Facing Fears ~ ( Remus Lupin )

1

Four years earlier, September 1989

"Miss Jacobs, congratulations on having been sorted into Gryffindor!" Professor Dumbledore welcomed me into his office and gestured at me to take a seat in front of his desk.

"We're aware of your condition and we are happy to say that despite the restrictions of keeping our other students safe, we are happy to welcome you into Hogwarts and we promise that we will protect others and you from your condition." The old, white-bearded man smiled, I rolled my eyes at him before taking a quick glance around the room, there were portraits hung all along the wall of various ex-headmasters of Hogwarts.

One of them, titled Phineus Nigellus glared at me. 

"You can hardly call it a condition Albus, she's a monster and should be killed. Hogwarts isn't safe around her, you cannot keep her here for seven school years unless you're really trying to cause more damage to this school." The painting rattled on.

"Ignore him." Dumbledore smiled. 

"We have a special hideout that you can access during the full moon, you're not our first werewolf to have studied at Hogwarts. There is a tree, I'll take you now, come, Miss Jacobs."

I stand and follow the Headmaster out of his office and down the long stone corridors, all of which were covered in some sort of decoration, ranging from moving portraits to various banners symbolising each of the four Hogwarts houses.

We eventually reach a willow tree on the grounds, it wasn't far from the entrance to the Forbidden Forest. Dumbledore pulled out his wand and muttered "Immobolus" and the tree stopped thrashing in protest.

"Down under the roots, there is a little shack which you may reside in, if you go straight there after dinner each full moon, someone will come and cast locking spells on the outside, and then you will be collected again in the morning and seen to in the infirmary by Madam Pomfrey before returning to lessons."

The walk back to the castle was silent, every now and then a stick would crack or the leaves would rustle, Professor Dumbledore didn't say a single word until we reached the Gryffindor tower, he turned to me.

"The password is 'Fizzing Whizzbees', now, I advise you to get some sleep, your timetable will be given to you at breakfast. Good night, Miss Jacobs." Dumbledore walked off before I could say anything back to him.

I approach the portrait guarding the dormitories of all the Gryffindor students and mumbled a quiet 'Fizzing Whizzbees' at the lady standing inside the portrait. She yawned and the portrait swung open, revealing the common room to me. 

I stepped inside the hole and made my way through, the walls were covered in a scarlet and gold coloured wallpaper, Quidditch banners with the Gryffindor logo on littered the walls as well as other house-themed decorations. There were large red sofas placed next to a burning fireplace, the fire was lit. There were armchairs and tables with chairs scattered neatly across the large room.

"Where have you been?" A voice snaps me out of my thoughts, making me jump.

Two ginger boys were sat on separate armchairs, their arms and legs crossed and stern looks written across their faces. It was the Weasley twins.

I had met them earlier on the Hogwarts Express, there hadn't been a lot of empty compartments on the steam train, so both boys and their three older brothers, Bill, Charlie, and Percy had all piled in with me for the journey from London to Hogsmeade.

Bill had been appointed Head boy in the summer holidays, the badge adorned his school robes. Percy had been staring at it throughout a lot of the journey almost longingly as if he wanted the badge for himself.