The Marauders: Year Six #Wattys2017

See You Soon, Potter

See You Soon, Potter

Remus Lupin was just thankful that the staircase leading up to Albus Dumbledore's office moved itself. He practically fell onto it and sat on the step as it carried it up, up, up, holding his side where the nip from Sirius was bandaged up beneath his shirt. Sirius had stuck him in one of his band t-shirts so that Remus's school oxfords wouldn't get ruined if the bite started to bleed again, and he'd pulled jumpers on over it (two to be exact, the top one James had given him just the week before, another jumper from some family member, he'd claimed, made too small for him, but mysteriously just the right size for Remus as usual) and he was still cold. He wouldn't normally have ever dreamed of hauling himself from bed in his current condition but he needed to talk to Dumbledore and so when he woke up in the dormitory (with no memory of being carried there), he'd dragged himself to the fifth floor corridor and choked out Mars Bars to the gargoyles, who had moved aside.

The step reached the platform at the top of the stairs and Remus pulled himself to his feet, wincing as he did, and shuffled across to the wide door, glancing at a statue of what looked like a crup with a monophone that stood where the wellingtons and umbrella usually was. When Remus knocked, it was as though Dumbledore had been waiting for him. He opened the door without a moment's hesitation.

"Good morning, Master Lupin," he said, smiling and waving for Remus to enter the room.

Remus stepped inside and he saw Fawkes the Phoenix looked as miserable as he felt. Fawkes let out a little weepy cry in greeting and Remus nodded respectfully to the ashen looking bird and sat down heavily in the chairs opposite Dumbledore's desk.

Dumbledore waved his wand and a cup of tea appeared before Remus. There were aconite leaves floating in it and Remus smiled thankfully at the headmaster as he took up the cup and Dumbledore sat behind his desk, taking a moment to settle in, so Remus could sip the tea and scoop one of the leaves out and stick it into his mouth.

"How are you, Remus?" Dumbledore asked.

"Quite sore," Remus admitted, "But I've been worse."

Dumbledore smiled sadly at him. "Brave boy."

Remus felt his cheeks darken and stared down at his tea.

"To what do I owe your visit, Remus?"

Remus said, "It's about Professor Gaunt, sir. I'm... concerned."

"What about?" Dumbledore asked.

Remus thought for a moment on how to reply, and then answered, "Well, I'm worried that he might be... a death eater. Or at least a supporter of You Know Who."

"Voldemort."

Remus nodded.

Dumbledore rubbed his chin. "And what makes you say that, Remus?"

"I had a detention with him - and I left the detention feeling very odd. Very tired. I had memory of having done nothing but homework for the hours I spent there, and yet, when I reviewed all my stuff, I got nothing done."

"Ah many a student has had such a phenomenon happen, Mr. Lupin, it's rather common to hear that a student has done nothing but work on homework and yet have them have not completed it when the time comes to hand it in." He smiled teasingly.

"No, sir, I mean nothing got done. I mean I didn't do it. I mean my memory was altered. I mean that I think that I was under the imperius curse and my mind was magically modified." Remus stared up at Dumbledore imploringly. "I mean that I think Professor Gaunt performed illegal magic on me and two other Gryffindor students - McKenna Alliston and Meg Johnson."