Reading Between The Lines ~ Remus Lupin ~ Book 1

chapter 50

Sunday, 10 July 1977

Lena sat on her bed with the copy of The Wizard of Earthsea in her lap. She was listening to it aloud from the pen Remus was given to her. The book was assigned for her Muggle Studies class to read. As their summer assignment, they then would have to write an essay, comparing and contrasting the similarities between the wizarding school in the book and Hogwarts, as well as the Muggle understanding of wizards. Lena wondered if Ursula K. Le Guin, the author, was in fact a witch and had used some aspects of the wizarding world to make a profit off of Muggles. However Le Guin came up with it, Lena thought it was rather good. She'd have to tell her boyfriend to read it if he hadn't.

"Ah ha! I knew it!" Mark shouted triumphantly, flinging the door open to Lena's room suddenly. Tapping the pen four times to turn it off, Lena had no idea why her father thought he was triumphant.

Lena closed the book and got off her bed, crossing her arms. "What are you on about, Dad?"

"You're boyfriend! I knew he was here!" Mark said, lying flat on the ground to look under her bed looking for her boyfriend. He frowned when all he found was a collection of dust, a single polka-dot decorated sock, and an old bra that Lena had grown out of.

"You've gone mental, Dad! Remus is not here!" Lena said, as her father walked over to open her closet. A pile of clothes toppled over, but there was no Remus.

"But I heard his voice!" Mark said accusingly.

Lena's eyes widened with realization. "Oh, that was the pen!"

"The pen?"

"The pen."

"And since when do pens talk, let alone like Remus Lupin?"

"Since February," Lena said with a bit of sass that her father did not appreciate.

"Prove it."

"Gladly," Lena said, opening the book on the bed to the first page. Lena tapped the pen three times. Remus' voice filled the room with the story of The Wizard of Earthsea. Lena looked at her father triumphantly. "See?"

Mark sat down on the bed, partly in shock. "Why is the pen talking? With your boyfriend's voice?"

"Because he charmed it to do so."

"Why on earth would he do that?"

"He knows about my dyslexia and he wanted to help. He made it so I can read, well, listen to, books without having any trouble whenever I want."

"That's... very nice of him."

"I know," Lena said, blushing. "He gave it to me before we even started dating."

"He did?" Mark said, slightly surprised.

"Yeah."

Mark nodded his head and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for not trusting you. That wasn't fair of me."

Lena nodded and sat next to her father. "It wasn't, but I'll forgive you. I'm rather amazing like that."

"That you are, Lee. That you are."

Lena smiled and hugged her father. "I love you, dad."

Mark kissed the top of his daughter's head. "I love you, too, muffin."

Maybe Remus was alright for his daughter after all.

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Tuesday, 19 July 1977

"Hey, Zoë," Lena said as she slid into the booth that Zoë was sitting in at the Leaky Cauldron. As always, it was dimly lit and cozy.

"Hi, Lee. How are you?" Zoë asked. She looked tired and upset. It was rather strange considering that Zoë was usually so chipper about everything.

In fact, the whole entire meeting was a bit strange. While Zoë and Lena were friends and roommates, they weren't particularly close. Zoë had her own friends and Lena had hers. Usually, they only wrote or phoned each other over the summer holiday. If they did see each other in person, it was because they happened to run into each other while shopping in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade.

It was strange, though. Zoë had phoned Lena and asked her to meet up with her. She had asked Maggie and Ava to come, but they couldn't. Ava's father was an ambassador for the Ministry and she was traveling with him and the rest of the Kamen family to Mexico. Maggie was spending two weeks in Italy with her family.

"Good," Lena said before ordering a butterbeer and some fish and chips from the waiter. "How about you, Zo?"

Lena knew that Zoë would be honest and tell her she was not doing well or lie and she was doing wonderful.

"Not great," Zoë admitted.

Lena frowned. "What's wrong?"

Zoë took a deep breath. "I'm moving."

"Oh, well, it's never great leaving your childhood home or anything, but England's not very big and you can alw—"

"I'm not moving to Cornwall or Liverpool, Lena," Zoë said pointedly. "I'm moving to America."

"America?"

"Yes, America."

"As in the country that dumped us?"

"That's the one."

There was a pause as the waiter placed the food and drinks in front of the two girls. Lena didn't feel like eating anymore though.

"Why are you going to America? Did one of your parents get a new job?"

Zoë shook her head. "Yeah, but that's not why we're moving."

"Then why are you moving?" Lena asked, probably a bit too forcefully.

Zoë sighed. "My parents keep saying it's to help my aunt out. My dad's sister— she's a Muggleborn, too— lives in America. She's got three really young kids, Scarlett, Hazel, and Violet. Her husband just left her. He freaked out when Lettie started doing accidental magic and when my Aunt Emmy told him she was a witch. My parents said she needs help taking care of them and that's why we're moving."

"Oh, that's terrible, Zoë. Absolutely awful," Lena said, reaching across the table to hold Zoë's hand.

Zoë nodded. "I know. My aunt's even changing her and my cousins' names back to her maiden name Parker. But that's not the real reason though."

"It's not?"

"It's not."

"Then why are you leaving?" Lena implored.

"Do you remember what I told you about what happened over holiday on the train?"

Lena nodded. How could she not remember? Death Eaters burned Zoë's family's yard. They had killed the family dog and had written 'Mudblood' on their house in the dog's blood. It was horrible.

"It really freaked us all out. My parents don't think that England's safe for us anymore. That's why we're really leaving. My parents just don't want to worry us by telling Kev and I. We know, though."

Lena looked into Zoë's eyes. "You won't be coming back to Hogwarts, will you?"

"No."

"But it's the safest place in the world," Lena said quietly.

"They've always said that, Lee. But it's not true. Moaning Myrtle died at Hogwarts, the so-called safest place in the world."

Lena stared at her plate of fish and chips. Zoë was right. She was speaking the truth. It was just a truth no one wanted to hear.

"You'll be going to Ilvermorny, I expect."

"Yes."

"You'll show the Americans how it's done?" Lena said teasingly.

"Of course," Zoë said, equally as teasing.

The girls sobered up. Lena looked at Zoë. She was sure her face matched Zoë's, neither smiling or frowning, just blank and calm.

"I'll miss you, Zoë."

"I'll miss you, too, Lena."