As the Hogwarts grounds began to show signs of summer, Remus and his friends were studying for their O.W.L.S. They were joined by other Gryffindors, including Lily Evans. She was a ginger-haired fifth year whom Remus had met in their first Charms class. She was also the only girl at Hogwarts who knew that Remus was a werewolf. She’d proven herself trustworthy, like his roommates, so he had told her before Christmas of the previous year. Anyone could see that James had taken a great liking to her.

When it was time for dinner in the Great Hall, James took Remus aside.

“Moony, I need to ask you… Do you fancy Lily at all? I mean, I’ve seen the way you are when she’s around. You can’t stop smiling.”

“Really?” Remus replied. Being in love with Lily hadn’t ever crossed his mind.
“You don’t have to worry about that, mate. I don’t fancy Lily. But she’s been a great help to me during the full moon cycles. That’s all. I know you like her, so why don’t you ask her out?”

“Don’t need to tell me twice!” James chimed happily.

It took two years for Lily to accept James as more than a friend. After finishing their years at Hogwarts, they married. Remus became their house guest. He’d researched multiple job options, but nobody was going to hire a “half-breed” like Remus. Unless he wanted to be homeless, they were his last option. Three years later, James and Lily died at the hands of the evil Lord Voldemort. Their son, Harry, was the lone survivor in the Potter home. Voldemort had lost power because something strange occurred when he tried to kill the boy. The string of tragedies didn’t end there. Not long after, Sirius Black was put into Azkaban for a mass murder. Among the victims was Peter Pettigrew. With these events, Remus Lupin’s world was turning upside down. He didn’t know where to turn. How could Sirius have given the Potter’s location to Voldemort? How could he kill twelve people all at once? Peter hadn’t deserved to die, and neither had Lily or James. This was a betrayal of the worst kind.

Twelve years passed before Remus saw a ray of light in the darkness. Dumbledore sent him a letter, asking him to be professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Remus took the generous offer, and made the bittersweet return to his old school. The Shrieking Shack was still there for when he reached “that time of the month”. As a bonus, he was given a potion that would render him a harmless wolf. If only life were this easy outside of the castle, he mused longingly. Sirius Black had escaped, the first prisoner of Azkaban to do so. Now, Remus was keeping his eyes peeled.



“You can do it, Harry. Focus all your energy on the happiest memory you can think of.”

“Expecto Patronum!”

Remus met Harry Potter on the Hogwarts Express, and they became friends quickly. Halfway through his first year of teaching, Remus had volunteered to show Harry how to conjure a Patronus. The poor boy couldn’t seem to shake off the Dementors that stood guard over Hogwarts, so he practiced shielding them with a Boggart. In his current attempt, Harry ran out of breath and fell down.

“I’m trying my hardest, Professor,” he gasped.

Remus told him, “Don’t be hard on yourself. You’re showing marvelous improvement, especially for a thirteen-year old.” He handed Harry a requisite piece of chocolate.

“Can I ask you something, Professor Lupin? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“Anything.”

“What’s your happiest memory?”

Remus should’ve known that Harry would raise this question. “I think my best memories of childhood were with my family. Once I got to Hogwarts, most of my memories involved your parents. You really do look like them. Don’t be surprised if I stumble and call you James.”

“I’ve heard that quite a bit,” said Harry. “That I look just like them. And that I have my mother’s eyes.”

“They’re not lying,” Remus agreed. “You don’t have her red hair, though.” I hear he also has more of a temper, like James had, he thought to himself. How much of his personality comes from Lily?

“Were you two ever… more than friends?”

Remus was taken aback.

“Definitely not, Harry. I don’t want you thinking that James competed with me for Lily. She was a wonderful friend to me. Nothing more than that.”

When Harry left his office, Remus let his mind return to his late friends. Lily Potter was the kindest soul he knew, besides his own mother. But if he were honest, he’d only thought of Lily as the sister he always wanted. That’s why he let James have her. Through the years, Remus trained himself to resist having even the slightest romantic feelings toward a girl. He would never marry, much less become a father. It was just too risky. Love would never exist in his world. That was before he met... her.


Note from the author: I AM continuing Remus’ story, but I’m doing it differently. It’ll be a new thread of stories, coming from Tonk’s point of view. Why? Well, I was working on the Remus/Tonks story first, and then you guys requested more for Remus. I’m so glad you enjoyed reading this! The new thread's called "Shaded with Patience"