The Best of Both
Title: The Best of Both (1/1)
Author: Cristofle (Liz)
Characters: Lupin, Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, Hermione. Mentions of James and Lily.
Summary: “It is…amazing, that he managed to take the best of both of them and leave the rest behind,” Dumbledore murmured. “And so cruel that they couldn’t be here to see it.” Dumbledore and Lupin watch Harry with his friends; a missing passage set during Prisoner of Azkaban.
Spoilers: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, book more than movie.
Author’s Note: This is literally the first HP fic I've ever even considered writing, keep that in mind. Heh.
Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, I'd be richer than the queen like JKR. Sucks to be me. I own nothing, J.K Rowling owns everything.
“Remarkable, isn’t he?”
Remus Lupin jumped, then relaxed somewhat and smiled without turning around as the sound of Albus Dumbledore’s voice washed over him, seeing the reflection of the ancient face behind him as he looked out the window of one of the upper towers onto three laughing teenagers below. “Yes, he is,” he said quietly, focusing on the boy with dark hair that somehow always ended up in the middle of the trio. From here, it was impossible to make out the scar that for so many defined him, but he could see and almost hear the laugh that was so familiar it made Lupin ache for the friend he’d lost. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting this.”
“No one was. No one could,” Dumbledore said softly. “I had no idea the extraordinary person he would grow to be. And he’s still too young to recognize it.”
“He’s too young for any of this,” Lupin murmured. “He’s perhaps the most gifted student at fighting the Dark Arts I have, and still he’s convinced it’s not enough. Precious few thirteen year old wizards could so much as make smoke come out of their wands attempting a Patronus Charm, yet I have no doubt he could fight off a dementor with what he’s accomplished. Still, he’s disappointed and frustrated with himself because he thinks he couldn’t fight hard enough.”
“He was not born to stand on the sidelines, not meant to merely watch as the world crumbles around him,” Dumbledore sighed. “I suppose that should make me happy. I suppose I should be relieved.” Lupin frowned at the odd words, but respect for the man he still thought of as a teacher as much as an employer kept him quiet. “And yet…I’m proud of him, more proud than I could ever say. I just wish it didn’t come at such a cost.”
Lupin quietly watched the trio for another long moment. Harry hit Ron on the shoulder and laughed; the striking similarity to a gesture he’d seen between James and Sirius so many times caused him to inhale sharply without even realizing it.
Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder, radiating the kindness and power only he could. “Sometimes he is so extraordinarily like James, I for a split second think he’s standing right in front of me, rather sheepishly explaining his latest prank with Sirius. And then the next day he’ll be the one student out of ten to defend someone like Mr. Longbottom and he is so very much like Lily.”
“He has her eyes in more ways than one,” Lupin said hoarsely. “Not just the color, but the kindness and the understanding.”
“It is…amazing, that he managed to take the best of both of them and leave the rest behind,” Dumbledore murmured. “And so cruel that they couldn’t be here to see it.”
Lupin closed his eyes for a moment. As much as he truly enjoyed being around Harry, simply for the person he was as much as the gifted student, in recent months more than the past several years the loss of James overwhelmed him time and time again. “I don’t think James slept for a week when Harry was first born. He was fascinated by every move he made; he would just…watch him for hours. He would be so proud.”
“Yes. Yes, he would be.” Dumbledore swallowed hard himself. “I suppose all we can do now is assure Harry of that.” He frowned curiously. “Is he aware of how close you were to James?”
“Not exactly how close, no. I told him we were friends; it slipped out more than anything,” Lupin confessed. “It was during our first Patronus lesson; he…he could hear James that night.” He closed his eyes again; he could still see the haunted look in Harry’s eyes so vividly. He could almost hear the echoing voice of his closest friend through those eyes.
One of his closest friends.
Once again, he swallowed his emotions. “He knows Sirius and James were friends,” he said more briskly. “Though I don’t know how. He said he knew they’d been close; asked if I knew Sirius as well.”
“And what did you say to that?” Dumbledore asked softly.
“I said I thought I did.” The bitterness Lupin normally kept so tightly inside slipped out momentarily. “I don’t understand it. I’ll never understand it. Look at them.” He motioned to Harry and Ron, now goofing off as Hermione tried to pretend she didn’t find it amusing. “They may be young, but that loyalty is absolute. Can you ever see Ron betraying Harry?”
“No, I cannot,” Dumbledore said quietly. “I have been grateful on more than one occasion that Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger are so fiercely loyal to him and protective of him.”
“I go over it again and again and again, and it never truly sinks in.” Lupin continued to stare out the window. “I would have bet my life that Sirius loved James, NEEDED James.” He halfway turned to Dumbledore at last. “You offered to be the Secret Keeper. What made you suspect Sirius?”
“It was not Sirius I suspected,” Dumbledore said softly. Again, Lupin frowned but again, had too much respect for Dumbledore to press the matter. “I’m sorry, Remus,” Dumbledore went on. “Sometimes I think the truly terrible loss you suffered went too much unnoticed; I’m sorry we haven’t stayed in touch more.” He smiled faintly. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you’re teaching Harry; I don’t know if I’ve thanked you yet for trying to help him with the dementors.”
“I don’t particularly like them either, especially given the destructive effect they have on the person they’re supposedly protecting,” Lupin sighed, turning once more to watch Harry.
“Remarkable that his boggart is a dementor at all,” Dumbledore murmured.
Lupin smiled faintly. “I told him just that, that his worst fear being fear itself is very wise.”
“Good. He needs to hear things like that more often,” Dumbledore said simply. And even though they each had somewhere else to be, they silently watched the extraordinary boy below them for just a minute longer.
Author: Cristofle (Liz)
Characters: Lupin, Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, Hermione. Mentions of James and Lily.
Summary: “It is…amazing, that he managed to take the best of both of them and leave the rest behind,” Dumbledore murmured. “And so cruel that they couldn’t be here to see it.” Dumbledore and Lupin watch Harry with his friends; a missing passage set during Prisoner of Azkaban.
Spoilers: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, book more than movie.
Author’s Note: This is literally the first HP fic I've ever even considered writing, keep that in mind. Heh.
Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, I'd be richer than the queen like JKR. Sucks to be me. I own nothing, J.K Rowling owns everything.
“Remarkable, isn’t he?”
Remus Lupin jumped, then relaxed somewhat and smiled without turning around as the sound of Albus Dumbledore’s voice washed over him, seeing the reflection of the ancient face behind him as he looked out the window of one of the upper towers onto three laughing teenagers below. “Yes, he is,” he said quietly, focusing on the boy with dark hair that somehow always ended up in the middle of the trio. From here, it was impossible to make out the scar that for so many defined him, but he could see and almost hear the laugh that was so familiar it made Lupin ache for the friend he’d lost. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting this.”
“No one was. No one could,” Dumbledore said softly. “I had no idea the extraordinary person he would grow to be. And he’s still too young to recognize it.”
“He’s too young for any of this,” Lupin murmured. “He’s perhaps the most gifted student at fighting the Dark Arts I have, and still he’s convinced it’s not enough. Precious few thirteen year old wizards could so much as make smoke come out of their wands attempting a Patronus Charm, yet I have no doubt he could fight off a dementor with what he’s accomplished. Still, he’s disappointed and frustrated with himself because he thinks he couldn’t fight hard enough.”
“He was not born to stand on the sidelines, not meant to merely watch as the world crumbles around him,” Dumbledore sighed. “I suppose that should make me happy. I suppose I should be relieved.” Lupin frowned at the odd words, but respect for the man he still thought of as a teacher as much as an employer kept him quiet. “And yet…I’m proud of him, more proud than I could ever say. I just wish it didn’t come at such a cost.”
Lupin quietly watched the trio for another long moment. Harry hit Ron on the shoulder and laughed; the striking similarity to a gesture he’d seen between James and Sirius so many times caused him to inhale sharply without even realizing it.
Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder, radiating the kindness and power only he could. “Sometimes he is so extraordinarily like James, I for a split second think he’s standing right in front of me, rather sheepishly explaining his latest prank with Sirius. And then the next day he’ll be the one student out of ten to defend someone like Mr. Longbottom and he is so very much like Lily.”
“He has her eyes in more ways than one,” Lupin said hoarsely. “Not just the color, but the kindness and the understanding.”
“It is…amazing, that he managed to take the best of both of them and leave the rest behind,” Dumbledore murmured. “And so cruel that they couldn’t be here to see it.”
Lupin closed his eyes for a moment. As much as he truly enjoyed being around Harry, simply for the person he was as much as the gifted student, in recent months more than the past several years the loss of James overwhelmed him time and time again. “I don’t think James slept for a week when Harry was first born. He was fascinated by every move he made; he would just…watch him for hours. He would be so proud.”
“Yes. Yes, he would be.” Dumbledore swallowed hard himself. “I suppose all we can do now is assure Harry of that.” He frowned curiously. “Is he aware of how close you were to James?”
“Not exactly how close, no. I told him we were friends; it slipped out more than anything,” Lupin confessed. “It was during our first Patronus lesson; he…he could hear James that night.” He closed his eyes again; he could still see the haunted look in Harry’s eyes so vividly. He could almost hear the echoing voice of his closest friend through those eyes.
One of his closest friends.
Once again, he swallowed his emotions. “He knows Sirius and James were friends,” he said more briskly. “Though I don’t know how. He said he knew they’d been close; asked if I knew Sirius as well.”
“And what did you say to that?” Dumbledore asked softly.
“I said I thought I did.” The bitterness Lupin normally kept so tightly inside slipped out momentarily. “I don’t understand it. I’ll never understand it. Look at them.” He motioned to Harry and Ron, now goofing off as Hermione tried to pretend she didn’t find it amusing. “They may be young, but that loyalty is absolute. Can you ever see Ron betraying Harry?”
“No, I cannot,” Dumbledore said quietly. “I have been grateful on more than one occasion that Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger are so fiercely loyal to him and protective of him.”
“I go over it again and again and again, and it never truly sinks in.” Lupin continued to stare out the window. “I would have bet my life that Sirius loved James, NEEDED James.” He halfway turned to Dumbledore at last. “You offered to be the Secret Keeper. What made you suspect Sirius?”
“It was not Sirius I suspected,” Dumbledore said softly. Again, Lupin frowned but again, had too much respect for Dumbledore to press the matter. “I’m sorry, Remus,” Dumbledore went on. “Sometimes I think the truly terrible loss you suffered went too much unnoticed; I’m sorry we haven’t stayed in touch more.” He smiled faintly. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you’re teaching Harry; I don’t know if I’ve thanked you yet for trying to help him with the dementors.”
“I don’t particularly like them either, especially given the destructive effect they have on the person they’re supposedly protecting,” Lupin sighed, turning once more to watch Harry.
“Remarkable that his boggart is a dementor at all,” Dumbledore murmured.
Lupin smiled faintly. “I told him just that, that his worst fear being fear itself is very wise.”
“Good. He needs to hear things like that more often,” Dumbledore said simply. And even though they each had somewhere else to be, they silently watched the extraordinary boy below them for just a minute longer.