Ink and Parchment (con't) - July 25: Dear Moony (WIP) [Harry Potter, Chaptered] (original) (raw)

Title:

Ink and Parchment (con't)
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Remus Lupin, Other Various
Word Count: WIP
Summary: Remus receives a letter from Sirius on the night of the full moon only a few weeks after resigning the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts. An ongoing exploration of the social politics and prejudices of wizards, werewolves and Muggles.
Author's Note: First Letter & Table of Contents

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July 25, 1994, 4:01pm

Dear Moony,

It's appalling to hear that, in twelve years, the Ministry might still have a stick up its arse about werewolves. I had thought, when you mentioned the Wolfsbane Potion that night in the Shrieking Shack, that finally something constructive was being done to help the people cursed with it, but it sounds like it's mostly the same old nonsense. And if what the Muggles go through is anything like what you did, it's a wonder if any of them manage to survive it.

Perhaps you should go and give the Minister for Magic and a few of the old fuddy-duddies in the Wizengamot a nibble, then maybe they'll do something constructive about the problem instead of making it all the more inconvenient.

How's the latest "furry little problem" coming along, then? I'm assuming by now you've caught her up and told her everything. Extremely bad luck for her, being bit when she's a Muggle. Not that it'd be any better luck if she were a witch, but at least she'd have some idea of what to expect. I've always wondered what it's like for the Muggle-borns and their parents, having spent their whole lives not knowing anything about us and then one day waking up and finding out there's this whole other world going on right under their noses.

I received a letter from Harry the other day. It was quite the read (nearly two feet of parchment, I'm surprised the owl could fly straight with that thing hanging off its leg) and he managed to tell me a lot of the things I've been wondering about, all these years. How he's grown up, who he's lived with, how school has been for him, all those things I should have been there for if I'd been a proper Godfather. I can’t help but wonder if I hadn't gone after Peter, if I would have been more like you and gone straight to Dumbledore and told him what happened, maybe then at least Harry could have been spared some of the unhappiness he's had through his life. I can't help but wonder if that's what James would have wanted me to do. The one time it really mattered for me to do the responsible thing, and I couldn't keep my head on straight enough to think things through.

It's a nasty thing to play, the "what if" game, isn't it? There's no hope in it, thinking about all the ways it could have turned out better. It's a bad habit I picked up. I'm not sure I’ll ever stop playing it now…

At least I can be thankful that Harry's had the good sense not to let circumstance stop him from being a good kid. Reminds me a lot of Prongs, the way he writes. Apparently he's got his relatives scared witless that I'll come and murder them all in their beds if I hear they've been treating him poorly, clever boy. I probably would too, come to think of it. (That was a joke, Moony, so you can stop frowning in that way I'm certain you are.)

Buckbeak and I are enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. I can't believe I never bothered to travel before, now that I've been forced to. We've stopped to rest for a week or so, but I think we'll continue on. I admit I'm feeling a bit restless after so long in a cell, and I can't get enough of the open air and the wind in my face when we're flying. I never used to see what you did in Magical Creatures, but I'm finding a decent enough companion in this Hippogriff. Bit like a haughty, oversized cat, really.

Padfoot

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To Be Continued...