Moving On - Chapter 1
Moving On
Fandom - Harry Potter
Characters - MWPP, Lily Evans, Petunia Dursley, The Dursley Family, the Potter Family, the Lupin Family, the Pettigrew Family, The Black Family. Voldemort + followers
Rating - PG13/R
Disclaimer - I do not own. I make no money off this. At all.
Summary - Moving on after the best seven years of your life isn’t easy, especially if you’ve grown up at Hogwarts for most of that time. Seventeen year olds, Remus, Sirius, James, Remus and Lily must now find their places in Wizarding Society with the rise of a Dark Lord - coloured by personal troubles as well.
Chapter 1 - Saying Good By
Remus sighed as he ran his fingers over his second-hand school robe. It had been transfigured so many times that it was wearing thin with so many magical repairs. Gray eyes flittered from the cloth to the Prophet headline; MINISTER TO SIGN WEREWOLF REGULATION LAWS!
He and his friends had followed the news carefully, with the restrictions; Remus knew that life after Hogwarts would not be fun at all. It wasn’t that he was an immature child (though that could be argued) - it was the fact that Wizards can only work in the Wizarding Society. Pair that with also being a Werewolf and his perspective bosses would probably not hire him because of that. It was bad enough to have signed the Register that past summer. It just seemed that the world was out to get him and all he had ever wanted to do was to help other children. Maybe teach at a Wizard primary school, or work at one of the shops in Diagon Alley.
Thankfully, he was interrupted before any more depressing thoughts could sky rocket him into the black pit he never found the bottom of. Sirius Black, one of Remus’ best mates, strode into the room. His arms full of things. Books, clothing, cards with lipstick kisses covering them; apparently, his fan club were giving him going away presents.
“I’ll never date even half these girls outside Hogwarts,” Sirius said as by way to Remus for interrupting his quiet moment.
“Oh? Whatever happened to that one girl from two months prior?” Remus asked, who didn’t mind this conversation.
“Jessica Slughorn? Ugh!” Sirius made a face and shivered. Jessica wasn’t a horrible girl, just weird. She put Sirius off by eating slugs from the garden. Sirius wasn’t at all amused and had told her that it’d be better if they were just friends and then hurried off to throw up. After that, he always scrunched up his face and shivered whenever she was brought up.
“Okay….do you think Lily and James will tie the not?” Remus asked after a slight hesitation. James Potter, his other best Mate, was star Keeper on the Gryffindor House team. He had also been after Lily for the past two years and hadn’t given up on her. Yet.
“Probably, if she ever sees the good in him. We may have been hellions when we were younger, but we’re adults now, we have to grow up and all that rubbish,” Sirius muttered as he went through all the gifts. He looked up at Remus and threw a box of chocolate over at the Werewolf.
“It’s not forever, Moony, we’ll still see each other on Full Moons, and probably before or after even,” Sirius cocked his head to the side, trying to puzzle out Remus’ mood.
“I know…but…” Remus didn’t want to go any further. This was stupid. He was acting like such a girl. Damn. It just wasn’t fair.
“Remus, I’m sorry about the Ministry and their stupid rules, if you ever need a place to stay I’d be happy to share a flat with you. My Uncle gave me some money, I’m planning on getting a nice flat somewhere on Diagon Alley,” Sirius explained.
“Oh, no, no, I’d be a bother,” Remus smiled and waved his hand in Sirius’ general direction, “I’m going to stay with my Dad for a while anyway, so it isn’t as if I am being pushed onto the streets,”
“How is old man Lupin doing anyway?” Sirius asked. Aldric Lupin was the only remaining family that Remus had left. When his wife left him after their son was bitten by Greyback, Remus had thought that his world was over - however, Aldric never gave up and instilled this belief in his son. It may look horrid now, but with time, things will get better.
“Okay, but my invitation is always there,” Sirius moved from his bed to Remus. He swept the Prophet off the bed. It skittered across the floor to lay under Peter’s, leaving a trail of debris behind it.
“Thank you, Sirius,” Remus said, his small smile was genuinely sad, “The past seven years of my life have been happy ones, I’ll treasure them always,”
“I as well,” Sirius agreed.
- - -
James and Peter were waiting at the Train stop in Hogsmeade for Sirius and Remus. They had somehow all gotten separated during the rush to the station, for the Seventh Years, this would be the last Hogwarts Express for them, for the younger ones, the summer holidays would be full of relaxation with a bit of homework thrown in at the last before their next term started.
They were dressed in Muggle clothing; James in blue jeans and a button down red dress shirt, while peter went for ripped up jeans and a Gryffindor Quidditch Jersey he had filched the evening before. He was going on and on about what sort of job he’d find at the Ministry.
“James?” Peter punched the other boy on the arm, James was no push over but neither was Peter, “Are you even listening to me?”
“Stop nagging, I think I see Sirius and Remus,” James replied. He shaded his glasses with a single hand as he double checked to make sure. Peter looked around and soon spotted said two mates.
“Remus looks shabby out of his Hogwarts robes,” Peter said softly. Werewolves had a better sense of smell and hearing. The wind was against them and Peter was slightly sure Remus hadn’t heard. Not that’d he say something directly to Peter, but go about it in a round about way that always left him wondering just how much Remus knew.
“He won’t let us help him,” James replied.
“Shame, you’re parents could find something for him and pull a few strings, couldn’t they?” Peter asked.
“Er….I don’t think so,” James shook his head. His parents weren’t like the Malfoy’s who always waved money in faces of Ministry People and expected things to be done; things that normally would never have gone past the law department if that particular name wasn’t attached. Not so with the Potters who liked to do things the right way.
“Well, are we all ready to go then?” Remus asked cheerfully. James smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Yup, let’s get going,”
The train pulled away with the station, deep black smoke flowing into the wind as it ran down the tracks. Remus refused to look back at the elegant site that was Hogwarts.
TBC