Infamous | Fred Weasley x OC |

Chapter Twenty Seven

"Professor, is now a good time?" I asked, loitering in the doorway to Lupin's classroom. Regardless of the answer, I was going to stay and convince him to do the same.

He looked up from where he was packing his office up into one large, probably enchanted, trunk. He had some fresh cuts on his face and hands and moved stiffly, groaning as he straightened up.

"No." He sighed, "Now isn't a good time. But when have any of our talks been at a good time?" He said and laughed weakly. I smiled and took a step further into his office.

"It's not true, is it?" I asked. I wasn't stupid. I knew he was leaving. Why else would he be packing up his office? I just wanted him to say it and realise it was stupid and unpack everything again.

"So much has happened lately I'm afraid you'll have to elaborate," Lupin said, leaning on his desk and folding his arms.

"You're not leaving," I said, rather than asked, aware of how desperate I must have sounded.

"I'm afraid so," He sighed defeatedly, "Word's got out."

"No thanks to Snape," I whispered bitterly but Lupin merely laughed, "No one will care, not really. You're the best defence against the dark arts teacher we've ever had!" I protested but Lupin didn't seem convinced, "And I'm pretty sure in my first year our teacher was a vampire and no one cared about him. I mean, he was really creepy but...my point is you're a good teacher. Please stay. I've only just found out about my family and now it's all falling apart. I might even be worse off than when I started." I rambled and caught myself as Lupin shuffled, looking away, "Do you really have to leave?"

"I'm afraid so. It's only a matter of time before parents find out and I can't imagine they want their children being taught by a werewolf," Lupin said, a sad smile on his face, "And as for your family, I'm only a letter away."

"Really? You mean it?"

Lupin nodded.

"Really. I can only apologise that your...family reunion had to happen under such circumstances," Lupin said and stood up to carry on packing. With a wave of his wand, the last few pieces on his desk packed themselves in the trunk. It swung shut and locked itself. Then, when his office was completely packed away, he turned to face me again, "Let's hope the next one goes better."

"Next one?" I asked, not even trying to conceal the smile spreading across my face.

"You can't expect me to completely abandon my goddaughter the second after I realise she did not, in fact, die in the war?" Lupin said smugly, raising an eyebrow. I couldn't help but grin.

"So...does that mean-"

"As soon as I get my life together," Lupin interrupted, "I'll be able to tell you about your mother's. Now you'll have to excuse me, my carriage awaits."

*

"You're looking a lot better," Maddie said cheerfully at the end of term feast that evening, "Something happen?"

"You don't know the half of it," I said and piled roast potatoes up on my plate.

"You could tell me, you know?"

"I honestly don't know where to start," I admitted. Maddie slumped.

I waved across the hall to Emmy who was sat with the rest of the Gryffindors. She waved back and carried on talking to Lee Jordan, who she was sat next to. The twins were sat next to Lee and, for the first time all year, they weren't looking at me suspiciously. They saw me looking at them and waved. I waved back and turned my attention back to Maddie who was still looking glum, "I'll tell you on the train," I said to Maddie and she perked up after that.

*

"So?" Emmy said once we had found a compartment on the train. Maddie was next to her and they were both staring at me expectantly, "How did that thing with Lupin go? Did he tell you he was your dad?"

"No," I said, pretending to be sad. The others pulled a face. Maddie smiled sadly at me and Emmy groaned and fell back in her seat. I couldn't keep a straight face for long, "But he told me who was."

"Really That's great!" Maddie beamed. Emmy shot me a look, her eyes narrowed after I'd fooled her.

"Just tell us who it is," She said, throwing a chocolate frog box at me.

"Peter Pettigrew..." I said indignantly. Maddie frowned.

"Really? The war hero?" Maddie asked, confused as to why I wasn't thrilled about it.

"The one Sirius Black murdered?" Emmy added. She looked angry on my behalf.

"No. He wasn't a hero," I said, shaking my head and looking out of the window as the rolling hills of Scotland faded away, "I'm not sure what he was but he was not a hero..."

*

I hugged Maddie and Emmy goodbye on the platform and got them both to promise to write to me over the summer holiday. I didn't have an owl of my own so I had to use Emmy's or Maddie's when they arrived to send my replies. Amy offered me a bottle of water when I got off the train and found her and Sarah but I didn't drink this time, much to Amy's disappointment. Sarah smiled at us both and offered to carry my trunk to the car.

It was a long drive back up to the cottage but it gave me plenty of time to tell Sarah and Amy what I had learnt about my family. Amy was thrilled for me but Sarah was oddly quiet.

She was even quieter when she pulled up into the driveway only to see an impatient looking owl, if owls could look impatient, sitting on the doorstep with a letter in its beak.

"That was quick," I mumbled, jumping out of the car and racing up to tip the owl and retrieve the letter, "I didn't think they'd write straight away. I only saw them a couple of hours ago."

I turned the letter over to see my name written in a plain but neat hand. It wasn't Maddie's, she was a fan of cursive, and Emmy's handwriting was nowhere near that neat. No one else had my address.

I frowned and carefully opened the envelope for fear of tearing the letter inside. Except there was no letter. Not a real letter, it was just a scrap of paper with a single sentence on.

"I hope you enjoy these. Remus."

I opened the envelope further and a collection of polaroids tumbled out into my open palm. They were all of my mother. Some were moving, some were muggle. Some were of just her and some were of a whole group of people, all in the bright coloured school ties that I recognised belonged to Hogwarts. All of them had a caption written underneath. Most in my mum's handwriting but there were some I didn't recognise. I grinned down at the photos and, for the first time I could remember, my own mother, smiled back at me.