The Black Lupin

She sighed before grabbing her cloak and Snape was right she did leave the castle a lot; she reached Hogsmeade and disapparated. She walked into the house to see a figure sat in front of the fire “Early this evening aren’t you?” they asked and she shook her head “What you’re keeping a routine now are you?” she replied. “No but you are, pretty much here on the same time every night, do you not like the castle?” they stated and she stood at the doorway and the figure turned and Sirius smiled at her.

“And what’s the matter with you? You look like you’ve had a run in with a certain individual” he said and she nodded walking forwards into the room “Lets just say Severus and I aren’t going so well” she admitted sitting on the edge of the table and Sirius’ warm laugh filled the room. “Why? You two are so bloody similar! I thought he still made you cry like a little school girl” he teased and she glared at him “He does not scare me” she lied and he laughed at her.

“Yes he does! The only person I’ve ever seen you listen to properly, maybe you’re in love with him” he joked and she looked away from him shaking her head “Why must you always tease me Sirius? Can never just let me be you have to make a joke from everything” she snapped and he smiled.

“You make it so easy for me Remy! What’s happened anyway?” he asked, “I got in trouble with him, and he thinks I’m manipulating students. Apparently I’m being nice to get them to do what I want” she raged and he nodded. “It does sound like something you’d do, come on apart from that wretched cousin of mine you’re the most manipulating person I know. You just have this way with people, no wonder you fit in with them. I must admit I did find the fact you were manipulated by them rather shocking” he explained and she stood up.

“I was not manipulated by anyone!” “Yes you were! They’ve got you doing their bidding, look at you using all that intelligence and talent for them. Whom are you manipulating anyway?” he asked calmly ignoring the fact she was staring at him coldly. “Neville” “Longbottom?” he said and she nodded “First name terms are we?” he teased and she pulled her wand from her cloak but he just rolled his eyes at her.

He couldn’t explain why he laughed at her when she acted this way because even he didn’t really understand it but he had little fear of her hurting him. She could look at him as evilly and coldly as she wanted but he’d never fear her, she wouldn’t hurt him but he couldn’t tell you why she wouldn’t or why he knew she wouldn’t.

“I’m not laughing Sirius I’m sick of being treated this way, like some evil person” she growled “But when you have that on your arm you kind of don’t have much argument” he laughed at her “So I try being nice and I get told off for it! Anyone would think Severus hates me,” she muttered and Sirius scoffed. “You’re his favourite person, come on you’re his little protégé. Your talented, intelligent and have a flare for the dark arts, how could Snape not like you?” he asked.

“Sirius don’t make fun! He treats me like a danger to students’ like I’m totally evil and nobody can stop me, he treats me like a child…he treats me like…” “Your mother?” Sirius asked and she froze. “Remy tell me the truth about your parents” he stated, “I told you…” “A lie, tell me the truth. You know I won’t tell anyone, I’ll give you my word,” he offered and she sighed sitting on the table again.

It fell silent apart from the crackles from the fire and she stood up leaning against the fireplace “They’re dead, Remus should know but I’m not telling him. They died a few years ago, we were 24 when they died,” she admitted. “It was…an accident. I was looking for something of mine that I thought might be at home, Pettigrew insisted on coming with me. We were there and found nothing I wanted but Pettigrew must’ve seen something because he returned, Regulus was away on a job and Carrow told me Pettigrew had gone to my village,” she explained.

“I went after him and saw him searching through my brothers’ things before stuffing things in his pockets, I caught him and he started going through the whole place saying this stuff could help us get Harry Potter. I went through everything and started looking where I knew my parents hid things, they came back and we hid,” she said keeping her back to Sirius. “We tried to get out and Pettigrew knocked something over, they came upstairs and caught us. Pettigrew left by turning into a rat and left me there alone, they saw the state of the house and we argued before it became a duel” she admitted squeezing her eyes shut.

“I just wanted them to take me seriously, I just wanted to prove I was good enough, that I had the ability to do it. Mum started saying how she wished I was more like Remus and how he would always be better than me and I’d said it before I really thought it through. Severus had been teaching me how to use Sectumsempra properly and I just said it. Dad started to shout things at me and he was shooting curses my way, he said I’d always be worthless to them and they wished Remus was an only child. They’d never be proud of anything I did and I’d never be any good at anything I tried, I’d always be a miserable failure who nobody liked,” she said as she chewed her lip.

“He said they’d take a werewolf son over a stupid, useless girl like me and I left” she explained and Sirius stood up. “Pettigrew went back to scavenge stuff and said the house had been destroyed so I went to see for myself. I was told Bellatrix did it but who knows” she admitted. “Either way it is my fault, I should’ve protected them and told them to leave. I shouldn’t have let them know where we lived” she said.

He stood at her side staring at the fire before daring to glance sideways at her and he saw her crying “Remy your not a bad person” he offered and she shook her head and he put his arm around her shoulders. She moved to hug him and he squeezed her against his body “Remus will kill me himself when he finds out” “Well who knows?” he asked. “You and me, Severus probably knows because of his stupid mind reading tricks!” she grumbled.

“Sirius what do I do? Where do I go next? What if I’m meant to be with them?” she asked and he shook his head “Sirius, I’ve killed people; far more than I care to think of. I’ve done stupid things and I’ve helped him get where he wants to be, Sirius I pushed Bellatrix out of favour, I’m one of the worst ones there is” she cried into his shoulder.

He pulled away from her “Remy your not evil, your just a bit weird. You’ve always wanted people to notice you and to respect you, you want power and you got that the easy way. Dark Magic isn’t ever going to gain you respect” Sirius reasoned. “When he rules and you all call him Master I’ll have respect, I will have more power than most of you will and then your hero ideas won’t seem so clever” she snapped and he smiled.

“But you know I’ll never see him as my master, I will never bow at his feet. I would rather die if that ever happened. Remy you took an easy option and I know that’s not where your mind lies, if you were truly that bad you wouldn’t help Draco. You’re risking your own life to save his, if you get found out he will kill you and you know it” Sirius stated and she stayed quiet. “I can’t do this Sirius” “No Remy, you made a promise and you’ll stick by it” he said sternly.

It fell quiet “What do you mean I’m a bit weird?” she asked and he laughed, “You are the craziest person I’ve ever met, your head is all over the place” “You say that like it’s a bad thing” she replied and he nodded. “It is, your dangerously unpredictable. That why Snape keeps you close by, thinks its better to know you than be your enemy” he admitted.

“What? He treats me this way just so I don’t act strange to him? Oh Severus Snape’s getting the full unpredictable treatment, I’ll wreck his classes” she said smiling an evil glint in her eye before Sirius let a smile form on his lips and she looked at him. “You said that just so I make Severus’ life hell! You need to get over your hatred for him because he’s keeping your godson very safe, something you seem unable to do Sirius” she spat back before storming out the room.

“Remy how dare you! Where are you going?” “My Master needs me” she cut back before hurrying out the house and once in the streets there was a pop and she vanished. She appeared outside the dark mansion and strode towards the gates, they were solid iron but as she got closer they shimmered and she walked straight through before they became solid again.