History and Truth

Condition Revealed

"The Headmaster then nodded to me and began helping himself. I took a couple of pieces of toast and began to eat. After a few minutes I turned to ask him a question.

"Sir, I was wondering if it would be possible for me to sit in on a few classes while I am here?"

Teddy looked up at Harry and Ginny and asked, "Does that seem strange to the two of you?"

Harry and Ginny both laughed and answered, "No, not at all." Harry took a deep breath to calm himself from laughing and continued, "Your dad was extremely intelligent, curious and rather straightforward when he wanted to know something. And as much as it seems he wanted to be in a real school I would have been surprised if he had NOT asked to sit in."

Teddy thought about that a moment before he returned to the book.

"I tried to hide my excitement and apprehension that raced through me as I waited for his answer. He smiled kindly at me. I knew that sort of look all to well.

"Mr. Lupin, you will be in school here soon enough. Why don't you enjoy yourself while you are here?"

"No sir, I won't."

"Pardon me?"

"Begging your pardon sir, but I won't be allowed to attend Hogwarts or any other wizard school."

I hung my head in shame. Most of the time it didn't bother me that I didn't go to school like most kids my age. I got to go on fabulous trips and learned things most kids don't. I had resigned myself to a life of private education. Now that I was here on campus I desperately wanted to go to school here but I knew it would never happen and it made me very sad.

"And why will you not be allowed to attend Hogwarts Mr. Lupin?"

"Because of my disease sir."

"Your disease?"

"Lycanthropy sir."

"Ah, in that case let me speak with my staff and see what we can work out for you."

He Changed Minds

"Harry, do you really think Dumbledore responded that calmly?" Ginny asked.

He pondered that before he finally answered, "I think his initial thought may not have been calm but it would've only taken a moment for him to realize the 9 year old sitting by him wasn't a threat to anyone until the full moon and by that time Remus would be gone."

Hannah asked, "Professors, do you think Dumbledore knew other werewolves at that point?"

Here again Harry gave the question some real thought before answering, "I think that if he had dealings with werewolves before that moment it probably wasn't pleasant. Based on what I know of history when a person was bitten they were cast away from society and their families."

He paused a moment and looked at Teddy as he said, "I think your dad changed many people's idea of what it meant to be a werewolf. It probably helped that Dumbledore had already been talking to Remus before he revealed his condition."

Ginny chimed in, "My parents never taught us to look down on werewolves but I know many people our age were taught to fear them. But I also have learned that my grandfather knew Remus before he was bitten and remained friends with the Lupin family. So here again, your dad changed things."

"I honestly don't see how anyone who knew your dad before learning of his condition could have thought badly of him. I say that even though I know it happened but I don't understand it."

Teddy was taking the conversation in and found his mind going back to his father saying he could give more details and wondered how bad things got for his dad.

"Teddy, where did you go just now?" Harry's voice interrupted his thoughts. Teddy quickly wiped the tear he realized was forming and pretended he hadn't heard his godfather. When everyone remained silent he admitted, "I was thinking about what my dad didn't say earlier. That he could give more details about his first days and months of being a werewolf but the thought of his child reading that broke his heart. With everything he has said, for him to leave that out makes me think it must've been really bad."

Teddy looked down at the floor lost in his thoughts until he heard Harry say, "Lets go back to reading what he wrote Teddy. I'm interested to hear what happened next."