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cursebreaker-lilith · 5 years

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Summary: Remus Lupin tags alongside Dumbledore when he goes to visit a student.

Characters: Remus Lupin, Chiara Lobosca, Albus Dumbledore

Notes: IN B4 CHIARA SQ!!! But wow I’ve had this idea from pretty much the moment I read about Chiara as a character and I’ve wanted to write it for months now. The Chiara sidequest coming up that will feature [spoilers] convinced me to get it out before then, since it will completely make this non-canon lol

[ao3 link]

-x-x-x-

July 1984

“I still don’t get why I’m here, Albus.”

“You’ll see why I asked you here soon, Remus.”

Remus said nothing to that.

Albus Dumbledore had sent an owl two weeks previous asking if Remus wouldn’t mind going on a day trip with him. Remus had, of course, replied positively, even if Dumbledore hadn’t specified anything about the trip. Remus trusted Dumbledore to not lead him into a trap. He had hesitated after being told that they would meet in Godric’s Hollow, but Remus had still gone to meet with his old professor, regardless of painful memories.

Luckily, they hadn’t gone anywhere near the memorial to James and Lily. Remus was quite sure Dumbledore had even taken a detour to avoid his friends old house, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about walking an extra fifteen minutes. Even after three years, he still felt so much pain thinking about that Halloween night.

Dumbledore led him out into the countryside. It was beautiful, all vivid green hills and blooming wildflowers, but Remus still couldn’t puzzle out why they were there. Every question he had asked Dumbledore had been deflected with vague answers.

Eventually, they came upon a house. It was a small cottage, very picturesque, but isolated from any neighbors. Remus could see shapes through the pale curtains on the window, so people did live there and they weren’t taking a trip to an abandoned building. He stayed silent as he and Dumbledore ambled up a dirt path surrounded by flowers to the door.

The door was instantly answered after Dumbledore knocked. A woman about ten years older than Remus answered. She was rather tall, with brown hair in a long plait.

“Hello?” She said politely, but she couldn’t hide the bafflement in her eyes. Obviously, she knew who was standing before her, but couldn’t understand why.

Dumbledore smiled. “Lavinia Lobosca, lovely to see you once more! It’s been a while since you went to Hogwarts.”

“Professor Dumbledore,” Lavinia nodded her head politely at him, but she still looked confused. “I—I must confess, I don’t know why you’re here.”

“I can explain in just a moment. May my friend and I come in? Explanations might take some time, and while it is beautiful outside, there might be fewer bugs inside.”

Lavinia opened the door wide and stepped backwards. “Of course! So sorry for not inviting you in sooner. I think the kettle is still on, would you like tea? I think we still have some fresh biscuits too…. Oh, I haven’t gotten your name.” She looked at Remus.

“Remus,” he answered, with a small nod.

Dumbledore smiled politely. “Tea and biscuits sound wonderful, Lavinia, thank you.”

She guided them to the sitting room before hurrying off to the kitchen. As she did, she passed a tall man with white hair and whispered something to him. Remus assumed he was Lavinia’s husband, and he tried to puzzle out if the man was much older than his wife or had kept white blond hair into adulthood, but Remus couldn’t tell from a distance.

The man seemed as confused as his wife as to why Dumbledore and Remus were at his house, but he was also as polite. He welcomed them into his house and introduced himself as Allen Lobosca. Remus replied with his name once more, and then the room was silent for a moment.

“Er,” Allen started, “now, may I ask why you’re here, Dumbledore? Can’t say we were expecting anyone to drop in. Is something wrong?”

“Nothing of that sort. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.” He patted one of the pockets of his lavender robe. “But we’re missing one more person for this meeting. Is young Chiara here?”

Some sort of understanding lit up behind Allen’s eyes, but he also seemed uneasy. “I can go get her if you want. I think she’s out in the garden.”

Dumbledore nodded. “That would be wonderful. Thank you, Allen.”

As Allen left, Lavinia came back him with a tray. She set it down and busied herself with serving the tea.

Remus took a small sip. If he had to guess, Chiara was likely Allen and Lavinia’s daughter. But why was Dumbledore there? Hogwarts professor’s usually only visited the homes of students if they were Muggle-born and needed the wizarding world explained to them and their family. Since the Lobosca’s both knew Dumbledore, they obviously weren’t Muggle’s. Dumbledore usually didn’t make these home visits either, not anymore at least. Remus remembered Dumbledore specifically saying something of that sort when he had visited the Lupin’s when Remus had turned eleven.

Remus froze. “Albus?” He sent Dumbledore a questioning look, knowing the other wizard would understand what he meant.

Dumbledore nodded slightly. Remus set his teacup down as Lavinia looked between them.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Allen came back then, followed by a young girl. Allen’s hair, Remus decided, was obviously natural as his daughter had pale white hair the same shade. She was quite tall like her parents, but she couldn’t be more than ten or eleven.

Remus’s heart did flips inside him. He had never expected to something like this happen.

Dumbledore held out a hand and smiled kindly towards the girl. She hesitantly shook it, then immediately drew back behind her mother. “Hello, Chiara. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” Dumbledore rifled through his pockets for a moment before bringing out an envelope. “I have something here for you.”

Chiara took the letter and stared at it for a second before bursting into tears and running out of the room, letter drifting down through the air behind her.

Everyone in the room stood up except Dumbledore.

“I’m so sorry for that—”

“Chiara, she—”

“I’ll go talk to her.”

Allen and Lavinia stopped to stare at Remus when he spoke. He couldn’t quite believe he had said that either.

Dumbledore, however, seemed pleased. “Excellent idea, Remus. I’m sure Chiara will enjoy your insight, and you can explain the situation just as well as I can. Is that alright with you two?” He turned to the Lobosca’s and they helplessly agreed. If Dumbledore thought something a good idea, it likely was.

“She’s probably back in her garden. Down the main hall and out back,” Lavinia said, looking down at her hands.

Remus nodded and muttered a thank you before leaving.

The garden out back was just as quaint as the garden in the front. The one out front seemed to be for flowers, while this garden held fruits, vegetables, and magical plants. Remus could spot Dittany and Flitterbloom among the cabbage and carrots as he looked around for Chiara.

It wasn’t hard to find her; her white hair stood out blindingly against the brown and greens of the garden. He made sure to take loud steps as he approached so she would know he was coming. Remus didn’t want to scare the girl.

“Who are you?” Her voice surprised Remus. It was much stronger than he had expected from such a frail looking girl. Then again, she would be stronger than she looked if they did share the same condition.

“Remus Lupin.” He replied. “Do you mind if I sit next to you?”

She silently moved over, and Remus sat down next to her.

“I’m going to be a bit blunt about something delicate, if that’s okay.” He paused and waited for her to look at him curiously and nod. “I’m going to assume that you’re a werewolf.”

Chiara’s reaction was instantaneous. She hunched in on herself, wrapping her arms around her body. More tears seemed to leak from her eyes.

Remus gathered his courage. This was always a hard topic to talk about. “It’s fine,” he said gently. “I—I’m a werewolf too. I believe that’s why Professor Dumbledore brought me here today. To talk about going to Hogwarts as a werewolf.”

Chiara stared at him, dumbstruck. “Y-you went to Hogwarts?”

He nodded. “I only graduated a few years ago.”

“Really?”

“Mhm.” He smiled at her. “I was the same way when I was eleven. I didn’t think it would be possible for me to go to Hogwarts. I had given up the thought of ever having a wand and using it. But Dumbledore came to my house, same as he is doing today, and talked to me and my parents about protective measures he had put in place so werewolf children would be able to get an education.”

Chiara was drying her eyes. “What’d he do?”

“Have you heard of the Shrieking Shack?”

Chiara mutely shook her head.

Remus leaned back. “It’s this shack at the edge of Hogsmeade Village. There’s all sorts of stories and legends about it, and how it’s been haunted for centuries, but it was actually only built about a decade ago. It’s where I would transform every night, which is why it’s called the Shrieking Shack.”

“How’d you get there? If it’s in Hogsmeade, and not at Hogwarts.” To Remus’s relief, Chiara had stopped crying and was now looking up at him with wide eyed interest. And she’s clever, he thought with an internal smile.

“There’s a tunnel from Hogwarts to the Shack. Another measure put in by Dumbledore. He planted a Whomping Willow—this large tree who’s branches move and try to hit things—and put a secret tunnel at the base of it. It’s hard to get to, but there’s a specific route you crawl on, and then you can get into the tunnel.”

“And it works?” Chiara asked, biting her lip. “It never went wrong? I’m always so scared things are going to go wrong during my transformations and you were right at the edge of a village.”

Remus flashed back to that one night in his sixth year where he had almost killed Severus Snape.

“No,” he lied firmly. “It never went wrong.”

Chiara looked down at her knees, and Remus gave her some time to digest the information. He knew it had taken him weeks to truly realize that he would be able to go to Hogwarts.

“Did you make friends?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

Remus’s heart twisted. Once he had gotten his letter and his wand, the topic of friends had been the thing that ate at him most. Would it be possible for a werewolf to become friends with regular wizards? Would there ever be anyone who would accept him?

“Yes.” His voice was filled with grief. “I had the best friends anyone could ever have.”

A small body thumped against his side. Remus looked down in shock to see Chiara’s skinny arms wrapped around his torso. When he didn’t react to the hug, she hurriedly pulled back.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “You just sounded very sad.”

Remus attempted a smile, and tried to subtly wipe away the tears that had formed. “Thank you, then.”

She smiled shyly. “Thank you for talking to me. It—it feels better to hear this from someone who has the same…sickness as I do. To hear that I can do something normal when I’m like…this.”

His smile was more genuine this time. “Of course. If it’s okay with your parents, I’ll even leave my address with you so you can owl me with any questions.”

Chiara’s eyes lit up. “I’d love that! It’s so nice to meet another werewolf who’s nice. I didn’t—I didn’t think there were any like that out there, honestly.”

Remus laughed at that. “I understand that feeling. I’m glad to meet another good werewolf too.” He stood up. “We should probably be getting inside. Your parents are probably worried.”

Chiara nodded and stood up, brushing dirt off her skirt. “Can I ask another question?” She said as Remus opened the back door.

“Of course.”

“What house were you in?”

“Gryffindor.”

“That sounds so cool! Maybe I’ll be in Gryffindor….”

The door shut behind them.

#remus lupin #chiara lobosca #dumbledore #harry potter #harry potter hogwarts mystery #hogwarts mystery #hphm #fic be mine

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