Secret Wings [Remus Lupin]

Chapter 1: The Letter

Disclaimer: I own only what I created all other credit goes to the awesome JK Rowling!

Chapter 1: The Letter

I woke up exhausted, just like I have for the last 3 weeks. Three weeks ago is when it happened. My mum died. Ever since then I've been crying to myself late into the night so I just don't get any sleep, and when I do sleep I have horrible nightmares.

I feel so empty and numb with her gone. Kind of like if a dementor came and sucked all the happiness out of me, leaving me feeling cold all over. I sighed to myself and sat up.

Might as well try to be in a good mood today, I thought wryly to myself.

Today was a special day for 3 reasons: 1) Today is my birthday and I'm turning 11. (July 29th).
2) I would receive my acceptance letter to Hogwarts!
3) I would be going to Diagon Alley for my school supplies.

My mum would have want me to be happy on today of all days. So I guess I would try.

Since my mum died I've lived with my dad, who is not the same loving man he was. My dad turned cold on the inside and outside after mum died. He let his sorrow and grief take him over, which led him to become a drunk to drown his pain and memories that haunt him. Every night he goes out and gets drunk and then comes home in the early hours of the morning, he stays sleeping most of the day. He was fired from his job at the Ministry of Magic leaving us to depend on the money in our vault in Gringotts, which is dwindling at an alarming rate. We were by no means rich but dad was making enough to support us, mum didn't work she stayed at home because she had to watch me.

But now we were hitting rock bottom with barely enough money to keep us going. I stayed in my room for days at a time, not eating or caring about myself, letting myself waste away. Allowing the grief to naw at my insides but I didn't let it take over, not like my dad. I didn't like seeing my dad and he didn't like seeing me anymore. He reminds me of how much everything has changed, I think I remind him of mum, which causes him pain that leads to anger at mum for leaving him and that leads to him beating me.

I get of my bed and walk over to my full-length mirror on the wall to look at my reflection. I see a girl who was dreadfully skinny in blue pajama shorts and a t-shirt, who had bruises and scratches running down her body. I saw me with my really long, extremely curly blonde hair and my strange eyes. It's because of a gene that I was born with that makes my left eye a piercing blue while the other is a coffee brown. My eyes are the first thing everyone notices when they meet me.

I looked down at my wrists. My imperfect wrists. There are fading cuts lined on them. Cuts I gave myself.

That was a one time though, me at my weakest moment, during the first week after mum died. I was in so much pain so I used self harm to avert the pain somewhere else. It worked, and gave me relief.But it will never happen again but the scars will forever remind me of my mistake. My mum would have been so ashamed if she saw the cuts and I can't stand the thought, so I didn't do it again.

I quickly get dressed into some skinny jeans and an old t-shirt. I go to the bathroom and get ready, to hide my bruises I just used a simple concealment charm I learned from a book.

I walk downstairs to receive my acceptance letter from the school owl that should be delivering it. I walk into the disastrous looking kitchen, it looked like tornado came trough here. There are beer cans littering the floor and dirty dishes stacked in the sink. I walked over to the window and waited. I could hear my dad's snores from the neighboring room and prayed that he wouldn't wake up. I don't know if I could stand a beating this morning, I could still feel the dull ache from last night's.

I see a small dot on the horizon and as it gets closer I realize it's an owl. I crack a small smile.

That's something I haven't did in a while, I think to myself bitterly. Smile.

The owl flies through the open window and lands neatly on my shoulder. I take the letter from its leg and look at the front.

Miss S. Frost
Smallest Bedroom on the 2nd Floor
11 Midnight Lane
Surrey, London

My Hogwarts letter has finally arrived, and I was going to Hogwarts.