Spitfire | Fred Weasley [2]

[Spitfire : Chapter Nineteen]

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July, 1993

The loose strings of his dark grey sweater tickled his skin beneath, he rubbed his arms every few seconds to relieve the feeling. He also did it out of anxiousness. Over the years Remus Lupin hadn't changed much, mentally, at least. He was still the guilt-ridden werewolf he had grown up as, just now he was skinner with more hallowed-out cheeks due to the lack of proper meals. Or as some would call it, malnutrition.

    The past decade or so of Remus Lupins life had been absolute shite. After the death and imprisonment of all his friends and the breakup with the girl he thought he was going to be with forever, he lived with his father into most of his adulthood. Then when his father began to lose money, he was forced to move out and live in tacky shacks with only his clothes on his back and his name on his job resume which barely anyone accepted due to his lycanthropy.

    Remus Lupin now lived in a run-down cabin out in the Dragonstone forest of Ireland. It had no electricity, nor did it have any running water. The only way he saw around at night was with his magic and the only way he drank was out of a well nearby. Merlin save his soul if it ever became contaminated. He'd only have one meal a day with the low pay he received from his job at a steel cup factory.

    Unlike his former counterpart, Remus Lupin did not have luck with life. While he became unemployed and an adult living with his father, Wendy became an Auror and eventually made her way up to the top. It did not set well with him, how terribly his life had gone. After all the encouragement from his friends he had hope that his life was somehow going to be great, but it wasn't, not whatsoever.

    The clinging of teacups caused the werewolf to cringe, due to his heightened senses it sounded like nails on a chalkboard — or Peeves the Poltergeists teeth on a chalkboard. The meeting that had been set wasn't supposed to start for another twenty minutes, he had already been there for ten. He wore his fanciest garments and even fixed up his hair a bit, it no longer looked like his late friend James'.

    The wizard teashop he had sat in was nearly empty, all except for a few drowsy looking wizards whose heads drooped every couple seconds with exhaustion. It was midnight, Remus had no idea why his former Headmaster had called him for a meeting so late, or why he called him for a meeting at all. Breaking him out of his racing thoughts, a woman wearing a bright yellow apron spoke in a tired but cheery voice. "Would you like some more tea, deary?"

    Remus looked down at his cup, the dark brown liquid was nearly gone and he could see some areas of the white cup on the bottom. He frowned, Dumbledore wasn't even there yet and he already drank all the tea he hoped to save until the meeting was over. He didn't have enough money to buy more. "Er, no, thank you."