Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) - Book One (Marauder Era)

Chapter Eleven - A Griffin-Door

Dear Mum and Dad 10/9/71

Well, it's been a little over a week now. I missed Monday and Tuesday's classes but I've had five days, and have experienced all the classes so far except for flying which starts up on Tuesday. I'm not looking forward to it. Remember when I fell out of the tree and broke my arm so badly? I mean I was fine but ever since I've been kinda afraid of heights. Remember when you tried to get me to climb the apple tree, Dad, and I started crying? That's why. Heights kinda worry me. I know even if I fall I'll be 100% fine but I still don't like it. It makes my stomach all swoopy. The Gryffindor dorm is in a high tower and I want to sit on the windowsill and read but every time I look out... swoooop there goes my stomach. The Astronomy tower is the tallest tower in the whole school but the top is wide enough I don't have to be at the edge, and we look through telescopes up and not down so it's okay.

Three of my roommates keep trying to talk to me and I'm worried if I keep avoiding them that will make them suspicious. I know making friends is bad and I can't but they keep talking to me and if I keep pushing them away what if they start to wonder why? I don't want to be rude to them. Maybe I have to.

I've been getting Os on all my homework so far except DADA (Defense Against the Dark Arts). I don't know exactly what I'm doing wrong there but I'm still getting passing grades at least. I'll try harder, I promise.

It's been raining all day so the common room is really crowded. I should probably be up in the dorm but two of my dormmates are there and one of them really doesn't like me.

Remus started on the next line when there was a loud KABOOM!!! and instead there was a great slash of ink across the bottom of the page. Everyone in the common room was looking over at a sort of nook area where smoke drifted out. One of the prefects went towards the area as Potter and Black staggered out of the smoke, coughing loudly, hands waving the smoke from their faces.

"It's not so bad...!" Potter said.

Pettigrew stumbled out, soot all over him from head-to-toe making him almost as black-haired as his friends, and his hair stood on end, and his school vest and tie were slightly singed. "What did you do to me?!" he squeaked, grabbing at his hair. He tried to squash it down and it sprung back up. Several people began laughing.

"The spiked look is very punk," Black said coolly.

"You told me you'd make my hair longer!" cried Pettigrew, who had been mortally embarrassed ever since school started of the awful bowl cut his parents made him get. "You blew me up!"

"Did not, you're fine," Potter said, brushing some soot off of Pettigrew's shirt. "See? You're fine."

Remus couldn't help but give a bit of a snicker and withdrew farther into his chair, finishing off the letter.

Anyway, Mum please don't worry about the house, it's really nice actually and I think having furniture to chew on helps me not chew on myself so much. We'll have to wait and see next time. It was a little rough this time around since I was in a new place and I think that upset the wolf.

I really hope you're both doing well. I miss you both so much and can't wait to see you at Christmas!

Love Remus

PS Don't mind the big line across the page, there was a loud noise and I got startled.

*

Over the weekend Remus kept completely to himself or at least did his best to do so. He spent Saturday morning and afternoon in the library, finishing up all his assignments and then doing some research on how to make Potions easier. He didn't want to stop up his nose completely since he figured he'd probably panic if he couldn't breathe through his nose but he had to find something. There were a couple spells that might work and he carefully copied them down to try later. After supper he went to his dorm, knowing Evans and her friends would be in the library and he wanted to avoid them while at the same time wanting to join them.