Mischief Managed Y2 Part 2: The Truth of the Tournament

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Lean on Me

Summary: With Summer just around the corner, Remus is forced to face some truths and flee from others.

Song: Lean on Me by Sandro Cavazza

If you're feeling down and all aloneAnd you got no where to goLet's have a little conversation'Cause every time I'm feeling lowI swing it up 'til I'm good to goIt don't have to be complicationsIf your smi-i-ile had been washed awayIf you cry-aye-aye almost everydayYou'll always have a friend in meWhen you're lostWhen you're scaredWhen you're broke beyond repairYou can lean on me

AN: This song is so stinking cute and is 100% Lily singing it to Remus. The real question is how much of it he believes. ^^'

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Despite not wanting to, Remus pulled himself together and located McGonagall, who must have sensed his exhaustion because she kept the interaction blissfully brief. Her reassurance about Corbyn would have helped if he wasn't too stressed. Before handing over Howell's letter, she impressed the importance of keeping it to himself. Corbyn had informed her it contained 'sensitive information.' He'd guessed as much but respected her diligence and avoidance of saying werewolf.

Perhaps because of this, he addressed her with overwhelming gratitude. "Thank you, professor, for changing the tiles we drew for the third task." He would never forget how her intervention saved him from panicking.

She arched an eyebrow at his willingness to admit she knew about his lycanthropy inadvertently. "There's no need to thank me, Mr. Lupin." A smile tugged at the typically stern woman's lips. "I just rather thought a phoenix suited you best, and as it was one of the champion's answers, I gave the tile to a reliable student who wouldn't create a ruckus." The shock of her trusting him must have shown because she added in a self-satisfied tone. "Just don't let the praise go to your head now."

Remus could hardly believe his ears. Was McGonagall making a joke? She certainly sounded amused enough. Unable to help himself, he shot back before he could think about it. "Don't worry, professor, I'm not Sirius or James."

He felt a little thrill as she affixed him with a pleased grin. "Let us thank Merlin for that, Mr. Lupin." Covering his laughter, he wished her a good evening and left, the letter from Howell tucked safely in his pocket. He returned to his dorm, hiding the correspondence in his trunk before settling on his bed with his cartography book. Less than half an hour later, he could hear his friends carrying on from the stairs.

"Did you get it?" Sirius demanded, first through the door.

"Yes," Remus replied simply, reluctant to open the letter. Deep down, his terror lurked, convinced he'd uncover something awful about the father he already struggled not to resent. The werewolf still hadn't received confirmation if he'd even be allowed home...

Remus convinced himself he hadn't upset his father too much by running away at the end of spring break, harbouring forbidden friends, letting said friends find out where he lived, or lying to his father about all of it. Okay... persuading himself to be optimistic wasn't working. And it wasn't like he could ask his dad outright, terrified of receiving an earthshattering 'no.' But the nagging sensation no one would collect him from the Hogwarts Express ate him up more than he cared to admit or show to his friends. Obviously, his father wouldn't let his young teenage son fend for himself, but nothing was surprising compared to the impossibility of a werewolf attending Hogwarts.