alright, dad, I'll be back."

Lyall looked quite thankful. "I'm glad you're home, my boy," he said thickly.

Remus nodded, "Me, too, dad," he said. He paused at the door. "Hey, maybe we should look into getting you a house elf for when I go back to school?"

Lyall looked defeated. "Perhaps," he said.

"It's just a suggestion," Remus amended, and he quickly ducked out the door.